Holiday Apartment in Druento: La Mandria Nature Park and History

Historic Places and Special Buildings

The historic centre of Druento lies on the hill where the Chiesa di San Michele and the remains of the old castle stand. The hill is surrounded by the Rio Fellone. Villa dei Laghi provides a distinctive architectural feature: it is located in the municipality of Druento, at Rotta Bottion, on a peninsula in the centre of Lago Grande. Between 1863 and 1868, it was built at the request of King Vittorio Emanuele II as a hunting retreat in medieval and Neo-Renaissance forms. Its garden includes English lawns and landscaped woodland areas and was designed by landscape architect Pietro Porcinai.

The Chiesa di San Giuliano was built in the 12th century and was associated with the property of the Benedictine abbey of San Giacomo di Stura. It contains a well-preserved and recently restored fresco cycle dating from 1493. The church is normally closed to the public; it opens after a guided tour has been booked and during the Festa di San Giuliano on the last Sunday in August. The Chiesa di Santa Maria della Stella was built in 1295 as a new and larger church outside the settlement. After being demolished in 1674, it was enlarged and rebuilt, acquiring three naves, an apse and seven altars. It contains a fresco of the Madonna delle Grazie with the Christ Child dated 1494.

The Chiesa di San Sebastiano dates from the second half of the 16th century and has a central nave and two side aisles. Its works of art include a wooden statue of San Sebastiano carved around 1765 in the Piedmontese Baroque style. Cascina Vittoria was completed between 1860 and 1863 and was among the first construction projects commissioned by Vittorio Emanuele II. It is a breeding centre for the Cavallo Agricolo Italiano – TPR; this breed is considered the only native Italian draught horse breed.

The Cappella di San Rocco is also one of the places with special opening occasions. It is usually closed and opens for the Festa di Borgo San Rocco. The Festa di San Giuliano seeks to revive the atmosphere of past centuries in the still well-preserved Ricetto di San Giuliano.

Nature Experiences in Parco Naturale La Mandria

La Mandria Nature Park preserves the most significant remaining section of lowland forest in northern Italy. Its habitats make it a European Special Area of Conservation. The park offers guided tours on foot, by bicycle, on horseback or by carriage. The fenced area of Parco Naturale La Mandria is freely accessible at no charge during opening hours. The Cancello di Druento is an entrance to the park on Via Medici del Vascello–Ponte sul Ceronda; free parking is available there.

For another connection with nature and horses, the circular trail Percorso A tutta la Mandria leads to Cascina Rubbianetta, home of the Centro Internazionale del Cavallo. This allows you to combine different ideas for day trips when staying in a holiday apartment or holiday home in Druento: sacred art and architectural history, garden landscapes, guided experiences in the park or horse-related topics. Those travelling with children of different ages can alternate between focused cultural experiences and varied time in the nature park, without limiting their holiday to just one type of activity.

More Destinations for Your Planning

Other places you can choose for your travel planning include Front, Banchette, Villar Focchiardo, Romano Canavese, Didiero, Bardonecchia, Beinasco and Locana.

For the higher-level travel overview: Turin.