COMUNE DI BORGOFRANCO D'IVREA

Borgofranco d’Ivrea, a small agricultural village built towards the end of the 13th century by the Bishop of Ivrea and the Marquis of Monferrato to act as an outpost in a disputed area, as a fortified centre to secure the important road to Valle d’Aosta. It was endowed with ample privileges, exemptions and franchises in order to attract new inhabitants; those who lived in the nearby towns of Biò, Quinto and Monbueno were forced to move there. Over the course of the centuries and with alternating fortunes, the town has been transformed into the present-day village complex, located at the confluence of an important road junction linking Piedmont, the Biella area, Valle d’Aosta and from there France and Switzerland. In ancient times, pilgrims passed through Borgofranco on their way from England and France to Rome, the renewed Via Francigena. A territory where the signs left by a history of agro-pastoral economy are still evident: from the ancient Ricetto, almost intact, with the regularity of its streets and the typically rural architecture of the dwellings composed of two or three floors with large arched loggias and wide "travà" for stables and hay storage, to the hamlets scattered around, each with its small church, often very old. In the historic centre are located the tower of medieval origin, which serves as the bell tower; the parish church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saints Maurice and Germano, in baroque style, built in 1663 and restored in 1792 by the confraternity of the Rosary and the population; the Church of Santa Marta, originally a parish church, enlarged in 1691 by the Marini family; the 15th-century Domus Sancti Spiriti, the seat of a confraternity and, until 1600, a parish house and school, and the 16th-century Marini Palace, an imposing L-shaped building of 1,900 square metres, with an imposing façade. 900 square metres, characterised by an ancient tower dating back to around 1200. There are also buildings of notable importance such as the De Giacomi Brewery, a brewery dating from the beginning of the last century; around the same period as the large villa surrounded by greenery that was the hydrotherapy establishment. What distinguishes Borgofranco from the other villages in the Canavese area is the extraordinary complex of the Balmetti, which are real natural cellars carved out of the moraine rock, about a kilometre from the town centre, perfect for storing wine, but also cheese. The name derives from Balma, an ancient name of Ligurian origin which means cave, a place hollowed out of the mountain. Inside the caves, the temperature and humidity remain constant throughout the year thanks to a natural phenomenon that causes air currents to escape from the mountain cavities. They have a very ancient origin linked to viticulture: the construction is rectangular, with one or two floors above ground, and inside there is often a courtyard and a pergola with creepers.