A Wonderful Day: Exploring Caluso and Candia's History and Beauty
From fascinating fortresses to enchanting churches, these places are brimming with history and natural beauty. A compelling blend of historical intrigue and natural splendor of two villages I visited
Today's history is no longer associated with Valle d'Aosta. We relocated to Canavesse, a region, renowned for its wine and a vineyard known as Erbaluce, specifically Erbaluce di Caluso. The Romans referred to it as Albaluce, with “luce” meaning light and “alba” meaning sunrise. Clusters of this grape variety radiate in the sunlight.
My journey was not very lengthy this time: I traveled by car to save time, as I needed to visit two small villages, Caluso and Candia. The map indicated the presence of castles and a wooded area where I could take a stroll. Since it was my first walk in two months, I decided that even a few steps would benefit me.
This year, the weather is unpredictable, and it's challenging to decide what to wear: one day it's 7 °C (ca. 45 °F), the next day it's already 18 °C (ca. 64 °F), and two days later it's 7 °C again. For this reason, the car is invaluable with the entire wardrobe inside. I don't know about you, but I have a second home in the car, in terms of shoes, clothes, and various tools for every situation.
My first stop was Caluso, a very intriguing ancient village to explore at a leisurely pace. The village still retains its boundary walls and at least one gate of the fortress. (As evident from my previous stories, I have a keen interest in ancient fortifications and defense structures.) The main church also dates back to the 16th century. Due to time constraints, I only managed to visit the castle.
The fortress of Caluso (village + the “casaforte”, a protected building less elaborate than the castle) played a significant role in all the wars in the area. It changed hands from the original owners to the victors many times, until the Spanish demolished the casaforte in 1537 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the French troops.
In its heyday, the fortress of Caluso could accommodate up to 200 soldiers. The owners did not live here, so they did not need another castle (since there is one in every village). Famous warlords such as Facino Cane, Malerba, Cesare Maggi, and others tried to conquer it. I've read so much about Facino Cane in the last few months, that knowing he had also been here made an impression on me.
Candia is even smaller than Caluso. Leaving the car in the car park, I took a walk around the town before setting off in search of the Romanesque church, which is located in the woods on the hill. In this forest, according to my map, there are erratic boulders, centuries-old trees, and other strongholds. Since it was already 1 pm, I decided that this time I would just go and see the church.
In the village, almost all houses have large photos of the residents, paintings, or photos of community events on their walls. It was heartwarming to see. As someone who lives a solitary life, I never expected anyone to remember me after I'm gone. But it would be nice to leave behind a memory like this.
After leaving the village, I continued my ascent towards the church. Although I had read that it was a 9th-century building, I had not seen any photos of it. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I finally arrived at the open space where the beautiful church stood. Despite the many wars and events that had taken place over the past millennium, the church had remained almost perfectly intact. It was truly amazing.
Some people might think that the church is just a pile of old ruins and is therefore not beautiful. But I always tell tourists that true beauty can be seen with the heart, not just with the eyes. The church represents the lives of the people who were there before us, their art of survival despite everything, their desire to create something beautiful, and their ability to find joy and celebration in their lives. The true beauty lies in the stories and moral legacy left behind by the people who lived there before us.
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