Abbazia Santa Maria di Vezzolano

The Finest Romanesque Abbey in Piemonte

The Abbazia Santa Maria di Vezzolano, founded in the 12th century near Albugnano, is considered the most complete and best-preserved Romanesque monastic complex in all of Piemonte. The carved stone roodscreen — the pontile — inside the church is an extraordinary piece of Romanesque sculpture, depicting 24 figures in high relief that have kept their detail with remarkable fidelity through nine centuries. The nave itself is cool and bare in the way that Romanesque interiors tend to be at their best: all emphasis on proportion and stone rather than decoration. Legend holds that Charlemagne himself founded a chapel on this site in 773 AD, though the current complex dates to the 12th century.

The cloister, with its slender columns and carved capitals, is one of the most serene spaces in the entire region. Entry is free or by donation, and the abbey receives relatively few visitors — which only adds to the quality of the experience. A visit takes 45 to 60 minutes at an unhurried pace, and combining it with the hills and the small village of Albugnano makes for a genuinely rewarding half-day trip from Bric del Vento.