Pont Canavese: Torre Ferranda, Museums and Church History

Pont Canavese between Towers, Museums and Local History

Pont Canavese combines architectural history, its religious past, museum themes and regional products into a diverse cultural profile. Torre Ferranda, the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Doblazio and the museums offer different perspectives on the history of the town.

Torre Ferranda and Copper Craftsmanship

Torre Ferranda stands on a rocky outcrop and is 32 metres high. The Museo del Territorio delle Valli Orco e Soana is housed in the tower. It displays tools and products from traditional copper craftsmanship. The museum visit ends at the top of Torre Ferranda. There, four orientation panels identify important geographical points. For planning your day, the climb to the top of the tower is part of the museum visit because the visit ends there.

Industrial History and Former Ways of Life

The Museo della Plastica Cannon-Sandretto is located in the representative Liberty-style building of the former Sandretto factory. It is dedicated to the history and technology of plastics processing and has an inventory of more than 2,500 objects. The Liberty-style building is spatially distinct from Torre Ferranda, which stands on a rocky outcrop. The Museo Etnografico - Antichi Mestieri offers a different perspective: in one room, it displays traditional costumes, presents the practical and psychological way of life of earlier generations, and includes a study of the historic shops of the covered Via del Commercio.

Santa Maria in Doblazio and San Francesco

You can reach the Chiesa di Santa Maria in Doblazio via an approximately half-hour climb from the built-up part of the town. The approximately half-hour climb to Santa Maria in Doblazio is a separate period of time. Historically, it was the mother church of the churches in the Orco and Soana valleys and remained the parish church of Pont until 1879. Traces of burials are present in the underground areas. Here, the history of the town is linked to a clear religious and social significance.

Only the enclosing walls and a small part of the portico remain from the former San Francesco complex. The Brotherhood of San Francesco had the church and monastery built so that Franciscan friars could support Pont’s poor population. The surviving remains therefore point to a former religious institution and its social purpose.

Bridge Name, Specialties and Hiking Connections

Pont Canavese was known in the Middle Ages as “Ad Duos Pontes” because people entered the town via bridges and had to pay a toll. There is also a culinary connection in the townscape today: the characteristic mountain cheese Toma and well-known grissini are available in the shops of Pont Canavese.

The Alta Via Canavesana crosses the Piedmontese side of Gran Paradiso National Park between Ceresole Reale and the Soana Valley.

Further Destinations

For further travel planning, you can also consider Rondissone, Marentino, Sparone, Orbassano, None Turin, San Maurizio Canavese, Plan and Sauze D'oulx.

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