Cuneo has a lot to offer both culturally and gastronomically, it is called the Provincia Granda and in a weekend you will not tire of exploring the beautiful old town, the modern part and also the surroundings: Mondovì, Vernante and Fontanel. In Cuneo you can explore all the architectural and cultural sites but its Piedmontese dishes and trattorias are not to be missed.
Wedge is one of the largest provinces of Piedmont so much so that it is called la Granda province, located at the foot of the Alps and close to France, home of the Langhe.
Known and very popular since French tourism, but still little from Italy and the rest of the world.
Cuneo is not a city that makes itself "felt" a lot, perhaps because it is overshadowed by the Langhe area, but in reality it has a lot to offer both culturally and gastronomically. For lovers of Piedmontese cities, in addition to Cuneo there are many other realities that are worth visiting, the advice is to read some 10 cities not to be missed in the province of Cuneo, or of 5 things not to miss in Cuneo, for a unique weekend!
Weekend in Cuneo
Cuneo is not a very big city and you can easily visit it in a weekend: it is enough a day to visit the city, the other two days can be dedicated to some places not far from the center.
Cuneo is a city well served by public transport: buses and trains connect it to most of the towns in the province. Are you a lover of wineries? in a weekend you will surely have time to visit one of the 5 wineries in the Langhe and Roero, where you can do tastings and buy some bottles of excellent local wine. Not a fan but you don't mind tasting good wine? Then always go to the Langhe, where you can do excellent aperitifs in Alba.
Old wedge
To immediately enter the heart of the city of Cuneo, you must start your visit from Piazza Galimberti, the "living room of the city", is one of the main meeting points of the city and here, every Tuesday, the city ​​market, one of the busiest in Italy. The square has a rectangular shape and is surrounded by arcades and neoclassical buildings.
Piazza Galimberti acts as a divider between the old part of the city and the new one. The main street of the old town is via Roma, buildings that overlook it have been recently restored and it will not be difficult to walk with your nose up.
Starting from Piazza Galimberti, at the beginning of Via Roma, on the left, is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Bosco, the cathedral of the city. Initially the ancient facade was not in line with that of the buildings next to it: this "imprecision" clashed with the symmetries of the city, so a new facade was built on top of the old one, in line with that of the buildings. The façade that can be admired today is the one formed by a portico supported by four Corinthian columns always in the neoclassical style.
Continuing along via Roma, you reach the Civic Tower, which with its 52 meters is the highest point in the city to see Cuneo from another perspective. Going forward you come to Piazza Torino, where the old part of the city ends. The center of “Cuneo Vecchia” does not end here, it expands into the maze of alleys that surround Via Roma. All the alleys of the historic center are very suggestive, both for the color and architecture of the buildings, and for the cobblestones that unite them to Via Roma.
Do not miss Contrada Mondovì, where is the Synagogue of the city, a beautiful example of a Piedmontese ghetto.
The modern part of the city
From the historical side, we move towards the more modern one starting from Piazza Foro Boario, recently renovated.
This square has become one of the meeting points for young people in the city, almost like Piazza Galimberti, thanks also to the opening of the Playboy, a craft brewery originally from the province of Cuneo. It is almost an "obligation" to stop and taste one of their excellent beers.
What to see in Cuneo Nuova
Returning to Piazza Galimberti, you pass in front of the Covered Market in Piazza Seminario, open only some mornings. From Piazza Galimberti, on the opposite side of Via Roma, is Corso Nizza, from here the Cuneo Nuova begins.
The nice thing is that the old and the new parts of the city are connected by beautiful arcades that come up here starting from Piazza Torino. In this part of the city there are many shops.
We recommend a nice walk under the arcades, and then leave the main street, heading towards Avenue of the Angels, a tree-lined avenue, here you can spend some time at Youth Park and Park of the Resistance. Going along the whole avenue you arrive at the beautiful Sanctuary of the Madonna degli Angeli.
The surroundings of Cuneo
After spending a whole day discovering the beauties of Cuneo, dedicate the other two days of the weekend to discover the surroundings. A few kilometers from the city there are some very interesting places to visit.
Fontanelle and Vernante
A few kilometers from Cuneo there are two very interesting places; Fontanelle, a hamlet of Boves, famous above all for religious tourism, and Vernante, a village at the foot of the Alps famous for its murals.
Fontanelle is located a few kilometers from Cuneo, but is known above all for its majestic Regina Pacis Sanctuary, a pilgrimage destination. The sanctuary is worth a visit, despite being recently built, the Baroque style details make it unique in its kind. In front of the sanctuary there is a tree-lined avenue that runs along the road and every Sunday in the summer, this avenue is filled with picnic tables.
Not far from Fontanelle, it is located Vernante. The town center is not very big and can be visited in a few hours. Let yourself be carried away by the streets of the center admiring the Pinocchio murals painted on the facades of the houses.
Mondovì and the Vicoforte Sanctuary
On the opposite side of Vernante is located Mondovi, a very nice city, a few kilometers from Cuneo. Mondovì was built on a hill overlooking the whole valley. After taking a tour in the lower part of the city, take the funicular and reach the area of Mondovì square, the most suggestive part of the city. After a stroll through the streets of the city, head to the nearby one Vicoforte of Mondovì, famous for its beautiful sanctuary. For the bravest we recommend a visit to the dome.
