Holiday apartment in Guardia Piemontese – discover Occitan culture

Holiday apartment in Guardia Piemontese: discover Occitan traces

Guardia Piemontese is interesting for you if you would like to combine a holiday apartment in Guardia Piemontese with a trip focusing on the Occitan language, crafts and history. At today's Piazza della Strage stands the Porta del Sangue, the main gate; it dates from before the massacre of 1561. The historic centre features narrow lanes and streets arranged in an orthogonal grid reminiscent of settlements in the Piedmontese valleys.

The old Occitan language has survived in Guardia Piemontese to this day. The Museo della civiltà contadina is housed in one of the oldest buildings in the town and was founded in 1989 to preserve the local rural and Occitan heritage, as well as the old traditions.

Museums, traditional costumes and traditional crafts

The Museo della civiltà contadina reconstructs a traditional rural home with living areas, an old attic oven, a stable and a cellar. It also displays Occitan clothing and includes a photographic section.

The Laboratorio di arte tessile di Guardia Piemontese is located on the ground floor of the same building as the Museo Valdese. A visit provides insights into the textile art of the Waldensians of Calabria and the traditional Guardiolo costume. Using handlooms, the Laboratorio produces textiles from hemp, linen, silk, cotton and broom fibres.

The women's costume of Guardia Piemontese has two forms: the everyday costume, Tramontana, which was used until a few years ago, and the bridal costume, Dournë. The Museo Valdese was inaugurated in 2011 and offers free visits for school classes and organised groups. This creates various opportunities for families and groups wishing to explore cultural themes together.

Historic sites and special occasions

The Chiesa del Santissimo Rosario is a former Dominican monastery founded in 1600. Its furnishings include a hand-carved wooden choir with 33 seats. The Roccia di Val Pellice stands at the site where the Waldensian temple once stood; in 1975, it was brought there from the mountains of Torre Pellice.

The Bèlla Stela takes place in the historic centre of Guardia Piemontese on Epiphany and includes a torchlight procession with the Star of Bethlehem and the three Magi. The Terme Luigiane are located in the area around Guardia Piemontese, in the valley of the Fiumara dei Bagni between Intavolata and Guardia Piemontese. They have been known since classical antiquity and received the name Luigiane in the first half of the 19th century.

Discover more destinations

For further travel planning, you can also visit these places: Castroregio, Marina Schiavonea, Scarcelli, Solfara Mare, San Lucido, Fiumefreddo Bruzio, San Benedetto Ullano and Fuscaldo.

To the main travel overview: Cosenza.