Front: Chapels, Nature and History
Accommodation in Front
Front between sacred architecture and landscape
Front combines sacred architectural history with visible traces in the forest and the landscapes of the lower Canavese. The first documented mention of the Parrocchiale di Santa Maria Maddalena in Front dates from 1190. Later historical points of reference include several chapels, the ruins of “di Madama Cristina” and the natural features along the Rio Verdeis.
Chapels and their historical details
The Cappella di San Domenico was enlarged in 1765 and subsequently restored several times. Inside it is an elaborate wooden statue of Saint Dominic. It was installed in 1890 and replaced an earlier papier-mâché statue. The furnishing is made of wood, while the replaced figure was made of papier-mâché. The Cappella di San Domenico is also associated with the 1739 cadastre.
The Cappella di San Rocco dates from around 1600 and is likewise associated with the 1739 cadastre. The Cappella di Sant'Antonio Abate has a different architectural character: it is a remarkable Rococo building and was completed in 1793 by Bartolomeo Gilardino from San Benigno, following a design by the Turin architect Felice Maria Morari. It was therefore completed later than the Cappella di San Rocco, which dates from around 1600.
Access in the town centre
The Cappella di San Domenico is directly accessible from the Piazza and has no barriers or obstacles. The same applies to the Cappella di San Rocco, which is also directly accessible from the Piazza and has no barriers or obstacles. The Cappella di Sant'Antonio Abate is directly accessible from the road and likewise has no barriers or obstacles.
Ruins in the forest and on the Bricco della Torre
In a densely wooded clearing in Front, the ruins of the “di Madama Cristina” building complex are visible. Here, the forest forms the immediate setting for a historical trace that is perceived not as a complete building but in the form of preserved ruins. An ancient Lombard castle of Front is said to have stood on the Bricco della Torre, the hill above the present-day care home.
Rio Verdeis and Vauda
The Percorso Naturalistico Il Rio Verdeis circular trail runs around the upper section of the Rio Verdeis and begins on the southwestern edge of Grange di Front, a hamlet of the municipality of Front. The Vauda nature reserve in the lower Canavese is characterised by broad plains dotted with ponds. The wooded location of the ruins therefore differs markedly from the broad, pond-dotted plains of the Vauda. The wide plains open up the landscape, while the numerous ponds form individual bodies of water within this open space. Along the Rio Verdeis, the upper river section shapes the route; in the Vauda, plains and ponds define the space.
Other Piedmontese places include Poirino, Ceres, Valprato Soana, Sciolze, Riva presso Chieri, Plan, Villar Pellice and Pecetto.
More about the region around Turin.
