Tour of the Five Towers – Stage 4

Roccaverano is the highest point of the trail, from the top of its tower the view stretches freely (at 360 degrees) over the horizon offering a splendid view of the Langhe and the valleys of the Bormida river of Cortemilia and the Bormida of Spigno alongside a landscape which consists of woods, meadows, fields, forest strips and gullies of grey clay. From here you can see the many towers that once formed the defence line.

From the square in Roccaverano you turn right into an alleyway, on the right side of the church, then you go down through the old stone houses, pass under a large archway and join the provincial road. After a few metres, to avoid a hairpin bend, turn right and descend along a steep asphalted road that takes you back onto the provincial road to Mombaldone and then continue downhill. On the left, under the escarpment, you can see the beautiful stone votive chapel of the Bruno family, the same family that has built the church.

If you want to avoid two hairpin bends you can cut across the road onto a small path. As you continue along the provincial road you reach the hamlet of San Giovanni. Here you will find a charming Romanesque church with a valuable cycle of frescoes inside.  Also of interest is the beautiful stone bell tower, beneath which lies a small cemetery with graves scattered across the lawn, reminiscent of Irish cemeteries. Beyond the cemetery, if you want to avoid the asphalted road, you can follow a path through the grove on the right-hand side of the road.

Once you reach the junction towards Denice you turn left uphill and, after about a hundred metres, when you get to a junction with two asphalted roads, you leave the asphalted road and climb up a little path through the woods leading up to the Vengore tower, a stone monolith, turned grey with the passing of time, which stands isolated against the sky and exudes its unique charm.