Castellamonte, Italian comune
Castellamonte is a small town nestled on gentle hills in the metropolitan area of Turin, arranged in a semicircular shape around its hillside. The narrow streets curve naturally with the terrain, and buildings are constructed from stone and distinctive rounded red bricks that give the place its particular character.
The town grew around a medieval castle whose ruins still crown the hilltop. In the 1800s, the famous architect Alessandro Antonelli redesigned the town's center by building a massive church that rivals the size of Saint Peter's Square in Rome.
The name Castellamonte comes from the castle that once dominated the hilltop and shaped the settlement. Today you can see in the narrow, winding streets and the red brick buildings how this medieval structure still influences how locals live and move through their town.
Start exploring in the old town center where narrow streets connect to the main squares and you can see churches and old towers. Take time to walk through the quieter areas to find ceramic workshops and small shops that are woven into the everyday fabric of the town.
The town is famous for handcrafted ceramics and special stoves called Franklin pieces that have been made here since the late 1700s. This tradition is so important that the town belongs to a national group of ceramic towns and hosts regular craft fairs where artisans display their colorful, patterned work.
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