Cavaglià stone circle, Stone circle in Cavaglià, Italy.

The Cavaglià stone circle is a modern monument near the Elvo torrent that reuses prehistoric menhirs, set in a circle to resemble a cromlech. The stones were placed in an arbitrary alignment, not at their original site, which is now urbanized. Some bear a cup mark and cross-shaped carvings probably from the late Middle Ages.

The menhirs were probably part of a prehistoric cult site used for rituals linked to astronomy; some sources date them between 4000 and 5000 BC, others to the Iron Age. In the 1970s and 1980s, construction of a new neighbourhood led to the stones being moved, piled up and abandoned. In 2005, Luca Lenzi, the Anticaquercia association and the Canavesano Archaeological Group prompted the Superintendency and the municipality to act, and the stones were re-erected in a circle near the Biella state road.

The name "cromlech" is a misnomer: the stones were re-erected in a circle in recent times, not by prehistoric builders. On the menhirs visitors can look for a cup mark and cross-shaped carvings, probably added in the late Middle Ages. The monument stands at the junction of the road to Biella, near the Elvo stream.

The stones stand in the open at the junction with the state road for Biella, near the Elvo torrent, and can be visited freely at any time. There are no facilities, staff or marked paths on site, so bring water and wear shoes suited to rough ground. The circle is a short walk from the centre of Cavaglià.

The stones may have been aligned with astronomical points, suggesting that early people tracked the movements of the sun and stars. This alignment reveals a basic connection between astronomy and ritual practice.