Saluzzo is a city of art “tout court”, a jewel of enchanting beauty brimming with history and architecture and, as a backdrop, the imposing outline of Monviso, King of the Cottian Alps.

Between the 13th and 16th centuries it was the capital of a small, though important Marquisate, and the grandeur of this period is testified to by buildings of great note, such as the Cistercian Abbey of Staffarda, the imposing Manta Castle and the monuments in the old town centre: the Castiglia, the Church of San Giovanni, the Town Hall and its Tower, the Academy of Liberal Arts, “Casa Cavassa”, and the Mint where coins were struck.

But the enchanting nature of this town is palpable everywhere: in the cobbled streets brushed by the long shadows of the stately town houses, and in the long flights of steps that climb gently up the hill. Traces of frescos can be spotted in the hiddenmost corners, and low-ceilinged period porticos open out into noblemen’s houses.