Literary itineraries

Last update 27 November 2018

Literary itineraries by Davide Lajolo

In the footsteps of the hilly paths, where Davide Lajolo used to walk, three itineraries have been identified that develop in a ring giving way to grasp the suggestions of the landscape and to retrace the great themes of the relationship between the Author and the territory:

- The "I bricchi del Barbera" itinerary connects Vinchio to the small village of Noche, passing through the San Michele hill.

- The itinerary "The woods of the Saracens" develops in the green valley of the Garden going down to the Tiglione river to return to the town, along the ridge of the Saraceni hill.

- The itinerary "The green sea" develops towards the Cascine in the direction of Cortiglione, to reach the woods of the Val Sarmassa.

Along the itineraries, specific illustrative panels, containing literary quotations and reading guides, offer the opportunity to deepen the themes of the territory faced by Lajolo.

In the central square of Vinchio, a large panel presents the life and work of Davide Lajolo and illustrates the detailed map of the itineraries system, taken in the individual posters with the necessary indications to continue the route.

All three itineraries, crossing the country, include a stop in the most significant places (among them the monument of Floriano Bodini dedicated to Lajolo) and retrace the steps of the strong emotional bond between the writer and his country, from the painful youth separation to progressive rediscovery of roots. The view from Vinchio opens onto a sea of ​​vine-covered hills to the distant foothills of the Langhe, land of Pavese and Fenoglio, giving way to reflect about the meeting between Davide Lajolo and the two great writers.

The first itinerary "I bricchi del Barbera" allows you to have an overview of the most typical hilly landscapes and to highlight the most poetic images.

Along the way you reach San Michele where you find the jug and the family cottage, then you cross the precious vineyards of Laudana and Monte dell'Olmo, which give rise to the exclusive wines of which the country is proud.

The dialogue woven by Lajolo with the vines is an opportunity to highlight the art and the peasant effort through the literary page.

On the place of the Tana, the hiding place in which Lajolo found providential shelter together with other partisans is recalled. In the nearby village of Noche, the biographical experience of the Resistance is deepened, in its universal dimension of painful but necessary choice, that the writer knew how to rethink without rhetoric.

The route, along a path of undoubted charm among the natural truffles of the fresh valley of Roeto, then reaches the Vinchio Vaglio Serra winery, an important tourist point of reference, where the general information on the itineraries system is presented and where the theme of return is presented: from the experiences of the world to the hilly roots. From here you go back to the village, having the opportunity to stop under the hill of Vascirone to better grasp the sagacious descriptions of the characters of the eclectic community of Vinchio.

Il secondo itinerario “I boschi dei Saraceni” è dedicato a cogliere le impressioni cromatiche legate all'alternarsi delle stagioni nell'ambiente collinare, a seguire con lo sguardo affettuoso di Lajolo le acute osservazioni degli aspetti più nascosti della vita degli animali e delle piante e a ricordare aspetti della cultura materiale ormai appartenenti al passato, come la trebbiatura del grano e la coltura dei gelsi e dei bachi da seta nella piana del Tiglione.
Sul Bricco dei Saraceni si ricorda l'episodio storico della battaglia di Aleramo, che riporta alle antiche origini del paese e al suo ruolo cruciale nella geografia collinare che Lajolo ha saputo rinnovare.

The third itinerary "The green sea", il Mare Verde,  is interwoven with the paths of the Nature Reserve established by the Piedmont Region in Val Sarmassa.

It is an opportunity to discover the pulsating life that is hidden in the moods of the wooded environment.

A stop full of charm is at the Casotto di Montedelmare, where the theme of the old vines and of the characters full of mystery that have linked their life to the forest is re-addressed.