Casa Stria and Former Convent of San Francesco
Ivrea is also about listening to time. Which here speaks of peace: the peace of the spirit, whispered by the Former Convent of San Francesco; and the peace of arms, proclaimed by Casa Stria. In this residence, finely decorated in terracotta, on 2 May 1391 Amedeo VII, the nobles and the Canavese rebels brought the Tuchinaggio to an end.
Via Arduino
Roman grid, medieval heart, popular spirit — this street has cradled at its corners: the childhood of an industrialist, the genius of a designer, the name of an electronic platform, all of them international. Now it feigns detachment from the affairs of the world. But it has tucked a wisteria in its hair, and perhaps it is preparing something new.
Adriano Olivetti Foundation and Edizioni di Comunità
The Adriano Olivetti Foundation was established in 1962 by the family and closest collaborators of the Ivrea industrialist with the aim of preserving and advancing his cultural, civic, and social legacy.
P.A. Garda Civic Museum and Ottinetti Square
The museum houses an archaeological collection that tells the story of Ivrea’s Roman origins. It is also home to two outstanding art collections, one of Asian art and the other of paintings, both donated by distinguished citizens. Together, they preserve not only remarkable works of art but also a lasting sense of civic pride and community.
Via Francigena and Ivrea
One of the most significant and moving stretches of the Via Francigena is the section between Pont-Saint-Martin and Viverone, with Ivrea as a fundamental crossroads. Passing through the city’s devotional history and the masterpiece of forms that is the Ivrea Morainic Amphitheatre, the walker moves through an increasingly quiet landscape of continuous scenic surprises that invite contemplation.
Taddeo McCarthy, an Extraordinary Pilgrim
Walking the Via Francigena through the Ivrea stretch also means encountering an extraordinary pilgrim: an Irish bishop whose remains have been kept in the Cathedral since 1492, the year of his death. Taddeo McCarthy is also a symbol of the passage between two historical eras.
The horse from Eporedia to the Ivrea Horse Fair
The Ivrea Horse Fair has become one of the most important in northern Italy. Born as an agricultural market for the purchase of working horses, it has over time transformed into a spectacular event, where visitors can admire single, pair and four-in-hand carriages, with artisanal harnesses of great distinction. Another event that puts the city in the spotlight for a few days.
Via Francigena for All
A route of great fascination, today made more inclusive by the Via Francigena for All project, realised by the Piedmont Region under a call for proposals from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Two stages of the Piedmontese Via Francigena have been made accessible to people with motor, sensory and cognitive disabilities, and to the elderly. Allowing everyone to enjoy the beauty of this historic route.
San Savino Festival
A saint bound to Umbria and a city, Ivrea, united without ever having met — except centuries later, in the tragic time of the plague. The San Savino Festival renews this bond every year. And every year, another protagonist of Ivrea’s history cannot be absent: the horse. At San Savino, time and space step aside, and spirituality, tradition and spectacle become one.
Horses and the Carnival
“All of human history and nature lives in the figure of the horse and the rider”: the words of the Tuscan sculptor Marino Marini seem to perfectly describe the role that the horse plays in the Historic Carnival of Ivrea. Here it is not a mere scenic element, but a living, pulsating presence in the festival and in the hearts of the Eporediesi, who await it every year with eager anticipation.
The Spirit of Walking
Whether you devote a single day to it or walk it in its entirety, the Via Francigena is an opportunity to bring the soul into tune. Walking is a spiritual experience. A writer’s words: “The twenty-four hours stretched out across the full arc of a lifetime, and the thin air, the sharpened senses, the accumulation of details and shifts of scene transformed every chain of small events into a kind of eternity.”
Specialist Craftsmanship
Carts, carriages, harnesses — everything needed to keep alive the importance of the horse has given rise in this area to a rich tradition of specialist craftsmen. A tradition that did not die out with the arrival of the industrial age and the motor car. The traditional events of Ivrea, bound to the San Savino Festival and the Historic Carnival of Ivrea, help keep this heritage of knowledge alive.