Vercelli and the rice fields.
Duration: 10 hours
Languages: IT, EN, DE, ES, FR
At one hour drive from Turin, at the north-east of Piedmont, the city of Vercelli is mostly known as the capital of the Italian rice farming.
Vercelli also displays its artistic and cultural heritage dating back to the middle ages, when the city became one of the wealthiest of Piedmont. By walking through the city we will discover its masterpieces such as the medieval Abbey of Saint Andrew as well as several noble palaces and the little medieval squares often renovated in the 1600s and 1700s according to the baroque style. After visiting Vercelli we move to the Principality of Lucedio whose Abbey was founded by the Cistercian monks in 1123, who first introduced rice cultivation in Italy in the mid-1400s.
Lunch will be served at the Principality. Depending on the period , you will have the chance to be amazed by the spectacular extent of the rice fields, fully covered by the water in April and May or sparkling with the very bright green of the little and thin plants of rice growing slowly in the water, during summer. The rice fields are home to herons, wild ducks, kingfishers and the Sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), often depicted in the papyri and bas-reliefs of ancient Egypt, where he was revered as an icon of the god Thot. Finally, on the way back, we will stop at an active family run rice farm to learn about the process of rice growing and to shop.
Inclusions: Car (or minibus), local guide, lunch, entrance tickets.
Exclusions: drinks, tips, whatever not listed in the inclusion section.
Detailed programme and quotations: events@petiteevents.com
