Candelo and Its Ricetto: The Medieval Grain Fortress

In medieval Piedmont, the peasants of the plain had a recurring problem: how to safeguard grain, wine and livestock when enemy militias raided the fields. The solution was the ricetto — from the Latin receptus, refuge — a walled enclosure outside the main village where provisions were stored in small stone cellars. Candelo, in the province of Biella, preserves the most intact of these defensive systems: an entire medieval village enclosed by walls that still counts over 200 cellars, most in private use.

A Fourteenth-Century Fortress-Village

The Ricetto of Candelo was built between 1270 and 1358 and occupies about one hectare on raised ground above the town. The perimeter walls, corner towers, internal stone streets and vaulted cellars — each owned by a village family — form a system that was never abandoned nor altered: some cellars still hold wooden casks and are used for winemaking. Free self-guided visits are possible every day.

What Is Preserved and What Is Lived

Every summer the Ricetto hosts one of the most distinctive wine bars in Piedmont: cellars open to the public serve Erbaluce di Caluso, Bramaterra and Lessini Durello in a medieval-theatre atmosphere. The Ricetto Museum documents the history of the defensive system and the relationship between the village and the Biella feudal lords. Museum admission is 3 euros.

Where and When

Candelo is 5 kilometres from Biella and 90 from Turin. By car, take the A4 motorway to Santhià, then the state road toward Biella. The Ricetto can be visited all year round, but summer brings cultural events that enliven the cellars. In spring and autumn the village is nearly deserted and enjoyed in its authentic dimension.