The programme includes the visit to the castle, from the undergrounds to the tower, the visit to the old barns, today the museum of objects belonging to peasant and artisan past. There is also the visit to other exhibition areas in medieval stables. The itineraries take place inside the castle, the garden and in the park. Visits can be made in the morning (9.30-12 am), in the afternoon (2-4 pm) or during a whole-day visit with packed lunch at the municipal sports centre.
The itineraries and the laboratories:
The library – How a book is made. History and development of the written press, in the laboratories a page is printed with movable letters and the old printing press. It is possible to nose around among the past, glancing through the books of castle library.
Traditional crafts and trades – A brief history of traditional crafts through the tools of castle museum. Looking at the new working tools of the farm, the comparison is made with modern farming reality.
The game and the art – Development of figurative and abstract concepts with felt-pens, papers and other materials. A special journey into creativity, through the suggestion of spaces and sounds, playing and inventing.
Five senses plus one – We discover the five senses; with garden plants we enjoy stimulating and using our senses through an amusing sensory and tactile itinerary.
The garden and the park – Adventure amid the unspoilt vegetation, through a playful and didactic path, observing different animal and vegetable species, learning how to find one’s way around in the wood. The pavilion of the roots, we examine the natural sculptures kept inside it.
Balbi Castle is situated in the built-up area of Piovera, old rural village 1.5 km away from Alessandria. It is one of the main castles of the area and essentially the only well-preserved. It rises in the plain, surrounded by a wide park, walls and a moat dating back to the 14th century. Under the Visconti, it was first a fortress built on previous encampments (Roman and Carolingian) and on the ruins of a convent, then from age to age it became Mendelli's, Gallarati's, Spanish Omodeo's and finally Genoese Balbi's property, Piovera last feudal lord. From 19th century on, it becomes a mansion with today Roman architecture, without nevertheless affecting the original «U» shaped structure. The owner now is Niccolò Calvi di Bergolo. Inside the castle and in the garden, he has created impressive and interesting didactic, historical, cultural, artistic and naturalistic paths open to the public and to schools.
