What to see in Ivrea, the main places of interest

What to see and what to do in Ivrea, a Piedmontese town. Some tips, advice and information on how to visit Ivrea and how to best experience the Piedmontese city, capital of the Canavese area.

Ivrea, panorama of the city
Ivrea, panorama of the city

Ivrea, is located on the "La Serra" hill, dominated by the 4 towers of the Arduino Castle, built in 1358 by Amedeo IV of Savoy, now used as a venue for events and exhibitions.

The ancient city of epic, is located in the Canavese, hilly area on the border with Gran Paradiso Park, of which Ivrea it is considered the capital. The river Dora Baltea, channeled into the so-called “Canal of Ivrea“, calmly crosses the city giving it romantic and unexpected glimpses.

Ivrea what to see

Among the streets of the historic center of Ivrea

The streets of the historic center of Ivrea, scene of the Battle of the Oranges in the days of famous Carnival of Ivrea, lead our visit towards the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the XNUMXth century AD on the remains of an ancient Roman temple dedicated to Apollo. We continue for Piazza Castello, which was once the seat of the Monastery of Santa Chiara (1310), surrounded by Bell towers of the Cathedral, Bishopric, Cleric Palace, Capitular Cloister, library and the seat of the Civic Museum; the Giacosa Theatre from 1834, in neoclassical style, restored in 1958 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Carnival of Ivrea; the Town Hall, Seat of the Municipality of Ivrea from 1758, with the curious depiction of the hemp plant on the central tower, confirming the hypothesis that the name "Canavese" derives from the cultivation of this plant.

2 Roman amphitheater of Ivrea

The Amphitheater of Ivrea was built around the middle of the 65st century AD, outside the walls, along the road to Vercelli. It is assumed that it could accommodate ten to fifteen thousand spectators. Of this ancient monument, which extends for a length of approximately 1955 metres, the foundations of the walls remain, in particular of the external elliptical perimeter wall and the replacement side walls (an archaeological term which indicates a structure which is entirely or partly underground to support a building above). Furthermore, some underground tunnels where the fighting animals were kept can still be identified. The Ivrea amphitheater was brought to light at the beginning of XNUMX and, during the excavation works, many fragments of frescoes and a long stretch of bronze covering for the backs of the podium seats were found. To build the amphitheater the Romans demolished a pre-existing villa, of which some archaeological remains are visible today. Here coins, amphorae, fragments of statues and remains of painted plaster were found.

The road, which leads from the amphitheater to ancient Eporedia, has maintained the direction of the Via delle Gallie which directly connected Rome with the territories beyond the Alps. Eporedia was therefore an obligatory passage and became an important commercial centre, consequently the population also increased considerably. The city therefore expanded, especially in the imperial period, even beyond the walls, mainly in the eastern part which was the most suitable for new settlements. New neighborhoods arose throughout the area between the amphitheater and Porta Praetoria and this is documented both by medieval sources and by archaeological excavations. An area of ​​predominantly commercial use was discovered north of the Porta Praetoria.

3 Ivrea to visit: ithe castle

The imposing Castle of Ivrea, located in the upper part of the city, is called "castle of the red towers" by Giosuè Carducci.
The mighty building - with a square plan with a vast courtyard and strengthened at the corners by slender cylindrical towers, of which the largest was seriously damaged in 1676 by lightning - was built in 1358 commissioned by Amedeo VI of Savoy for defensive purposes. The complex in which it was inserted included the main seats of medieval political and religious power: the Municipality, the Episcopal Chapter and the Church. Significantly modified in the following years, from 1750 to 1970 the entire structure was used as a prison and was completely stripped of all the precious internal furnishings.

At the end of 2017 it was definitively transferred to the municipal administration with the cultural federalism process. The transition from the State to the territory is the result of teamwork between the State Property Agency, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism and the Municipality of Ivrea which has made it possible to develop a program for the valorisation and conservative restoration of the highly valuable asset. historical-artistic. The redevelopment of the Castle is also part of a broader project for the development of tourism which involves the entire system of Ivrea's cultural heritage.

Ivrea things to see: The Castle of Ivrea
Ivrea things to see: The Castle of Ivrea

4 What to do in Ivrea: ithe Ivrea carnival, the battle of the oranges

Il Carnival of Ivrea is recognized as an Italian event of international importance. Known to most for its spectacular battle of the oranges which takes place every year for three days in the main squares of the city, this carnival is actually an event that is characterized by the ceremonial complex, culminating in the Historical Parade, full of historical-legendary evocations that draws on different historical eras: from the medieval popular uprisings to the Napoleonic era, from the eighteenth century to the Risorgimento uprisings. And it is precisely in the Risorgimento period that the character of the Vezzosa Mugnaia was born, symbol of freedom and heroine of the festival who, accompanied by the General of Napoleonic origin, is the female protagonist of the Oldest Carnival in Italy.

What to do in Ivrea: Throwing oranges during the Ivrea Carnival paradeThe throwing of oranges during the Ivrea Carnival parade

Ivrea to see: the museums

5 MAAM – Open-air museum of modern architecture in Ivrea

Il MAAM Museum of Ivrea, inaugurated in 2001, develops along a route of approximately two kilometers which includes via Jervis and the adjacent areas on which the most representative buildings of Olivetti's culture stand. Seven thematic information stations are located along the public pedestrian paths, which connect the buildings, in such a sequence as to constitute a possible visit itinerary and characterized by a strong integration with the urban fabric.
The themes illustrated by the stations concern the events inherent to Olivetti's commitment in the field of architecture, urban planning, industrial design and advertising graphics and the cultural contexts in which these events take place.

6 “Pier Alessandro Garda” Civic Museum

In Civic Museum of Ivrea “Pier Alessandro Garda” contains general documentation on the Canavese area; cartography, material culture, geology, prehistoric and Roman finds, lapidary, detached frescoes from the XNUMXth century. XII-XVI. The Garda donation of oriental art (China, Japan) is noteworthy.

7 Ivrea and surroundings to visit, Olivetti

Outside the city center, the neoclassical style of the buildings in the historic center leaves room for technology: the most important and innovative Italian company in the field of typewriter production was based in the historic red brick factory until the 90s and from calculation: OLIVETTI & C. FIRST NATIONAL TYPEWRITER FACTORY, founded by Camillo Olivetti in 1908. Currently the buildings of the old Olivetti, host one of the offices of Vodafone Italy.

8 Olivetti Historical Archive Association

The Olivetti Historical Archive Association, established in Ivrea in 1998 on the initiative of the Olivetti Company, in agreement with the Adriano Olivetti Foundation and with the participation of important public and private partners, it carried out an activity of collection, reorganization, conservation, study and promotion of the vast archival heritage concerning the history of the Company and of the personalities of the Olivetti family.

In this way, the work started by the Olivetti Historical Archive, established in 1986, to which the Olivetti company and the Adriano Olivetti Foundation had entrusted the conservation of their respective documentary heritage continues. These assets, made up of documents, letters, books, newspapers, magazines, posters, drawings, photos, films, audiovisual materials, products, models and models, are the subject of systematic electronic filing and digitization work as far as possible. The Association's activity does not end with the strictly archival commitment of recovery, cataloging and conservation of documents, but is also manifested through the activity of assistance and consultancy towards scholars and researchers, collaboration with cultural initiatives of institutions private and public, the creation of exhibitions, films, conferences, studies, research and publications aimed at promoting and deepening knowledge of Olivetti's history and values.

Visit information, time:

archive: from Mon. to Fri. opening hours 8.30-12.30 / 13.30-17.00 by appointment
library: from Monday to Thursday 8.30am-12.30pm / 13.30pm-17.00pm

Information on the Olivetti Historical Archive Association

c/o Villa Casana – Montefiorito Park, Via Miniere, 31,
10015 Ivrea (Turin)
Tel. 0125 641238 (9.00-12.00 / 14.00-17.00)
Email: archive@arcoliv.org; segreteria@arcoliv.org
Website: https://www.arcoliv.org

9 The lakes of Ivrea

Characteristic of the territory of Ivrea finally, it is the presence of the 5 lakes that identify a singular naturalistic route, surrounded by greenery, to be explored on foot or by bicycle:  Lake San Michele, Cascinette Lake, Montalto Lake, Black Lake, Lake Sirius.

10 What to eat in Ivrea, Torta 900

At the end of an excursion in the 5 lakes area, lovers of sweets and chocolate will have the pleasure of discovering the Cake 900: a cake made with sponge cake and delicate chocolate cream, whose recipe was created in 1900 by the pastry chef Ottavio Bertinotti in honor of the new century and patented in 1972. The brand "Cake 900” was later taken over by the Balla family, who are still the exclusive owners of the brand today.

11 How to get to Ivrea

The city of Ivrea is located at the entrance to the Aosta Valley and is easily reachable by various means of transport:

  • by train with the Turin – Aosta line
  • by car via the A5 Turin – Aosta motorway connection
  • by plane: from Turin Caselle airport located 16 km from the city of Turin and approximately 40 km from Ivrea
  • by bus through connections managed mainly by GTT and Sadem
How to get to Ivrea - Photo by Andreagen
How to get to Ivrea – Photo by Andreagen

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