- St. Andrew’s Basilica
St. Andrew’s Basilica is a13th century church dedicated to the Apostle St Andrew, built on the request of Cardinal Guala Bicchieri. The basilica is a sacred masterpiece of Gothic-Romanesque architecture and for this reason recognized as the city's most important monument.
What invites one to look upwards is its façade which is unique thanks to the colors of the stones used. Moreover, in the early 15th century a new bell tower was built on the right side of the church and in the following century the cloister of the monastery was rebuilt. Numerous artists like Benedetto Antelami, Paolo Sacca and Bernardino Lanino contributed making this monument a marvellous artistic beauty that testifies a long civil and religious tradition.
- The Vercelli Cathedral
The grand cathedral, erected and enlarged by St. Eusebius around the 14th century, radically changed in the sixteenth century by Count Alfieri. But from the mid-20th century it underwent many restoration projects which successfully ended in 2012.
The reasons why this building attracts so many visitors are the splendid , the biggest of the four existing crucifixes of the epoch of Otto, the apse crowned by a huge dome, and a beautiful wooden choir. Moreover, the cathedral houses valuable paintings, especially those of Gaudenzio Ferrari, Giovenone, and Lanino, who were natives of Vercelli. The 18th-century façade, surmounted by giant statues of the Twelve Apostles and Christ the Redeemer, chapels and secondary altars, including the chapel of the Blessed Amadeus IX of Savoy and the Madonna dello Schiaffo (“Madonna of the Slap”) chapel, are the things Vercelli’s tourists should visit first.
- The Synagogue
The magnificent Synagogue, located in the heart of the ancient ghetto of the Jewish community in Vercelli, was built in 1878 and designed by Marco Treves. It was the first synagogue built in Italy after the emancipation of Jews declared by Carlo Alberto in 1848.
The emancipation and the subsequent increase of Jews in the area were the reasonsfor the replacement of the previous modest building with the current Synagogue, a temple in a Moresque style.
Numerous Vercelli artists were involved in the decoration of the Temple including the Bona brothers for the masonry work, the painter Carlo Costa, the sculptor Ercole Villa and Michele Fornari for the polychrome stained-glass windows.
- San Cristoforo Church
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The Vercelli Church was built in 1515 after the demolition of a previous church that dates back to the 12th century. The church preserves the precious paintings of Gaudenzio Ferrari which represent his greatest artistic production. In addition, it is possible to find two frescoed chapels, one featuring the story of Mary Magdalene and the other narrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
After gazing upon these masterpieces, a lot of time can be spent admiring a splendid altarpiece known as Madonna degli Aranci.
- Santa Maria Maggiore Church
The ancient church of Santa Maria Maggiore is the first Christian church built in Vercelli, demolished and reconstructed in the second half of the 1700. It was originally situated where the palace of the Counts Buronzo d’Asigliano is today located. On December 18th 1734 the architect Filippo Juvarra presented a project for this new church of the Jesuit order of Vercelli.
The main altar of the nineteenth century presents a tabernacle in white Carrara marble, and a gorgeous altarpiece which depicts the Assumption of the Virgin with God and Jesus with the Angels, surrounded by a rich decorated wooden frame. The stone baptismal font is placed inside a small chapel frescoed with the Baptism of Jesus.
In 2010 an extraordinary restoration began in order to restore the roof and the interior to their original splendor.
- Piazza Cavour
In the heart of the old roman city, the wonderful Piazza Cavour is dominated by the thirteenth century Torre dell’Angelo and surrounded by airy arcades from the following epochs. The noble families built and gave the name to the numerous towers like Torre dell’Angelo to affirm their power.
The monument to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, is situated in the center of Piazza Cavour: the baseof the statue depicts two allegorical female figures which represent Commerce and Agriculture, the two ministries that Cavour had directed during the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Every Tuesday and Friday morning Piazza Cavour hoststheusualcity market while the antiques market is on the first Sunday of every month.
- Teatro Civico of Vercelli
The Teatro Civico of Vercelli is the main theater of the city and it holds events and spectacles during all year.
The architect Nicola Nervi projectedthis elegant and charming theater commissioned by a group of noble Vercelli’s citizens. The theater gives the community the chance to enjoy events,concerts, conferences and a new season of plays which includes comical pieces.
- The castle Buronzo
The castle Buronzo has a unique structure type defined as "castle consortium" characterized by a multitude of construction projects concentrated in fourhistorical phases. The fourth phase (XVI-XVIII) was responsible for the transformation of the castle into a residential palace.
The castle,ideal location for events and conferences, has various beautiful rooms decorated in the upper part of the walls with Latin mottos and painted wooden ceilings.
- The Sacred Mount of Varallo
The monumental complex of the Sacred Mount, which dominates Varallo, is the oldest of the Italian Sacred Mounts. Since 2003 it has been part of the international heritage protected by UNESCO; this acknowledgement testifies the amazing experience and strong involvement pilgrims feel while visiting the Sacred Mount.
It was conceived by the Franciscan monk Bernardino Caimi and built at the end of 15th century to reproduce the places he had seen during his journey in Palestine.
Each chapel represents, with frescoes(around4000figures) and with groups of life-size statues with real beards and hair(about400), scenes from the lifeof Jesusand Mary told in the New Testament.
Famous artists contributed to the decoration and completion of this extraordinary project. Among these artists the most important was Gaudenzio Ferrari, a painter, sculpture and architect from Valsesia who worked on the project from 1499 until 1529.
Pilgrims can reach the Sacred Mount on foot, climbing for twenty minutes, by car, or using a cable car.
- Santa Maria Abbey of Lucedio
Lucedio Abbey is situated near Trino, in the province of Vercelli and it is especially famous for the many legends concerning its long history. Secret crypts, the mummified corpses of abbots sitting on thrones arranged in a circle, underground rivers, and a column that “weeps” over the horrors that it has been a silent witness to, are just a sample of what these stories contain.
The abbey buildings are incorporated into a rice farm which played an important role in the development of rice production in the region.