Mondovì, history and hot air balloons

Mondovì is a town of about 22,200 inhabitants in the province of Cuneo from which it is almost 27 km to the east. Geographically it is located halfway between the plain of the area to which it gives its name, the Monregalese, and a prologue hill of that part of the Maritime Alps above Liguria called Alto Tanaro. It was born in 1198 from displaced persons from the feudal possessions of the area and then passed under different domains, from the Angevins to the Visconti to the French, which over time characterize its urban and architectural aspect, clearly visible even today. It is built on several altitudes connected by a funicular, with the upper part purely medieval, formed by alleys and arcades that open into squares, and the lower part, more recent, with large spaces and greenery. The most important places in the village are different, from the Civic Tower of the Belvedere, symbol of the city, 29 meters high, built in the 1200s in Gothic style such as Piazza Maggiore, to the Church of Santi Pietro e Paolo, to the parish church of Santi Giovanni ed Evasio , to the chapel of Santa Maria delle Vigne dating back to the '300. Mondovì is known everywhere for the particularity of being home to an annual meeting of hot air balloons as the particular climatic conditions and composition of the air make the area an ideal place for flying. If you add to everything an excellent food and wine proposal highlighting meats, salami, stuffed pasta such as plin, small ravioli with pork and roast veal inside, and the extensive wine list of the area, a short trip to this village, even if only for a weekend, becomes almost mandatory.