Cammini delle alte colline ombrose e delle colline chiare: Tappa 8: Grana - Casorzo

he route unites the municipalities of Grana and Casorzo in an itinerary that extends for 8,760 meters for a travel time of approximately 2 hours, facing a difference in altitude of 30 metres. The route begins in the center of the town of Grana, near the Church of the Annunziata, located close to the parish, where important exhibitions are often hosted. The documented information dates back to 1620, but the notes relate to a reality that was already underway and in great expansion. The small church was, in fact, the headquarters of the "Brotherhood of disciplinarians" and then of the "Company of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary". Inside today you can admire a splendid "Annunciation of Mary" by Guglielmo Caccia known as "il Moncalvo".

After about 250 meters you turn left taking Via Professor Innocenzo Garrone and, keeping to the right, you will reach the valley of the Rio Pratodonero, and then go up the hillside towards the north, then heading downstream towards the Rio Grana. This portion of the route extends for approximately 3 kilometers in the valley below the town. You will then cross Provincial Road 29 with the Church of San Antonio at the crossroads, which celebrates the saint of Padua. At the beginning of the last century it was very degraded, so much so that the Bishop no longer allowed mass to be celebrated in that chapel. The Community decided to rebuild it and it was raised to street level, opening the access door onto it. Two testimonies of its antiquity remain: the writing engraved in a brick MCCCLXXXV (1385) and a fragment of fresco which surfaced during the cleaning in 1979.

Shortly after the church, turn right to take a dirt road that connects directly to provincial road 38. Continue on the main road for about a kilometer and a half, then veer to the right to immerse yourself totally in the typical agricultural landscape of the area , with cultivated fields marked by rows to delimit the fields, including splendid sunflowers. The route has a high panoramic view, with open views of the Alps and the Monferrato hills. In this circular route, to return to cross the provincial road 38, you will encounter the famous Biarancio di Casorzo. A creature with a unique appearance, it is a mulberry tree that hosts a cherry tree, whose branches and foliage now significantly exceed its roommate by about 5 metres. No one knows exactly how the two trees merged into one, probably some bird dropped a seed on top of the mulberry tree on which the roots then grew, which slowly made space in the hollow trunk of the mulberry tree until they reached the ground and to soar towards the sky. Trees growing as "parasites" on other trees are not that unusual, but they do not normally reach the size and lifespan of the Casorzo Biarancio.

After passing the double tree and crossing the provincial road, you continue towards the Cascina Nuova area, from which the views of Casorzo, perched on the hill, begin to unfold. The last stretch of the itinerary, approximately three kilometres, allows you to go back towards the center of the town, crossing the typical vineyards from which the grapes are obtained to produce the renowned Malvasia di Casorzo. You will then arrive in the town centre, dominated by the Parish of San Vincenzo and the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, surrounded by nature, with a Romanesque structure.