The best walks and hikes around Palestro

This beautiful church was built in 1220, during a prosperous period. The style is a combination of Northern Gothic (vertical towers and octagonal bell tower) and the typical style from the Po Valley (triangular gable, arches and use of brick). The facade, a colorful whole of stone and marble, is flanked by high towers and has three vaulted porches; The tympanums are probably by sculptor Benedetto Antelami. The very massive bell tower (right) dates from the 15th century. The sober interior with three naves has a choir with wooden inlay and the funerary monument (14th century) of Tomasso Gallo, first abbot of the basilica (second chapel in the right transept). The left aisle leads to the monastery buildings and to the cloister, which offers beautiful views of the complex.

In addition to the Basilica of Sant' Andrea and the Cathedral of Sant' Eusebio, also interesting are the Avogadro Tower, Piazza Cavour with its porticoes, the statue of Cavour and the nearby Torre dell'Angelo visible from the square.

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea is one of the most important and well-known monuments in Vercelli. It is the first Gothic monument in Piedmont, one of the earliest in Italy in this style, an example of Romanesque-Gothic architecture, in which local Romanesque and the novelties of Cistercian Gothic coexist. It has the dignity of a minor basilica. It was begun in 1219 by the will of Cardinal Guala Bicchieri and completed in 1227. Source: Wikipedia

The Sesia (Walser German female: Seeschera) is a river in Italy. It rises in the glaciers of the Monte Rosa massif, in the upper Valsesia valley above the municipality of Alagna Valsesia. In the upper section, the Sesia bears the clear characteristics of a torrent. There it receives numerous smaller streams, most of which come from the Valgrande glaciers. It receives numerous inflows along its course; on the right side of the Valsesia are the streams Olen, Otro, Vogna, Artogna, Zorba and Egna; on the left the Torrente Sermenza and the Mastallone. The Sesia flows for a total of 138 kilometers through the towns of Borgosesia, Greggio and Vercelli before flowing into the Po. It forms the border between Piedmont and Lombardy. In the region around Arborio and Vercelli it serves as a source of water for rice cultivation. A minority language of Piedmont is Walser German - an Alemannic dialect spoken in the upper Sesia/Seeschera valley. Source: Wikipedia

The Basilica of Sant'Andrea is a Roman Catholic church in Vercelli in Piedmont, Italy. The former monastery church of the Archdiocese of Turin bears the title of a minor basilica. The basilica is the most important work of the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style in northern Italy, in which the local Romanesque and the innovations of the Cistercian Gothic coexist. Begun in 1219 by Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, it was completed in 1227. The detached campanile dates from the 15th century. The basilica was built between 1219 and 1227 on the initiative of Cardinal Guala Bicchieri. The cornerstone was laid on February 19, 1219 in the presence of Bishop Ugone. The cardinal had recently returned from England where, in his capacity as papal legate, he expressed the appreciation and gratitude of King Henry III. acquired, so that as a reward he received the perpetual annuities of Saint Andrew's Abbey at Chesterton, Cambridge. Due to the financial resources available, the cardinal summoned some canons of the Congregation of St Victor from Paris to Vercelli and gave them responsibility for the abbey to be built and the pilgrims' hospital, the construction of which began in 1224. It was probably these canons, and in particular the abbot Thomas Gallus - already a professor at the University of Paris - who brought to Vercelli the innovations in Gothic architecture that had emerged in the Île-de-France. Through his diplomatic skill, the cardinal succeeded in the following years, the possessions of the abbey through gifts and privileges from Pope Honorius III. and to protect and increase Emperor Frederick II (the protection diploma issued in 1226 comes from him). Cardinal Bicchieri died in Rome in 1227, the year the basilica was completed. Source: Wikipedia

Promenade, play and recreation avenue with residential area.

One of the symbols of Vercelli, the basilica of Sant'Andrea was completed in 1227; its architecture is Gothic-Romanesque

Basilica of San Andrea a symbol for the city of Vercelli