Cuneo Car Hire made for you

Cuneo is located in the hills of the Langhe and Roero in the southwestern plateau of Piedmont. It is a refined city with an interesting historical and natural heritage.

Generally not included among the classic tourist destinations, Cuneo is a small treasure trove of elegance, a “fashionable gathering place” that conserves a Savoy atmosphere and offers an enjoyable stay amidst art, nature and good food.

Nicknamed the “City of the Granda” and “City of Seven Sieges”, Cuneo owes its name to its characteristic geographic conformation. In fact, the city rises on a triangular-shaped plateau, the “cùneo”, right at the point where the Stura and Gesso torrents meet.

Spending a holiday in Cuneo allows you to discover this often neglected part of Piedmont, but also gives you the opportunity to visit the beautiful surrounding area, which is equally rich in places of interest.

What to visit in Cuneo: the beautiful sights of the old town

Since there are so many things to see in and around Cuneo, a car is the perfect way to get around the city and its provinces.

To rent a vehicle, you can head to Maggiore’s Car Rental Office in Cuneo. A leading company in the sector, Maggiore offers modern and comfortable cars that are always meticulously checked and sanitised before delivery.

Once you have rented your car, head for the city centre and start your visit from the “salotto buono” (parlour) of Cuneo, namely the magnificent Piazza Galimberti which, at 24,000 square meters, is considered one of the largest squares in Italy.

From here you can easily reach the beautiful Via Roma, which is lined with some of the most emblematic buildings such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Bosco, built in the 17th century and remodelled during the 18th and 19th centuries, the Church of San Sebastiano, which preserves the magnificent wooden choir stall by Tommaso Fontana, and Palazzo della Torre surmounted by the 52-metre-high Torre Civica.

Another place to visit in Cuneo is Contrada Mondovì, an ancient city street that best summarises the city’s long history, as it has preserved evidence from both the medieval period and the 17th and 18th centuries. Along this picturesque street you will find interesting places such as the Church of San Sebastiano with the adjoining Diocesan Museum and the Synagogue built in 1611.

You can continue your visit by stopping at the Monumental Complex of San Francesco, a national monument that includes the former Franciscan convent and a 13th-century church that houses the Civic Museum, the Casa Galimberti Museum, dedicated to Duccio Galimberti, hero of the Resistance, and Villa Oldofredi Tadini, built between the 14th and 15th centuries and included in the “Castelli Aperti” (Open Castles) system of Basso Piemonte.

From the centre of Cuneo, take the car and drive to the Sanctuary of Madonna degli Angeli, built in the 15th century and subsequently extended. If you want to immerse yourself in nature, then stop at the Parco Fluviale Gesso e Stura, an important protected natural area where you can take part in various sports and educational activities.

Before leaving for the towns and villages near Cuneo, be sure to sample the specialities of Cuneo cuisine such as “caponet” (stuffed cabbage), “gnocchi alla bava” (potato gnocchi in a creamy cheese sauce) and the very famous “Cuneese al Rhum”, meringue chocolates filled with a rum-flavoured ganache and covered in dark chocolate.

Discovering the area around Cuneo: must-see villages and places

If Cuneo wins you over with its historical attractions and excellent cuisine, you will find the nearby villages just as captivating.

Take the SP564 provincial road and in half an hour you will reach Mondovì, a characteristic 13th-century medieval town set between the mountains and the plain, where you can visit the Cathedral of San Donato, the Church of San Francesco Saverio and the Belvedere, a beautiful garden that also houses the 29-metre-high Bressani tower.

After 40 km you arrive in Bra, an important baroque town in the Roero, where you can visit the Church of Sant’Andrea, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Fiori, which houses a beautiful mosaic by Marko Ivan Rupnik, Palazzo Traversa, part of the “Castelli Aperti” of Basso Piemonte, and the Zizzola, the town’s symbolic building located on the Monteguglielmo hill.

Other places to see in the vicinity of Cuneo are Alba, a town known for its excellent truffles and DOC wines and for its beautiful historic centre dominated by interesting buildings such as the Artesiana Tower and the Church of San Domenico and Saluzzo, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in all of Piedmont, where you can wander through the narrow streets and admire beautiful architecture such as the 14th-century Church of San Giovanni, the Baroque Municipal Palazzo and the 15th-century Cavassa residence. Vinadio is also another town worth visiting, with its magnificent Forte Albertino, built during the reign of Carlo Alberto of Savoy.

Your tour of the area around Cuneo would not be complete without a visit to the four Savoy residences, which have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the beautiful Royal Castle of Racconigi, where you can see the Sala di Diana and the Salone d’Ercole, the Castle of Pollenzo and the adjacent Church of San Vittore, the Castle of Govone, part of the “Castelli DOC” of the Langhe and Roero circuit, and the Reggia di Valcasotto, “born” as a Carthusian monastery and later becoming the summer residence of Carlo Alberto.

Lastly, the places to visit near Cuneo include the magnificent Staffarda Abbey, a Cistercian Benedictine Abbey built between 1122 and 1138, and one of the best preserved in the entire region, Manta Castle, a medieval manor house situated on the hills of the same name, and the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, characterised by the largest elliptical dome in the world. If you want to treat yourself to an afternoon of relaxation, go to the Vinadio Thermal Baths, in the upper Valle Stura, or the Valdieri Thermal Baths, in the heart of the Argentera Nature Park.

There are many things to see and do in Cuneo, and with a rental car you can “build” your own personal itinerary in this land full of attractions.