The village of Vigoleno is characterized by the elegance of its forms. Certified as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, Vigoleno is a perfect example of the logic of living in the Middle Ages. Imposing crenellated walls, partly crossed by a panoramic patrol walkway: stands out the bulk of the squared donjon with loopholes, woodcocks and Ghibelline battlements, with four floors of visit. In the square you can admire the 16th century fountain and in the village the Romanesque church of San Giorgio. To enter the village you pass by the Rivellino, a fortified entrance that could be isolated in the event of a siege, and that makes us immediately understand that Vigoleno was designed to protect those who lived there and with control functions in a strategic point of passage of militias between the plain and the Apennines. The first bulwark is dominated by the Mastio, which protects the entire village and overlooks the square outside the village.
It was the noble family Scotti from Piacenza, enfeoffed by the Visconti family, lords of Milan, who had the entire fortified complex built.
Walking through the small village you can look under the vaults of some buildings for hidden passages, thus arriving at the path inside the walls, you can look out from the parapet along the north side and admire the view towards the Po Valley and the Valley of Stirone, the one that marks the border with Parma territory. The circular route will allow you to take a first look at the village, at some old stone houses built between 1500 and 1800 and especially to discover from the outside the ancient parish church of San Giorgio. You can admire its apses decorated with curious bas-relief sculptures among the decorative columns, images of pilgrims, which testify that Vigoleno was a place of passage for many believers who went to Rome via alternative roads to the more popular Val Taro.
