This variant of the Leg 1 of the Bar To Bar itinerary allows to reach, making a short detour, the historical centre of Neive.
From Cascina Principe (Neive) turn left to the intersection with the main higway. Here, turn left again where the road has a few curves and takes you to a roundabout that leads to the historic Neive Alto, one of Italy’s most beautiful medieval villages. In the local dialect, it is called the pais dij snjoròt (village of squires), an expression that finds confirmation in the number of aristocratic homes that add a touch of refinement to the medieval look of the circular roadways with their portals and luxurious interiors. At the top, the bell tower takes us back to the glory days of the municipal statutes, while the wonderful, 17th century Conti di Castelborgo Castle points to the village’s ancient riches. Below, beyond the road to Mango, the remarkable Romanesque Bell Tower of Santa Maria del Piano recalls the importance of the monastic re-colonization of these hills that had been ravaged and then abandoned by the Barbarians. Neive was also the hometown of Romano Levi, a grappa artisan who enthralled at least two generations with his directly fired, distilled spirits and his free-spirited labels. Having passed away, Romano is now prancing around the hills with the muses from his naïve fantasies, but everyone here continues to speak of him and his childlike wonderment for the purity of nature.