Founded in 1123 by Cistercian monks thanks to the support of the Marquis of Monferrato, the Abbey of Lucedio underwent numerous changes of ownership over the centuries, leading to its gradual fragmentation, which was finalised in 1818 with the division ordered by Prince Camillo Borghese, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. From 1875, the complex was known as the Principality of Lucedio.
Considered the cradle of Italian rice, it was here that the Grange system took shape, vast farms created thanks to land reclamation and levelling works. Its location along the Via Francigena made Lucedio a centre of great economic and political importance, visited over time by three popes.
Today, a few kilometres from Trino Vercellese, the abbey is a modern farm open to visitors, which still preserves evocative medieval features: the abbey church, the square chapter house and the unmistakable bell tower, octagonal at the top and square at the base.
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