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On Day Three, we decided we'd better take the rental bikes (from Veloce Cycling) for a

test ride. It was a nice "warmup" and gave us a chance to see what the roads were like.

On Day Four, we walked to the Citadel andexplored the grounds. The Cittadella

of Alessandria is a fort and citadel in the city of Alessandria, Italy. It was built in the

18th century by the Kingdom of Sardinia, and today it is one of the best preserved

fortifications of that era. It is one of the few fortifications in Europe still in their

original environment, since there are no buildings blocking the views

of the ramparts, or a road that surrounds the ditches.

ABOVE and BELOW - Our warmup ride to Oviglio

BELOW RIGHT - Looking at the outside wall from the ditches. The immense fortress extends

over 74 hectares or 180 acres, and its longer side is parallel to the axis of the river.

                   

The Citadel plan was commissioned by King Vittorio Amedeo II and built in 1732

by King Charles Emmanuel III. The project's architect was Ignazio Bertola.

The fortress is a six star hexagon shaped structure. And this place is huge!

We loved all of the furnished rooms and reenactments.

The Citadel was tested by fire the first time between 1745 and 1746 when it resisted

the French/Spanish army for seven months, during the War of the Austrian Succession.

The Citadel was still incomplete and not well armed.

The fortress ia surrounded by a wide moat,

in connection with the Tanaro river through flooding tunnels.

We toured the entire place!

Outside the Citadel, we tried Farinatas a sort of thin, unleavened pancake

or crêpe of chickpea flour (farro) originating in Genoa. It is baked in a wood-fired oven.

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