Roccaforte Mondovì constitutes the western border of the Occitan territory, and it still preserves the same traditions and culture as at its origins, such as the kyé dialect. The capital, along with the villages of Lurisia and Prea offer endless fun ideas, 365 days a year.

From the artistic point of view, Roccaforte preserves several ancient testimonies of local devotion, such as the Pieve di San Maurizio, located just outside the town. This distinguished Romanesque structure reveals a surprising cycle of frescoes from the 13th century and a “Madonna del Latte” from 1486 attributed to Giovanni Mazzucco, who painted interesting scenes of rural life in the “farmhouse of the friars” in the Bertini district.

The hamlet of Lurisia is renowned for its thermal waters, also studied by Marie Curie and now used in the Istituto Idrotermale for relieving health problems and as beauty treatments. The town is located on the slopes of Mount Pigna. Its summit can also be reached via a cableway, open in the second and third weeks of August and in the winter. And in fact, it is with the cold season that Lurisia comes into its own, offering dozens of kilometres of ski slopes and two cross-country trails in the Rastello area. 

Perfect for all skill levels, the area offers endless inspirational ideas for actively experiencing the territory, from hiking or snowshoeing to horse riding, and the possibility of riding lessons and horseback excursions in the typical chestnut woods of the Valle Ellero.

The Prea area, overlooked by the nineteenth century parish church, is a small but pleasant village with a medieval layout, perched on the mountain. Some of its houses are painted with murals depicting life scenes from long ago, the same ones relived during the traditional Living Nativity, in which hundreds of people re-enact the old crafts that once fuelled the village economy. Further up, you reach the village of Sant'Anna where, at the end of spring, after an easy hike, you come face to face with the kind of spectacle that only nature can offer: meadows covered by wide expanses of white wild daffodils, an incomparable view that rewards the effort behind the walk to the top.