Fossano is immediately recognizable for its majestic Castle. Built in the first half of the fourteenth century to symbolize the lordship imposed on the free Municipality, the Castello degli Acaja was soon transformed from an austere fortified residence into a much more elegant residential palace of the Savoy family. Today it houses the municipal library, with over 150,000 volumes and a historical collection of about 10,000 texts, as well as the Ufficio Turistico, the starting point for guided tours of the manor. 

The city, founded in 1236, boasts a first-rate historic centre, with corners, alleys and churches reminiscent of medieval and baroque atmospheres. A direct link between the Savoy fortress and the heart of the Borgo Vecchio is represented by the Cattedrale di Santa Maria e San Giovenale. Overlooking the porticoes of via Roma, a blend of baroque and neoclassical, it dates back to the eighteenth century and was part of a project by the architect Quarini. The imposing eighteenth-century structure by Francesco Gallo is made up of the hospital and the Chiesa della Santissima Trinità, known as the Battuti Rossi, one of the most evocative examples of Piedmontese baroque in the area.

At the edge of the plateau on which the city stands, the fortified bastion and walls testify to the vastness of the defensive circle of the past. The historic centre is bordered by Viale Mellano, an enchanting promenade overlooking the valley of the Stura river. A network of biking-hiking trails develops along the waterway that connects Fossano to points of naturalistic and cultural interest. At the Oasi dell'Anima you can admire the colourful “Big Bench” by Chris Bangle, while three kilometres from the heart of the city stands the Santuario Mariano di Cussanio.

Known for quality meat, confectionery art and an important agricultural tradition, in June the city hosts the Giostra de l'Oca - Palio dei Borghi, a historical re-enactment that recalls the festival organized in 1585 in honour of Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy, returning from Spain with his wife, Catherine of Habsburg. The event involves hundreds of people from Fossano in Renaissance costume and attracts a large audience every year.