It is the oldest monument in Cherasco. Built as the city was being built during the 13th century, the church of San Pietro (Saint Peter) has a façade consisting of various, unrelated elements. As was the custom, in fact, the church was built reusing stones and bricks from the castle and church of Manzano. To these were added, over time, other ancient finds, used in order to further embellish the façade where stones and funerary sculptures from Pollenzo and the surrounding areas can be seen. Romanesque and Gothic decorations such as green majolica cups and open galleries with blind arches complete the façade’s ornamentation. During the 18th century, the building was enlarged with the addition of two lateral chapels, two large doors and two square windows. The three-nave interior has been completely restored; it is necessary to enter the bell tower in order to admire the precious frescos from 1448 which depict a crucifixion. Since 2004, those who visit the church of San Pietro can admire and enjoy the “giardino dei semplici” (“garden of the simple ones”) created following the example of gardens which were cultivated by monastic communities during the Middle Ages. Surrounded by a wall built with river stones mixed with bricks, the garden has a very simple design and consists of four flowerbeds placed inside a cross-shaped walkway. Strolling along the paved lanes, visitors are able to view different types of gardens, from a typically medieval garden with its vegetable garden of the “simple ones”, to a rose garden, to a flowering yard, to aromatic plants, to a teaching garden where past techniques of cultivation are illustrated with the vegetables used before the discovery the America. Four trees – an apple tree, a pomegranate tree, a medlar tree, and a holly – symbolize the four seasons and the passing of time. The garden is part of the “Giardini storici di interesse botanici” (“Historical Gardens of Botanical Interest”), recognized by the Regione Piemonte.
