We are beginning to tell you our “Stories” about Piedmont, with its thousand faces and as much tales. Have you ever seen the amazing "checkered sea" of the Piedmont rice fields between Vercelli and Novara? Here, from April to May dozens of water courses, coming from Sesia and Ticino rivers, flood the fertile lands of northern Piedmont making it very green, and covered by tender shoots starting from June. The paths along the gravelled roads used for rice threshing make us discover small rural villages and the typical farmhouses once populated by rice weeder women. Right here, one can easily buy a wide range of excellent types of rice straight from the farms, and taste a delicious “risotto”. And it is also possible to spot many water loving birds such as herons, egrets, night herds, cormorants and rarities such as the spoonbill and the sacred ibis, protected by the Park of Lame del Sesia.
400 thousand hectares lied between Vercelli, Biella and Novara provinces with about four thousand farms. This is a great eco system, made of the rice fields, awakened in spring by croaking of an army of frogs and regulated by a complex system of engineering and hydraulic architecture: artificial canals, barriers, basins, intake buildings and junctions of which the Cavour Canal represents the main structure, being one of the most important hydraulic installations in Europe. You are invited to discover a deep and particular rural culture on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. This way, you can enjoy the unexpected architectural beauties, such as the Abbey Complex of Lucedio, and many small glimpses of agricultural life with ancient shades combined with modern ways of cultivation that make possible the processing of the excellent product.
Find out more www.atlvalsesiavercelli.it e www.turismonovara.it