Mandello Vitta
Introduction to Mandello Vitta
Hi everyone! Today I will talk to you about Mandello Vitta, a municipality in the province of Novara in Piedmont. The town has about 225 inhabitants and is located in a flat position that slopes gently from north to south.
Physical geography
The altitude of the municipality varies: the highest point is on the border with the municipalities of Sillavengo and Castellazzo Novarese, while the lowest point is to the south, on the border with the municipalities of Vicolungo and Casaleggio Novara. Moreover, Mandello Vitta has numerous sources of water, both from the Sesia river and from natural sources in the ground. The Busca canal, which skirts the town to the northeast towards Castellazzo Novarese, and the Biraga canal, which flows to the west and largely forms the border with the municipality of Landiona, are two important waterways in the area. In addition, there are numerous cables, ditches, and streams that distribute the water capillarily throughout the territory.
There are countless cultivated fields, with Oryza sativa covering much of the area, creating a beautiful "checkered sea" effect, typical of the Novarese rice fields.
Interesting to visit is the ruined mill near the town center, which once exploited the current of the Busca canal.
Thematic itineraries
Mandello Vitta is included in some tourist itineraries of the province of Novara, such as the abbeys and ancient churches or the Greenways of water - Fountains, places that I recommend you visit if you are in the area!
History
The town owes its name to its founder, the Novarese podestà Rubaconte da Mandello, born in Milan but originally from Mandello del Lario in Lecco. In the early 1200s, on a medieval artery that connected Biandrate to Romagnano Sesia and the Valsesia, Mandello Vitta organized a free village in the plain not far from the Sesia river.
The road artery on which the free village was located allowed for safe and quick supplies between the plain and the Alpine valleys, and controlled much of the eastern course of the Sesia river, thanks to a series of strategically placed military centers and several Cluniac monastic dependencies. Mandello Vitta was one of these control centers and was equipped with a tower that is still visible on the southwest side of the town square.
The Tower is one of the few buildings in the Novara area dating back with certainty to the first half of the 12th century and impeccably preserved. The construction clearly shows its original purpose of control and toll payment: under its two arches, now walled, passed the Biandrina road, and therefore it was easy for the guard post to impose the authority's will.
Conclusions
That was my brief introduction to Mandello Vitta, a municipality that, despite its flat nature, offers many tourist and historical attractions. If you are in the vicinity of Novara, I recommend making a stop in this beautiful town and discovering its history and natural beauty. Bye!
