Neive, with its charming historic centre, is definitely worth a visit. The evidently medieval urban layout, the cobbled streets, the brick palazzos, the historic buildings (including the Torre dell’Orologio, the clock tower) have earned this picturesque village a series of prestigious recognitions.
Date: 11th century.
This beauty is combined with a large number of wineries, enotecas and wine shops, making Neive a centre of viticultural excellence for this part of the Langa.
The church of Santa Maria del Piano can be seen just outside the inhabited centre.
Mentioned for the first time in a document from Emperor Henry II from 1014, the Benedictine monastery, which later grew to a considerable size, was formed by a building with a basilican plan, with three semi-circular apses (later modified; today only the sacristy, turned into a chapel, remains) and a square Romanesque bell tower. It is interesting to compare the bell tower’s style and architecture with that of the Alba cathedral.
The monastery’s bell tower has a series of orders on multiple levels: the last two have two single-lancet windows on each side.
