Through the hills between Trofarello and Pecetto T.se, to the Sanctuary of Maria Vergine di Celle.
Technical Notes
Start: Piazza Primo Maggio, in front of the Town Hall
Arrival: Piazza Primo Maggio, in front of the Town Hall
Length: 10,1 km
Elevation Gain: 190 m
Difficulty: hiking, slightly undulating path
Refreshment: after leaving Trofarello, there are no refreshment options until Pecetto (INFOpoint hiking café)
Water: fountains in Trofarello and a water point at the Sanctuary of Maria Vergine di Celle
Description
The path -fully signposted- starts from the Town Hall square, crosses the historic center of Trofarello, follows the Salesian route (with 7 representations recalling the life of St. John Bosco), and reaches the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary of Celle. It then continues along a beautiful trail through the green hills and arrives at the Church of San Sebastiano in Pecetto T.se. From here it descends first onto Valle Sauglio road, then onto Serravecchia road, and finally onto Serra street until reaching Valle Sauglio, and then returns to the starting point, passing in front of Cascina La Quara.
In the Footsteps of Don Bosco
Don Bosco in Trofarello
The first spiritual exercises exclusively for Salesians took place in Trofarello in 1866 at the farmhouse known as La Quara, located between via IV Novembre and via XXV Aprile. These first exercises lasted five days and were conducted in two shifts, to facilitate participation. He preached the meditations Canon Lorenzo Gastaldi and the instructions were given by Don Bosco himself. The house in Trofarello was donated by Don Antonio Franco (a priest from Trofarello who passed away in 1864) to the Salesian Congregation and was used from the beginning for spiritual exercises and also as a rest place for convalescing brothers; it would be the third work of the Salesians outside Turin. In 1863, Don Bosco opened the first Salesian house outside Turin: the “little seminary” of Mirabello Monferrato, to which he sent Don Michele Rua as director. In 1864, on the other hand, the Collegio di Lanzo Torinese began its activities. In 1866, it was Trofarello’s turn.
Don Bosco wrote in a historical memoir: “La casa di Trofarello, diocesi di Torino, è specialmente destinata a fare gli esercizi spirituali che ogni anno, in tempo di vacanza, si tengono regolarmente per tutti quelli della Società”.
Salesian Paths in Trofarello
On the 120th anniversary of the death of Saint Giovanni Bosco, the Municipality of Trofarello – in collaboration with the Parish – created the “Salesian Paths”: a historical-religious path branching from the Church of Santa Croce towards the Trofarello countryside, leading to the sanctuary of Santa Maria di Celle. It consists of seven depictions recalling the main events of the saint’s life:
- The birth of Don Bosco
- The dream at the age of nine
- The first Oratory
- The construction of the Basilica of Maria Ausiliatrice
- The first spiritual exercises in Trofarello
- The first Salesian missionaries
- The death of Don Bosco and the first successors
Map
