In the night between old and new, a bonfire lit up the Roero hilltops.
The room
2 adults
1 double bed or 2 twin beds
En-suite bathroom with shower
Km0 breakfast included
Air conditioning
First floor
View over the garden 
Free Wi-FiUnderfloor heating. Electric kettle and herbal teas provided. Hairdryer. Smart TV. Window screens.
In the room Il Falò in Roero, the bed can be configured as a double, 160×190, or as two twin beds, 80×190. The window looks over the vegetable garden and the playground.
Il Falò
The Carnival Bonfire
Between Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, the Roero hilltops were lit up by bonfires. It was the ancient propitiatory rite to “burn” the old year and welcome the new one.
An ancient pagan rite of prosperity, the Carnival is present in the cultures and traditions of rural populations throughout Europe. The Carnival marks the moment of transition between the old and the new agricultural year, symbolizing the contrast between winter and spring, between good and evil. Through a ritual with cathartic meaning, renewed hope is entrusted to the new year, while the old winter is blamed for the misery and misfortunes of the entire community, in the hope of a true rebirth.
Perhaps the most significant event of this tradition in the Roero (which is still in practice today) was the bonfire that, on the night between Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, lit up the squares and hilltops of all the “villages of the Rocche.” A very widespread variant in the hamlets of Montà was the custom of hoisting a “fantocc” (puppet) on the bonfire. This was a more macabre and direct representation of the “killing of the Carnival” than other contemporary customs related to the tradition. (masé ‘i pitu, i magnin, i mulita, fé balé l’urs, canté ‘l crin, etc.)
Another widespread practice was to add a series of juniper or hemp branches to the top of the carefully stacked pile of bundles, which would produce sparks. From the amount of sparks that emanated from the fire it was believed one could predict the trend of the coming year, the prosperity of crops and the quality of production of the silkworms.
Around the bonfire people sang, drank and danced, often even violently breaking the established social norms and conventions of the times. It is no coincidence that Carnival celebrations were the ones that raised the greatest and most insistent concerns from the Clergy, who annually condemned their intemperance and excesses and followed them up as soon as possible with collective “reparatory” devotions, such as missions, spiritual exercises, and quarantines. This was an attempt to return to normalcy that even the authority of the Church could not immediately guarantee.
In addition to this, in Montà, on the first Sunday of Lent, people still celebrated the feast of “Carvé vej” (old Carnival), with an additional bonfire and lots of corollary events.