Parco della fascia fluviale del Po - tratto Cuneese

Pancalieri is a town of 1,900 inhabitants situated on the left bank of the river Po, 30 km uphill from Turin: it can be considered the small capital of the mint. As a matter of fact, the whole plain between Cuneese and Basso Pinerolese areas can be considered the "medicinal basin" of Piedmont, since here medicinal and aromatic plants which played an essential role in the sweet and liquor local industry are produced. The mint adventure goes back to 1870, when the trader Giovanni Varino opened the first distillery. In the 1930s there were already 72 alembics, with a production of 100 tons of essential oil.
Today the surface dedicated to this kind of production has been reduced, but Pancalieri mint continues to be considered the best in the world for its fine perfume and pleasant taste.