Torre Pellice is, ideally, the capital of the Waldensian community, the cultural and economic chief town of the Pellice valley. Situated in the northern Cottian Alps, the valley converges toward the massif of Monviso.
The Waldensian Museum, housed in the building of the Waldensian Cultural Centre Foundation, is an interesting place to visit, just a few steps from the Waldensian Lodge. The museum proposes two itineraries: one is historical, and illustrates eight centuries of Waldensian history through documents and images; the other is ethnographical, and uses objects to illustrate what daily life was like in the valleys during the 1800s and 1900s. Inside the Museum it is also possible to visit the Paolo Paschetto exposition hall where the works of the painter are united, and another hall where prehistoric, Gallic and Roman archaeological finds from the valleys and the area of Pinerolo are exhibited
Another destination on the same street is the Waldensian House with the Hall of the Synod, where every year during the third week of August, the Synod the Waldensian and Methodist churches meets, and the Temple of Torre Pellice, one of the first temples to be constructed outside the ghetto. Il Barba, the promotional office for the Waldensian itineraries, welcomes Italian and foreign visitors; organizes guided visits to museums, temples and historic sites; and provides information about the cultural and religious reality of the Waldensian world.
Also in Torre Pellice, visit the Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art Filippo Scroppo. It conserves 450 works of Italian and foreign artists from after the Second World War and proposes educational activities for schools. Another fascinating structure is the Tucci Russo Gallery, the transformation of a textile factory, where temporary exhibitions of contemporary art are held. Finally, the Library of the Resistance, founded in 2009, is also worth a visit. It has a treasure of over 2000 volumes and magazines regarding the theme of partisan resistance. The Feltrificio Crumière eco-museum is in Villar Pellice, not far from Torre Pellice. It is an interesting project of industrial reclamation, which in addition to hosting a series of laboratories and educational activities, still houses a textile and felting factory.
The two main events of the Waldensian community are the Synod of the Waldensian Church and the anniversary of 17 February. The Synod, which meets during the last week of August in Torre Pellice, is the general assembly of the Waldensian Church, where representatives of the various communities in Italy meet to discuss the ecclesiastic life and matters of current interest. 17 February is the day when, in 1848, Carlo Alberto put an end to centuries of discrimination against the Waldensian community. On that day, it was celebrated with great demonstration of joy and was marked by bonfires. In recent years, it has acquired an emblematic significance for the Italian evangelical community, surpassing the limits of the Waldensian community. Today, the bonfire serves as a reminder that religious freedom is the matrix, not an appendix of civil liberties, and that tolerance is a concession granted by power, but that liberty is a conquest of conscience. Every year on the occasion of this anniversary, Torre Pellice organizes events, religious celebrations and expositions, in addition to lighting the bonfire in the night between 16 and 17 February.
One of the most interesting events in Torre Pellice is the Market of biological and artisan products, held every month on the second Saturday. You will find cheeses, cured meats, local produce and specialities such as saras del fen, a fresh cheese typical of the Waldensian valleys and slow food, together with the mustardela.
The Flowers and Flavours fair is held in April. It is a showcase for flowers, agricultural and gastronomical products of the territory, with the possibility to taste the gastronomical proposals of the restaurateurs of the valley. July is the time for A Tower of Books, a cultural event with book presentations and encounters with writers that takes place on July weekends, on the town streets.