Undecided about holidays? Come to Monferrato!
Relax, good food, blue skies and a lot, but a lot… green!
Have you ever thought of organizing a holiday, an out-of-town trip or a weekend immersed in the beautiful territories of Monferrato? No? So, hold fast, because today I am going to talk about that!
We go for a walk through the rolling hills of Monferrato, always in a slow way and observing with plenty of detail everything that lives around us.
WHERE THE “MONFERRATO” IS LOCATED
The Monferrato is divided into 4 parts:
- The Casalese Monferrato, which includes the area of Casale Monferrato and Valenza
- Low Monferrato of Asti, which includes the area from Villanova d’Asti to Moncalvo
- High Asti Monferrato, which includes the area of Canelli, Nizza Monferrato, and Costigliole d’Asti
- High Monferrato of Acqui Terme, Ovada, and Gavi
Surely in a weekend, it is impossible to visit everything, but all these territories have one thing in common! Here they are: the landscape, which you can see everywhere, offers a variety of views, including the typical vineyards, from which originate the fine wines of Piedmont, such as Moscato d’Asti, Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato or Malvasia di Casorzo, the romantic hilly expanses, which are the protagonists of the whole panorama, the shady forests, but especially the ancient villages and castles that have survived and preserved to this day!
WHAT DO I RECOMMEND YOU NOT TO MISS?
Asti. The capital of Monferrato is Asti, which boasts Roman origins (Hasta was the name given to it by the ancient Romans), as evidenced by the ancient walls still visible in many parts of the city. The city was also an important center of trade and banking, just in the Middle Ages, in fact, was enriched with many towers, such as the Red Tower, the Troyana Tower (or Clock) and the Tower De Regibus. However, Asti remains a city rich in charm and folklore, thanks to its Palio and districts, which delimit all the villages of the city.
Casale Monferrato. A must to admire the palaces, the Duomo and the civic tower, an example of Casalese Baroque! Within the territory of Casale Monferrato, there is also the largest rice area in Italy. The best attraction is the “Castello dei Paleologi“, also called Castello dei Gonzaga, surrounded by a hexagonal moat.
Acqui Terme. I’m not even telling you… If you are tired of your tours around the hills, treat yourself to a break at the thermal baths of Acqui, a unique moment and very satisfying for the body! Take a walk through the streets of the center and reach “La Bollente”, the thermal spring that emits sulphurous water at a temperature of 74 ° C, definitely the symbol of Acqui!
Gavi. A small town of just over 4,000 inhabitants, Gavi is a village from which to visit its immense fortress, which is a historic defensive type fortress built around 1500 by the Genoese. Gavi’s Fort was besieged several times, but it was completely disarmed in 1859, to be transformed into a civil prison. In fact, during the First World War, it was used as a prison camp for Astro-Hungarian soldiers, while during the second for Anglo-American officers. At the end of the conflict, it fell into disuse, but from 1978 onwards the recovery project was opened and today it is open again!
THE MONFERRATO IS ALSO A STARTING POINT TO GO….
To the sea. Certainly, why not? After the hills, you can jump into the blue and spend some days at the seaside. Just think that starting from Asti and covering 118 km you arrive to Genoa, but the distance is shortened if you start from Acqui Terme, only 70 km!
Up in the mountains. From Villanova d’Asti in just 80 km you can reach Monviso, for example in villages such as Crissolo or Sanfront or Ostana, charming towns of the Po Valley! In so few minutes, the landscape changes again! But how magical is our Piedmont! So many different types of places in one region! We feel lucky, huh!
In cities such as Turin, Saluzzo, Savigliano. Whether you want to do merrymaking, shopping or visiting some museum, these are the ideal cities. They are about sixty kilometers from Asti/Villanova and allow us to end our weekend or our holiday in the best way: an aperitif in Piazza Vittorio in Turin or a shopping tour in the historic center of Saluzzo? The choice is yours!
Don’t miss the opportunity to pass by here, many tourist attractions are just waiting to be discovered and visited and the hills want to be seen, but above all admired by eyes looking for something beautiful and unspoiled.
If you need some advice or are looking for a specific tour, ask me for a hand! I will be more than happy to find the right solution for you!
I offer you some pictures so that you can get an idea!
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