Guides

A day in Acqui Terme — hot springs, Roman stones & Brachetto

Sulphurous water at 75°C in the middle of town, Roman arches across the valley, and the sweet red they only make well around here …

A day in Agliano Terme — Barbera, a long lunch and the thermal baths

Coffee with Giovanna, a Barbera tasting with the man who grew the grapes, a hearty lunch, and an afternoon soak in the sulphur wat…

A day in Casale Monferrato — the Monferrato capital: Duomo, synagogue, castle & Krumiri

One unhurried day in the old capital of the Monferrato — the Romanesque Duomo, a gilded synagogue hidden behind a plain door, the …

A day in Castagnole Monferrato — the home of Ruchè

The hilltop village at the heart of Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG, built for a slow day around one aromatic red: the grape's…

A day in Costigliole d'Asti — the castle, Barbera and a long lunch

One unhurried day in the Barbera capital of the Astigiano: coffee under the castle, a cellar tasting in the vineyards, a long lunc…

A day in Incisa Scapaccino — Barbera, Nizza DOCG & the Belbo hills

Three family cellars, one hunchbacked cardoon, and a borgo on the ridge above the Belbo — how we'd spend a slow day in Incisa Scap…

A day in Molare — the Green Canyon, a castle and the Orba

Molare sits off the Monferrato wine trail, where the Orba comes down out of the Apennines — a morning in a small hilltop village, …

A day in Mombaruzzo — amaretti, grappa & Barbera

One hilltop, three things worth the drive — the soft amaretto at the source, a morning of Barbera in the cellars, and an afternoon…

A day in Moncalvo — the hilltop city, Bue Grasso and truffles

One of Italy's smallest cities, up on its hill: the castle square and its towers, a cellar tasting out among the vines, a long Pie…

A day in Montemagno Monferrato — the castle, twelve lanes and Ruchè

A hilltop borgo you climb rather than stroll: twelve numbered medieval lanes up to the castle, a theatrical Baroque staircase off …

A day in Nizza Monferrato

A first-timer's day in the capital of Barbera country — the arcaded old town on a market morning, a cellar tasting, a long Piedmon…

A day in San Marzano Oliveto

A morning tasting among the donkeys and the Barbera, a long Piedmontese lunch with the meat cart, then the castle piazza, a vineya…

A day in Vignale Monferrato — Grignolino, palazzi and the big bench

A hilltop wine village in the Casalese Monferrato, built for a slow day: coffee on the ridge, a cellar or two of Grignolino and Ba…

A quiet day in Grazzano Badoglio — Aleramo's abbey, Grignolino and the big bench

A tiny hilltop village with an outsized past: the tomb of Aleramo, who gave Monferrato its name, a butcher who grills your lunch t…

Asti in autumn — the festival season

From the first Sunday of September until Christmas, Asti's calendar runs from one festival to the next: the Palio, the Festival de…

Bagna cauda in Monferrato 2026: where to eat it

Where to eat bagna cauda in Monferrato in autumn 2026: Pro Loco dinners and Bagna Cauda Day in date order, plus the restaurants th…

One perfect day in Calamandrana

A hilltop old town with its castle and Baroque church, a cellar tour at one of Piedmont's benchmark wineries, a long lunch among t…

Calosso for the Fiera del Rapulé weekend

How to do Calosso's autumn fair properly. For three days on the third weekend of October, the crotin, courtyards and stairways of …

Canelli with kids

Castle gardens you can do with a stroller, gelato in the piazza, and a family-run restaurant that welcomes a whole table of childr…

Christmas markets in Monferrato 2026, weekend by weekend

Christmas markets, nativity scenes and concerts in Monferrato for 2026, weekend by weekend, from Asti's big market to the village …

Do as the locals in Canelli

Espresso on your feet, wine by the glass under the trees, and an aperitivo that turns into dinner — how to spend a day in Canelli …

Montiglio Monferrato for the truffle fair

How to do the first white-truffle fair of the Piedmont autumn properly. On the first two Sundays of October, Montiglio fills with …

Nizza for wine lovers: Barbera & bagna cauda

A day for Barbera devotees: the top Nizza DOCG cellars, a long session at the regional enoteca, and — in the cold months — the rit…

One day in Asti — towers, palazzi and the Palio square

A day on foot in the old centre of Asti: the Collegiata and the climb up the Torre Troyana, a walk west along Corso Alfieri throug…

One day in Calosso — the crotin, the castle ridge and the Gamba di Pernice

A day on the high ridge above Canelli: up the old stairways to the Roero castle and San Martino, out to the Crevacuore tower for t…

One perfect day in Canelli

Coffee in the piazza, the underground "wine cathedrals", a climb to the castle gardens, a long Piedmontese lunch and a Coppo cella…

One day in Cocconato — the Gothic town hall, Cocchi vermouth and the Riviera del Monferrato

A day on the high, mild hilltop locals call the Riviera del Monferrato: up Via Roma to the 15th-century brick town hall, out to a …

One day in Montiglio Monferrato — sundials, frescoes and Romanesque churches

A day in the truffle town above the Versa valley: coffee on the piazza, a walk up through the painted sundials to the castle and i…

One day in Murisengo — the castle, the Big Bench and the white-truffle town

A loop around the truffle town on the Asti–Alessandria line: up through the borgo to the castle and the lone Romanesque tower, out…

Truffle fairs in Monferrato 2026: dates and truffle hunts

Monferrato's 2026 white-truffle fairs in date order, from Moncalvo and Canelli to Murisengo, Acqui and San Damiano, plus where to …