Incisa Scapaccino

The Brema family has worked these slopes between Nizza, Mombaruzzo and Fontanile for more than two hundred years, and it's the tasting people tend to remember — visitors still name the Volpettona they drank here. Ask for the two crus: Bricco della Volpettona and Bricconizza, Barbera d'Asti Superiore aged in barrique, with a Gavi and a little Brachetto alongside. There's no slick booking page yet, so ring first on +39 0141 74019 — the cellar keeps shop hours through the week and opens Sunday mornings, but someone's often out among the vines. Bring your Italian; this is a small working house, not a visitor centre.

Stefano Chiapello has kept horses at the Tenuta Madonna since 1999 and opened the riding school in 2010; he's a FISE-certified instructor, so beginners and children get taught properly rather than handed a pony for a photo. Once you're settled in the saddle the draw is the trail rides — long passeggiate along the paths that thread the hills between Incisa Scapaccino and the vineyards below. There are two work rings, covered brick stalls and shady paddocks, and the place boards horses too if you're staying a while. It's open daily, roughly 9.30 to noon and half two to six; ring ahead on +39 389 2163452, and a little Italian helps.

Book ahead and the Bertolino siblings will walk you through the estate on Via Prata, just outside Incisa Scapaccino — five wines and a turn among the vines, most tastings running about ninety minutes. There's a choice: "A Taste of Monferrato" at €20 a head, a Barbera flight a little dearer, or a Nizza DOCG vertical down in the cellar that runs closer to two hours for a small group. Tastings are by reservation only, though the sales point keeps regular hours (roughly ten to six, lunch break in the middle); a short note ahead in English or Italian smooths the way. Olim Bauda was among the founders of Nizza DOCG, so it's a fair place to taste what the appellation is meant to be.

The remains of the castle of the marquises of Incisa in Borgo Villa, the walled hilltop old town of Incisa Scapaccino. First recorded in 984, the castle was the seat of a small Aleramic marquisate that kept its independence until 1548; the Porta di Valcalzara and the Carmine church stand nearby.

A small kitchen in the old village where a young team plates trios of antipasti, charcuterie boards and Roman pinsa, with a hill view from the outdoor tables. Visitors single out the vitello tonnato and the hazelnut cake, and rate the value highly.

Coffee and brioches in the morning, sandwiches and focaccia at lunch, then aperitivo to close the day — this small bar covers all of it. Visitors come back for the friendly service and a well-stocked counter.

A little local bar where the coffee's good and the croissants come out warm, run by owners visitors describe as genuinely kind. Prices stay low, and it's a handy spot to fuel up before a walk into the hills.