Monferrato, also known as Montferat is a city located in northern Italy region of Piedmont. It comprises of two modern provinces namely Asti and Alessandria. Monferrato is one of Italy’s most important wine districts. The city has a strong literary tradition that includes the 18th century Asti-born dramatist and poet Vittorio Alfieri and the Alessandrian Umberto Eco. Monferrato territory is cut down into two regions by River Tanaro. The northern part, reffered to as Basso Monferrato, is an area of plains and rolling hills. The Southern part, known as Alto Monferrato, raises from the banks of River Tanaro into the Apennines and the water divide between Piedmont and Liguria. Up to the 15th century, Monferrato was a roman municipium until the Romans rule declined. Today, Monferrato is not only one of Italy’s industrial cities but is also a spectacular tourist destination in the country. It is a best known area in Italy for its old history. The area has a rich artistic wealth and cultural beauty that includes medieval castles, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance churches, Baroque monuments, and brilliant works of painters and poets. To arrive in Monferrato, below are ways that can lead you into the area;By plane. The region is well served with airports. You can take a plane from any European cities like London, Paris, Berlin etc. that have regular flights with Caselle airport, which is located in Turin Piedmont and is the main airport in the region. You can also take a direct flight to Italy’s main capital city of Rome then connect to Caselle airport. This airport has regular flights with main European and Italian cities operated by major airlines as well as low fare companies. Once at Caselle airport, catch a train or bus to Monferrato or connect with a small flight to the center of Monferrato. By train. You can travel from certain European cities like Lyon in France to Turin in Piedmont then from here catch a bus or a train from the local train station and arrive in Monferrato. Train tickets can be booked in advance from the Trenitalia website. By car. The area is well interconnected by certain freeways from various cities in Italy and also Europe. . From France you can use the Frejus tunnel, Tenda pass, Via Mt Blanc and Val D’Aosta. From Switzerland you can use the Sempione, St Bernhard, Saint Gothard and other minor passes. If you are already in Italy, you can use the A4 Turin, A21 Turin, or A6 Turin. All this roads lead to Turin, the main city of Piedmont and from here you easily connect with minor roads to Monferrato.Whilst visiting Monferrato for a short holiday like for two days or over the weekend. On your first day in the area you can do the following;1. Day trip by taking a bicycle tour to visit other wonderful places in neighboring areas.2. Browse the markets in the area to understand more about Monferrat’s people culture.3. Go for wine tastings and cooking lessons and learn how to make Monferrat’s delicacies.4. Relax yourself by going for a swim in the areas river.5. Burn some calories by going for a tennis game or playing golf.6. Cheer up your mood by attending a jazz concert, a lyric opera and or evening classical tunes in castle halls or hilltop chapels.7. Familiarize yourself with the area terrain and nature by hunting for truffles and going for mountain climbing. 8. Get along with the locals by learning tamburello and bocce.9. Sample out Galati’s to establish your own favorite ice cream.10. If interested in learning Italian, there are Italian language teachers in the town therefore you can go for an Italian language lesson.Read again to discover what to do the second day!
On the second day such a two day visit to Casale Monferrato, the following are breathtaking places to visit in the town; 1. Piazza Mazzini and its environs. The historic center of the town is centered here at Piazza Mazzini, previously a Roman forum site. It is named after Giuseppe Mazzini, who was a key republican figure of the Risorgimento. It is dominated by an 1843 equestrian statue of King Charles Albert dressed in Roman costume. 2. Lombard Romanesque cathedral of St. Evasio. It is located a little to the east of the east of the Piazza Mazzini square. The cathedral was founded in 742, rebuilt in early 12th century and was consecrated in January 1107 by Pope Paschal II. It occupies the place where a Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter was once located. This cathedral underwent restoration in 1706 and also the 19th century. It has an asymmetric façade that includes a complex narthex with two galleries connected by a tribune and closed by round arches. Its interior houses relics of St. Evasius and 11th century mosaics with Biblical scenes. 3. Via Lanza. It runs northwards from the northwest corner of Piazza Mazzini. It is known for the Krumiri Rossi bakery that produces Krumiri biscuits. The biscuits have been a speciality of Casale since their legendary invention in 1870 by Domenico Rossi. Also in Via Lanza is the 17th century church of San Giuseppe, designed by Sebastiano Guala. Paint attributed to Domenicos brother, Lucrina Fetti an Ursuline nun, shows Christ venerated by St. Evasio and includes a very accurate depiction of contemporary Casale with its civic tower. 4. Via Saffi. It runs west from Piazza Mazzini to Piazza Castello. It contains one of the town’s most cherished landmarks, the Torre Civica. This brick tower 60 meters high and of a square plan dates back to the 11th century. It suffered heavy fire damage in 1504 but was reconstructed six years later producing the now taller structure including the current bell chamber. The tower is adjoined by the church of Santo Stefano which stands on a small square on the east side. The church origin dates back to the second millennium but was built in the 17th century under Sebastiano Guala. The church walls are adorned and their vaults are 15 tondi prophets, apostles and a virgin painted by Pietro Francesco Guala. Facing back towards Via Saffi is the neo-classical Plazo Ricci di Ceresto. This imposing façade is marked by four massive brick columns and was built in 1806 from a local architects design. 5. Teatro Municipale. The theatre stands at the north eastern corner of Piazza at the end of Via Saffi. It was opened in 1791 with a performance of La Moglie Capricciosa, an opera buffa by Vincenzo Fabrizi. It took a period of six years to be constructed through Abbot Agostino’s design. It is horse shoe-shaped with four tiers of boxes and a gallery. It is richly decorated by stucco, frescoes, gilding and velvets. This royal box’s curtains hang on a structure supported on stucco caryatids, designed by Abbondio Sangiorgio, who also designed the equestrian statue of Piazza Mazzini. 6. The Giardini pubblici. This public garden fronts the railway station and extends westwards and dissects various streets almost to the southern end of Via Roma. The gardens contain a range of monuments to local and national known figures like Giovanni Lanza, Filippo Mellana, Giuseppe Antonio Ottavi and Giuseppe Garibaldi. The most important part of this garden is the Bistolfi’s war memorial of 1928. It’s a marble exdra with four caryatidis in the form of winged victories and is raised on a dias fronted with steps. The bronze sculpture of Fante Crociato, a foot soldier in the crusader period, takes center stage and a lightly second bronzed sculpture steps down from the platform. There are also other public sculptures of note in the gardens like the monument of King Charles Albert, the monument of alla difesa di casale etc. 7. Palazzi. This historic center is marked by many palazzos which often appears baroque due to urban renewal which took place in early decades of the 18th century. Among the best known palazzi include; The 15th century palazzo of Marchesa Anna d’Alencon in Via Alessandria. The medieval Casa Biandrate, situated at the junction of Via Guazzo and Via Morini, that holds its late gothic character. Palazzo Gozzani di Treville, the most beautiful palazzi in the town and part of Giovanni Battista’s great work, it is a long and gently curved façade which follows Via Mameli’s path. These are only few of the present palazzi’s in this center. 8. Via Roma, ghetto and synagogue. It runs southwards from Piazza Mazzini. Behind shops on the west side of Via Roma lays the ghetto. It persisted until emancipation of the Jews in Piedmont following Albert Charles concession of the constitution. The synagogue lies inside a building at Vicolo Olper 44. It offers a hint from its nondescript exterior. Built in 1595, it is recognized as the most beautiful in Europe. Women galleries now host an important Jewish museum in the synagogue. Of particular interest are the tablets of the law in gilded wood dating from the 18th century, numerous Rinonim and Atarot carved with silver filigree. 9. Santa Caterina. At the south east corner of the Piazza lays this elegant baroque church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. It’s a master of work of Giovanni Battista Scapitta and was completed after his death by Giacomo Zanetti. It is marked by an elliptical cupola and a façade curvilinear both in plan and elevation. 10. The Castle. It is an imposing 15th century military construction with a hexagonal plan, four round towers and an encircling moat. For foreigners heading to the region of Monferrato for touring, the following are tips that will help you get around the area with ease and be in good hands with the local customs. 1. Rent a car or get a tour leader for a wine tour. This will enable you rich out all areas where one is produced. 2. Once in Monferrato, if you are using a car park it in the big Piazza and stretch your legs around town. When the weather is kind, walk across the Piazza to a pedestrian street to access the pedestrian area where you will see the 15th to 18th century arcades and balconies, hip little shops, restaurants etc. 3. Tip hotel workers for a good get along and converse with them to get to know more about the area. 4. Carry your valuable documents on the trip as local authorities may request them at one point. For instance, at the airport you may be required to produce your visa or while driving in Monferrato you may be requested to produce your international driving license. 5. When in crowded markets, take care of pick pocketers. They are frequently found in such crowded areas. 6. Book train tickets in advance via the Trenitalia website to avoiding standing in long queues at the train stations and also get to enjoy discounts. 7. Ensure to put on the right shoes as per the event you are going for. For instance, don’t put on slippers when going for mountain climbing or bike tour as you may injure yourself. Read about the First day in Monferrato
Alessandria placed at the confluence of two rivers, the Tanaro and the Bormida, enjoys an important position on the streets of trade and communication between the Po Valley and the sea. Founded in the Middle Ages as a free commune, it owes its name to the Sienese Pope Alexander III and is historically known thanks to its strategic position as a bulwark and military stronghold, which is why over the centuries it has suffered vicissitudes and various dominations. From Federico Barbarossa to Napoleon, to reach the Savoy, the history of the city is dotted with episodes linked mostly ; to military art and that is why it preserves few traces of the past. Subject to wars and invasions, it boasts as a luster one of the greatest examples of military architecture, the 'Citadel', an imposing construction built in the first half of the eighteenth century by Savoy and still today military headquarters. Piazza della Libertà is the nerve center of its history; here we find eighteenth-century palaces of considerable importance that all gravitate around the Palazzo Municipale; among the countless testimonies we find the various Palazzo Ghilini or that of the Cuttica Cassine who still see today recall the splendors and lustres of the nobility à alexandrina. To visit is above all the Museum of the Battle of Marengo, which houses relics, weapons, documents and prints related to the battle of June 1800, won by Napoleon. Finally, in the province, the cities of Acqui Terme, a spa and wellness center already active in Roman times, Ovada, known for the food and wine of Alto Monferrato, a blazon of Piedmontese cuisine and Casale Monferrato, remembered for events ranging from the florist to the & rsquo; food and wine.
Asti is one of the wine capitals of Italy, is located in Piedmont, famous all over the world thanks above all to the famous Sparkling Wine of Asti, the city à is nestled in the heart of the Monferrato hills, surrounded by fine vineyards among which stand out ancient medieval villages, rustic farmhouses and mysterious and fascinating castles. The Bricco San Giovanni is a historic home of the Isola D'Asti, is an old farmhouse of the 800 recently renovated, but without the charm of ancient things being altered. There are 12 rooms with bathrooms (one of these rooms is equipped for the disabled), with TV, internet connection, mini bar, hairdryer and everything you need for the swimming pool like bathrobes and beach towel. For lovers of relaxation, there is a lounge for reading and TV. Bricco San Giovanni - Via Bricco S.Giovanni 13 — 14057 Isola D'Asti — Tel: +39 0141 960603
Set in the charming Piedmont countryside, Relais I Castagnoni is a B&B guesthouse in the heart of Rosignano. Originally a convent, now I Castagnoni is the summer residence of a family who has been living there for generations. The old convent has been renovated, with elegantly designed bedrooms, a kitchenette and a breakfast room. All the rooms of the property lead to outdoor gardens where Continental lunches are served in the mornings. The staffs speak Italian, French and English. All five rooms are fitted with antique furniture, bathroom and shower, hairdryer, minibar, telephone, satellite TV, and pay-per-view channels. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property and is free of charge. On the weekends and on request, guests are treated to meals cooked by the family. There is also a charming shop that sells local products and gifts. Guests have access to an outdoor pool, free sauna, Turkish bath and wellness centre. Visitors can tour the area and can take part in the local grape harvest or dine on delicious traditional regional dishes. Other activities include tennis, horse riding and cycling. I Castagnoni Relais offers free parking, with no reservation required. I Castagnoni is situated in the Po Valley and about 20 minutes drive from the town of Casale Monferrato. More informations at: www.icastagnoni.it
