Asti - the lands of moscato wine.   Meeting with your guide in your hotel.   Departure for a tour through the hills which produce some of the finest red (Barbera) and white (Moscato d’Asti, Asti Spumante) wines of Piedmont. Arrival in Canelli, the homeland of the Asti Spumante (white sparkling wine) and Moscato d’Asti (sweet white wine) following a scenic road through the hills.

Visit one of the historic wineries of the towns Gancia or Contratto with their beautiful cellars called “underground cathedrals” which stretch under the town and final wine-tasting.    Transfer to Nizza Monferrato with a visit of the Bersano Museum which is dedicated to the farming tradition.  Then, visit of the Bersano winery with final wine-tasting.   Lunch in a typical osteria of the town hosted in the underground cellars of the XVIII century Palazzo Crova (not included in the price).

Asti center: half day

A guided tour through the historic centre of the city famous for the Palio, the traditional horse race which takes place every 3rd Sunday of September.    From Piazza Alfieri, dedicated to the famous playwright Vittorio Alfieri who was born in Asti in 1749, you may reach the Romanesque-gothic Collegiate Church of San Secondo.   Then visit the baroque Town Hall, the theatre, and walk through the medieval towers and buildings up to the gothic cathedral. 

Your tour continues in the Crypt of Sant'Anastasio, a collection of some Roman ruins, an VIII-X century grave-yard area, romanesque capitels, etc., and finish in the Complex of San Pietro in Consavia, built as an imitation of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where you can also visit a paleontological and an archeological museum (the latter with some Egyptian finds).    For those who love shopping, a walk along the Corso Alfieri with its elegant shops is not to be missed. 

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Turin (Torino) 

The Royal City:  half or full day
Guided tour on foot of the city historic centre with its important monuments: the Cathedral where the Holy Shroud is kept, the Royal Palace and its beautiful gardens, the Church of the Great Mother of God, the Porte Palatine (remains of Roman walls) and the Roman district, the Mole Antonelliana which hosts the new National Cinema Museum, and the elegant Piazza San Carlo with the historic cafés where you may taste the delicious bicherin drink prepared with the traditional Gianduja chocolate. 

Moreover, a visit of the Egyptian Museum, second only to the one in Cairo, cannot be missed.  And finally, driving just a few miles from the city, you may visit the Basilica of Superga which stands on the hill overlooking Turin and go down in the royal tombs of the Savoy family remembering the main stages of the rich history of the city. 

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Alessandria and its provinces are rich in history and tradition and there is no shortage of places to relive the past, maybe even while enjoying a nice meal and a glass of wine. 

This land of hills, plains, and mountains offers a rich variety of products: D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. wines (Brachetto of Acqui, Gavi of Novi, Cortese of Tortona, Dolcetto of Acqui and Ovada, Barbera of Alessandria and Casale, Moscato of Asti) all, white, red or flavoured, possessing a unique quality coming from their strong yet smooth taste and subtle perfume. 

The true glory of this area is, however, the truffle, an underground fungus that grows only in a soil rich in silicon near certain types of trees that favour their development and are common in Piedmont.   There are over 100 different varieties of truffle in nature: the most famous is without a doubt the White truffle of Alba. 

The Citadel of nAlessandria was built in the ex-district of Borgoglio, after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, when Alessandria passed from the dominion of Spain to the one of the House of Savoy.

The name Alessandria was given to the city to honour Pope Alexander III, protector of the league.    Alessandria remained a free commune until 1348 when it was ruled by the Viscontis, then by the Sforzas, and after that the Spagnolis.    It was conquered by Prince Eugene in 1707 and given to the house of Savoia in 1713.   In 1728 Vittorio Amedeo II fortified Alessandria in order to create an important strategic location and bulwark in Piedmont.   In 1849, after the fall of Novara, Alessandria was garrisoned for four months by Austria. 

Alessandria is famous for its city walls: it was, in fact, for a long time referred to as "Alessandria of straw" because its walls, though built of mud and straw, were able to resist outside attacks for four whole centuries until 1415 when the Earl of Carmagnola took the city.     Municipal Art Gallery is worth seeing.

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Alba: Homeland of white truffles- half day

Guided tour on foot of the historic centre of Alba, that back in the middle Ages was given the name of “the town of 100 towers”.   Today only four of them are left, all stand in Piazza del Risorgimento where beautiful medieval buildings and the late-gothic cathedral of San Lorenzo create a stunning atmosphere. 

Alba is also famous for the White Truffle Fair which takes place every October (this year at its first international edition!). You may then walk along via Maestra, the main street,  and visit shops and places where you can try and buy wines, chocolate and…..truffles!

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In Marengo, for example, every two years there is a re-enactment of the famous battle which took place there between Napoleon's French army and the Austrians on June 14, 1800. This event is also commemorated by a museum - The Marengo Battle Museum - The Eastern Piedmont University

The old Borsalino factory, which housed the famous Hat Museum until a few years ago, is now home to the Eastern Piedmont University, it is of fairly recent institution.  At the beginning it was totally dependent on the University of Turin, and only in 1997 it became an autonomous, independent University. 

Despite its "youth", this university has been able to grow, thanks above all to the presence of keen, hard-working staff members and students.   Thanks to its convenient location, at the crossroads of the principal roads of communication, Alessandria can easily and quickly be reached from cities like Turin, Milan, and Genoa. 

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Every summer, Vignale Monferrato offers high level dance productions, with the presence of some of the most promising young dancers.   Vignaledanza (this is the name of the show) includes exhibitions of great interest.    In Vignale it is also possible to admire the Regional Wine Cellar, located in the hills of tufo. 

In addition, Casale Monferrato, we can remember the numerous churches and the local museums, such as the Museum of Natural History in Ovada, the Synagogue and the Jewish museum.

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At Acqui Terme one can admire the stone vaults of the regional wine cellars situated in the majestic Robellini Palace, which contain 90% of the Brachetto wine produced in Italy.

In the heart of Acqui Terme, a few kilometres from Alessandria, there is the famous "Bollente" with its 540 litres of water per minute springing at a temperature of 75°C. The beneficial and therapeutic properties of this water were already recognized in Roman times, when Acqui Terme was well-known for its baths. 

This town's fame soon stretched beyond its borders and even now, in an age of great medical progress, the therapeutic nature of the sodium iodine waters rich in bromine is still uncontested, especially in the treatment of respiratory problems, traumas, and rheumatism.   And so Acqui Terme offers an occasion to spend time healing and resting while staying in one of the peaceful and reserved accommodation facilities typical of this area.