Based on our many beautiful and surprising personal experiences, these are definitely worth sharing.
Cities
Recreation
Regional Nature Park Piana Crixia
Just a 10-minute drive from Spigno, you can be carried away by the beauty of the nature park in Piana Crixia. Millions of years ago, this was the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, which is why rolling hills are sometimes abruptly interrupted by grey 'Calanchi', a type of prehistoric dunes with distinct erosive formations.
The contrast between the grey color of the 'Calanchi' and the green shades of forests and fields creates a fascinating and unique sight. The symbol of the park is a spectacular rock formation in the shape of a giant mushroom. This natural element, created by erosion, is quite exceptional.
The park features various hiking and cycling routes.
Truffle hunting
From Easter to Christmas is the time to go hunting for truffles together with a truffle hunter and truffle dog.
Truffle hunter -> Roberto (Merana)
Truffle hunter -> Massimo (Mombaldone)
Roberto/Massimo and their truffle dogs are two men who are passionate about nature, and therefore carry out their work with pleasure. They provide a wonderful experience where you can taste, feel, and smell the truffle (tartufo) ...
Cooling off in the Erro River (Cartosio)
One of our favorite swimming spots is the Erro River. A large part of the river is shallow where you can only wade, but in some places natural swimming pools have formed where swimming is delightful. If you see cars parked along the road, it's probably a good swimming spot
Casale Del Valla
Sauna and naturist spa resort, just a stone's throw away from Spigno, where Barbara and Mario offer a unique experience in an enchanting location.
Visit Casale del Valla and discover the pleasure of living in harmony with nature.
Discovering Hidden Treasures
Are you looking for antique furniture, unique finds, or just curious... We still go on our own treasure hunts. Strolling through market streets and browsing among the stalls, searching for beautiful finds that bring a piece of Italian history into your home. Visiting these markets is not only a chance to find something unique but also to experience local life and witness Italian craftsmanship up close. Every object tells a story, and before you know it, you're taking a piece of Italian culture home with you.
Alessandria : every first Sunday of the month
Nizza Monferrato : every third Sunday of the month
Acqui Terme : every fourth Sunday of the month
Ovada :
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Labor Day - May 1st
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Republic Day - June 2nd
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Ferragosto - August 15th
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First Sunday of October
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All Saints' Day - November 1st
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8th
Wine-tasting
Acqui Terme
Acqui Terme has a beautiful historic center with many old squares, buildings, and churches. The Piazza Bollente lies in the heart of this center and is definitely worth a visit. The hot water spring "La Bollente" has a temperature of 74 degrees. Many Acquesi (locals) and tourists believe in its healing properties and take a bottle of the medicinal water with them. We personally love visiting Piazza Bollente to sit at one of its many terraces. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the square becomes the main meeting point for the Acquesi, creating a wonderful atmosphere of Italian conviviality. This Italian conviviality is very often accompanied by music.
Alba
Every autumn, Alba becomes the stage for the International White Truffle Fair of Alba (Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba). Numerous activities are organized during this time, with the white truffle playing the main role. There is a huge covered truffle market where various truffle merchants sell their finest truffles, as well as truffle rice, truffle oil, truffle cream, and more. An increasing number of international tourists travel to Piedmont in autumn because of the exclusive delicacies that can be found here, such as white truffles, mushrooms, game, and top wines like Barolo and Barbaresco.
The white truffle, the diamond of the kitchen. Although each of these delicacies deserves a place on the podium, it is usually the white truffle that takes first place in this region. The truffle has traditionally been called 'the diamond of the kitchen'. The variety found here in Piedmont, the white truffle from Alba, is the most expensive in the world because this white truffle is extremely rare. The price sometimes even exceeds that of gold.
The black truffle is much more common and therefore considerably cheaper. However, the taste is incomparable. There is nothing in the world that tastes like the white truffle, while the black truffle resembles an intense mushroom flavor.
Alba is also the city of chocolate. Due to a shortage of cocoa during World War II, Pietro Ferrero came up with the brilliant idea of adding roasted hazelnuts to chocolate. The Gianduja, as he called the new chocolate, became an enormous success. Later, the combination of chocolate and hazelnut led to the world-famous Nutella. Son Michele Ferrero made the company enormous, producing Nutella as well as Kinder Surprise, Ferrero Rocher, and Tic Tac, among others, and with a fortune of 20 billion, he became the richest man in Italy.
Celle Ligure
is a picturesque fishing village with small colorful houses and a beautiful sandy beach. The area where Celle Ligure is located lies between the sea and the mountains in the province of Savona.
Celle Ligure also has several interesting attractions.
Make sure to visit the historic center of the village, where you'll find narrow streets, colorful houses, and charming squares. The church of San Michele Arcangelo is also worth a visit, with its beautiful architecture and artworks.
If you enjoy hiking, there are various walking routes in the surroundings of Celle Ligure that you can explore. For example, you can walk to the nearby villages of Varazze and Albisola and enjoy the breathtaking views of the coastline.
As for culinary experiences, there are many restaurants where you can enjoy delicious Italian cuisine
Noli
There are few places on the Italian Riviera that capture the imagination more than the fishing village of Noli. In this beloved seaside resort, colorful fishing boats still rest on the beach, sometimes right among the tourists.
The seaside town is certainly not large, but has an interesting medieval center and a beautiful white beach. In the afternoon, the sun disappears behind the mountain, casting a long shadow across the beach. The medieval walls, visible from the beach up to the old fortress of Castello di Monte Ursino, are among the most beautiful in Italy and certainly in Liguria.
Canelli
Since June 2014, Canelli has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its remarkable underground cathedrals filled with wine. But Canelli has more beauty to offer, such as the Via degli Innamorati (Lovers' Lane) and richly decorated baroque churches.
Thanks to the underground wine cathedrals, Canelli is also known as the capital of spumante. The sparkling wine is stored in cellars that were carved into the tufa hills between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries and remain intact to this day.
It was Carlo Gancia who, after visiting Reims to learn the secrets of champagne, 'imported' the méthode champenoise. He managed to simplify the process slightly and applied it to Muscat grapes, which grow in the region around Canelli.
The wine produced this way is stored in unique wine cellars, also known as cattedrali sottoterranee, underground cathedrals. The impressive thirteen kilometers of cellar passages beneath Canelli are so extraordinary that they have earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Four winemakers give you the opportunity to visit these underground cathedrals: Bosca, Contratto, Coppo, and Gancia.
Traversa 1816 (Spigno Monferrato)
The winery owes its origins to Giuseppe Traversa's foresight when he planted the first vineyards at the end of the 19th century. The passion for viticulture has been passed down from generation to generation.
Today, Traversa is a young winery where brothers Sebastiano and Eduardo will warmly welcome you and give wine tasting that extra special touch.
Ristorante
Mario Torelli (Bubbio)
Wine makers for four generations, Torelli has been producing organic wines since 1987, which is quite unique in Piedmont. The winery belongs to the first Italian batch that received full organic certification in 1992. They bottle 90 thousand bottles annually.
These organic wines can be found in the best restaurants and wine shops around the world.
Within walking distance from our Casa
Il Civico
Al Mattone
Osteria La Montaldina
Spigno Monferrato - 10 min
Ristorante L’Aldilà Scaliti Umberto
Mombaldone - 10 min
Ristorante Vecchia Fornace
Montechiaro d'Acqui - 10 min
Osteria del Bramante
Roccaverano - 25 min
Ristorante della posta
Olmo Gentille - 25 min
Ristorante La Grotta
Cairo Montenotte - 25 min
Ristorante Da Frankino
Bubbio - 25 min
Ristorante il Vecchio Borgo
Acqui Terme - 30 min
Ristorante Da Nonna Gina
Acqui Terme - 30 min
Alcastlè
Montabone - 30 min
Trattoria Salvetti
Paroldo - 1 u
From local markets to your plate -
experience the true taste of Piedmont
Piedmont is the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. The city of Bra is where Carlo Petrini, together with a few friends, conceived and established Slow Food in 1986 as a countermovement to the increasingly spreading phenomenon of fast food.
Local products, as well as the associated, often artisanal production methods and the entire local culture that has developed around certain regional specialties, are protected by Slow Food and sometimes literally saved from extinction. Local regional products prepared according to traditional recipes buono, pulito, giusto (good, clean and fair).
Every weekend there is a festival or celebration somewhere, and we'd like to keep you informed about these events.
We would also be happy to assist you in finding and making reservations at a restaurant.
By car
In the vicinity of Spigno, there are several villages that, in addition to their own character, also have authentic restaurants or osterias, where one can fully enjoy the Piedmontese cuisine.