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The Water road…
Accommodated in a superb region – Piemonte / Piedmont – in the Northern Italy that can be reached at just an hour and a half by car to large cities such as Genoa, Turin, Milan or the Liguria Riviera, Acqui Terme is a chic city, with a millenary history, rich and blessed with breathtaking landscapes.
The name of the actual spa resort stems from the Latin name Acque Statiellae – a settlement that has been known since the times when the territory was ruled by the Ligurian tribes, that was then gradually Romanized, becoming a significant trade center of the Roman Empire.
Located on a strategic position famous for its natural, hot and therapeutic springs Acqui Terme still remains the main place with thermal waters in the Piemonte region and among the most famous in Italy, not only for the quality of its resources, but also for the various treatments available in specialized centers.
The ruins of a Roman aqueduct – one of the best preserved in the region – erected even by Bormida river, but also some ancient baths discovered during certain archaeological excavations from 1913 and that used to be plated with the most beautiful mosaics or the most beautiful white marble brought from Greece and Asia Minor, all these are showing how important water was for the inhabitants of this city.
Acqui gives its visitors a complete set of cultural, cooking experiences, that also offer a good feeling, but also a story about the simplicity and beauty of living in a traditional Italian province.
The region serves well gourmands, local recipes are fantastic and sparkling wine – kept cool in manufacturers cellars “complicates” things so much that you will end up wondering why didn’t you come here before!
Wine and local cuisine are the second income source and play a fundamental role for tourism, with vineyards and hills that were included in the UNESCO World Heritage.
By foot in Acqui Terme
The historical center is pretty small and easy to be crossed by foot, very well preserved and clean, the beauty of the buildings and monuments being the testimony of a glorious past.
La Bollente is a gift from nature, with its hot water that squirts from the ground at a 74,5 C degrees temperature. A pavilion of Greek style was built here in 1879 by engineer G. Ceruti exactly because it emphasizes the crucial importance this sulphurous spring has for the community (its chemical components are: sulphur – iodine – bor). A medieval legend tells that all newborns of the town were sunken in this fountain and those who survived this experience were named citizens of “Acquese sgaiento”. According to another legend the babies were bathed only after being baptized in the cold water from the font with this hot water just to make them stronger, more courageous …purer. Anyway, bathing at + 75 degrees will surely remove microbes, but it might also deprive you from a layer of skin! As for myself, I tried water by finger and I resisted almost a microsecond.
A new profession emerged around 1950, the glory days for the artisans of water who used to transport it for money, wherever it was needed in the city. Now, it is not the case anymore….
From the Bollente springs you can immediately enter the medieval district Pisterna, dominated by the Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral, built in 1067. The roads then climb towards the highest point of the city Paleologi Castle that accommodates its archaeological museum and an important collection of objects from pre-Roman, Roman and medieval periods.
The view over the city is splendid….
The shelves of the regional wine cellar Acqui Terme, “Terme&Vino”, accommodated in the Robellini palace gathered the best worldwide known wines, including 9 DOC and 3 DOCG wines that are famous, among them we can find the star of the region: Brachetto D’Acqui DOCG.
At just a few kilometers from the town we can discover Villa Ottelenghi. The only one of this kind in Italy it is the living proof of a tight cooperation between architects, sculptors, painters and investors that created a spectacular province residence. In 2011, the villa received the award “European garden prize award”.
Along the river Bormida you can do trekking or biking, but you can also enjoy the rich fauna and flora of the area.
Opened in 1930 and for long in the first place in Europe, the largest free-air swimming-pool, with a length of 125 meters and a width of 60 meters, is open every year from June to September.
A hotel with a gorgeous garden and large rooms is www.hotelacqui.it at 3 minutes from the historical center, on the main road of the town. Here you can fully enjoy the friendliness and hospitality of the locals!
There is a rich cultural life in Acqui and numerous events such as: ballet, music, sport, wine and cuisine or art exhibitions, the agenda of the town can be seen here: www.turismoacquiterme.it
Wine’s route
Strevi, located in the very heart of Alto Monferrato from Piedmont and an area protected by UNESCO it has a long tradition related to Muscat grapes – their grains having an unique flavor and a delicate balance between sugar and acidity.
Marenco Vini e Strevi – artisans in the art of wine since 1925 produce wine of exceptional quality, based on a sustainable viticulture that serves both the health of consumers and the environment.
What is more important for them is the production of good, valuable wines for those consumers who understand beauty, but also work behind an original Marenco bottle.
If you want to better understand their philosophy and how they love their vineyard you must go there to see the colors of endless vines in the sunset, to feel the emotion and proud in the owners’ voices, to enjoy the cold of a sparkling wine and the flavor of other wonderful wines in a visit in the family’s wine cellars – there you can taste their superb beverages along with a selection of area-related food, whether you go alone, in a couple or in a larger group. www.marencovini.com
Banfi Winery
The company was established in 1978 by two Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani that wanted to make an art from wine, mixing the “mother country” traditions with the newest scientifical methods used in Western wine-growing.
After the famous vineyards in Montalcino, Bolgheri, Maremma and Chianti the project dedicated to the wine-growing area Piedmont, Banfi Piedmont is the perfect union between century old traditions in obtaining a quality sparkling wine, mixed with the experience of wine swept in state-of-the-art winery through methods inspired by original, ancient techniques. And everything is done with full respect for nature, the reasonable consume of resources, with love for vineyards but also for the final product – wine. www.castellobanfi.com
Morsasco– a superb little village dominated by Castello Morsasco
At only a few kilometers from Acqui Terme the fortified castle Morsasco majestically stands on the top of a hill even since the XIIIrd century. Built for defense, the castle is today open to all those who want to enter it. The history of the place is fascinating, gardens are absolutely spectacular, with panoramic terraces towards Monferrato hills, the Alps and Apennines. The current owner, Mr. Aldo Cichero a famous sailing architect and his life partner Franca Mollo bought the castle in the eighties even if it was really degraded. The imposing building was refurbished and opened for the public who can thus enjoy the spectacular beauty of a special place, with a troubled past, but that did not lose its medieval charm and the mistery halo.
Today, the two are living in the castle, together with Aldo’s centenary Aldo’s mother, the two cats and two white peacocks Ginger and Rogers….Going from the tower, crossing the inside yard then the chambers with original mural paintings and chimneys that carry the traces of wood fire that has been lit in heavy winters for a few centuries, from prisons up to winery, the romanticism of the castle cannot be equaled.
La Cascina Bertolotto
Located in Spigno Monferrato with a height of 400 meters and an ampitheathre style position in an ecosystem good for high quality grapes, La Cascina Bertolotto is a proof of what is passion for wine and traditions transmitted from father to son are – a mix that perfectly works today, the selection of wines being characterized by really unique flavors.
A magnificent view, best quality wines, a welcoming B&B and wonderful hostesses …It is pretty hard to leave such a place and I can understand why the owners are so funny and have a large smile on their face….When you wake up in the silence of the forest, with a perfume of summertime lime and you drink your coffee…. or wine, under a walnut tree, with that heavenly view in your eyes ….you are simply happier! Working in a winery is incredibly hard, but the satisfaction you must get when the barrels are full is probably worth the effort….
Even if it’s a little bit further from Acqui Terme, at a 25 km distance, a visit to Cascina Bertolotto will make your day even more beautiful.
Slow Food Italy – Azienda Agricola Bagnario
When love for wine meets love for fertile Piedmont land, then you can get the right thing: rich, elegant wines, some of them with a tradition of over 500 years – which can be checked on the family’s wineries – where you enter only if you are good….and you better be!
Bottles of old wine are sitting nicely on the shelves, that have been kept in the dark and cold for tens and hundreds of years, lacking glow or tags that are full of old dust, but they are worth figures with many zeroes and meant for special occasions!
Strevi Passito DOC Eliodorois the divine nectar – with international awards – that stole my heart, the delicious Salera and Li-dea made me mad and the friendship of owners, the lvaldi family, the soul…
Yes, I should not forget the plates with goodies we were welcomed with at the property….
I confess here that….I tumbled up to the hotel in Passito rhythms. www.azienda-agricola-bagnario-vino-passito
This journey turned into an experience that I want to repeat, to let myself pampered by everything Acqui Terme has to offer…and it has a lot!
PS – And to finish in good conditions, in the country of forest hazelnuts it was natural for me to faint with a few sweets in my arms: some torrone, a chocolate cake or walnuts (or better said a “sweet torture”) or the delicious Amaretti made a team and urged me to do bad things! Such a thing…..
Thank You Paralela 45 and Acqui Terme for this amazing journey through vineyards and traditions! ❤️
Photo credits: Personal archive
