ITALY – Piedmont – Acqui Terme (En)

Acqui Terme is a small city and comune in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is one of the principal winemaking communes of the Italian DOCG wine Brachetto d’Acqui. It is surrounded by breathtaking vineyards and landscapes that were awarded in 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The road we drove to arrive at the town is amazing even if it is full of curves, it passes through some beautiful villages and a fairytale landscape, so we enjoyed it a lot.

We stayed in the motorhome area of the city (44.665401, 8,47235 lat, long), for 10 euros per day including electricity, water and emptying and filling of grey and black water. The plots are pretty big and there is a local bar just 50 minutes from the area. The city centre is just 5 minutes crossing the bridge.

One of the things to see is the ruins of the Roman Aqueduct which are perfectly visible from the bridge over the Bormida River when you cross it towards the city centre.

We crossed the bridge and to our surprise, there was a street party! With local and international food and local beer and wine. So we enjoyed eating some of the food.

The first thing we visited was Italia Square where the impressive Grand Hotel Nuove Terme built in 1870 dominates the piazza, along with the Thermal Building of the Regie Thermae Acqui. On the left, you may admire the Fountains of the Ninfee that descend down Corso Viganò. You also will find the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy.

Following the main pedestrian street which leads to the Civic Tower and piazza della Bollente, where in this charming 19th-century ambience, a natural hot spring called “The Bollente” gushes out at an amazing temperature of 74,5°C with a capacity of 560 litres per minute. In 1879 the small shrine shaped like a Greek Temple was constructed by the Engineer Ceruti wanted by Mayor Giuseppe Saracco, to represent the city’s thermal heritage.

Then we arrived at Duomo Square with the imposing Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1067 by Saint Guy/Guido, Bishop and Patron Saint of the city, a Romanesque building that has seen various changes throughout the centuries, but still retains its original features part of the external walls, semi-circular apses transept, and the beautiful crypt with its unspoilt Romanesque characteristics. We went inside and it was beautiful but with respect, as there was a mass going on we did not take pictures.

After that, we visited the Paleologi Castle, of medieval origin, which today houses the Archaeological Museum located at the highest point of the historic centre. The city views from there are stunning. We went inside and there was a photographic exhibition.

To ease the uphill walk to the Castle we stopped in Bollente Square to have a drink where we tried the local Brachetto wines and I practised my Italian with the waiter. The wines were pretty expensive, 6 euros each! And to finish our tour we went to see the Town Hall donated by Abraham Levi to the local council in 1910, today also home to the Tourist Information Centre. In Piazza Levi is Palazzo Robellini a beautiful sixteenth-century building and the Historical Centre of Acqui Terme.

Our next stop will be in a nearby town called Ovada with a rich historical and artistic heritage and local restaurants and wines to try, which you can see in the next post.