Cuneo and its valleys
1st day – Friday
A little stroll in the town’s historical centre: particularly interesting are St. Claire’s Church, the Baroque façade of the Town Hall Building and the imposing Parish Church of St. Andrew built on a design by Bernini. Your visit may continue at PalazzoTraversa, the last remaining real Medieval building in town, and at the church of Santissima Trinità (Holy Trinity), rich in frescoes. You can then take a leisurely walk along Corso Garibaldi with its long Portico called “l’Ala” which on market day (Friday) houses a picturesque market.
Finally, don’t miss a visit to the best historical bars in town where you can enjoy excellent coffee and delicious fancy cakes typical of Piedmontese tradition. You can also decide to organize a cheese tasting at the shop / museum of Fiorenzo Giolito, historic cheese “affineur” in Bra.
In the evening you may then have a lovely dinner at Osteria Murivecchi, where you can enjoy the best dishes of the typical local cuisine and drink the best wines of the area.
Tourist Office: +39 0172 430185
www.turismoinbra.it
2nd day –Saturday
You will be able to get to Cuneo, where you can enjoy a sightseeing walk starting fromPiazza Galimberti (the heart of the town, site of a renowned Tuesday market). You can then get along Via Roma, the old town’s main street which still boasts ancient Medieval porticos. A sight not to be missed is the Cathedral, just past the central square, and among other buildings, the Town Hall Building, and the ancient Monastery of St. Francis. On Sundays it is also possible to get to the top of the Civic Tower.
You can reach the modern part of the town by walking along Viale Angeli lined up with Art Deco houses, and then see the Park of the Resistance and the Shrine of the Angels.
When in Cuneo, you cannot miss tasting the exquisite rum chocolate dragées called “Cuneesi” which in 1954 attracted to Cuneo the great writer Ernest Hemingway. Besides, several coffee bars in the centre (e.g. Arione on Piazza Galimberti) offer a wide range of delicious cakes among which delicious whipped cream meringues.
From Cuneo you can reach some fascinating nearby valleys.
ATL Cuneo (tourist information): +39 0171.690217
www.cuneoholiday.com
Val Grana can be considered one of the cult places for cheese production and certainly the capital of the king among Piedmontese cheeses, Castelmagno. This product actually gets its name from the small village situated where the Maritime and Cozie Alps meet. This cheese has very ancient origins as it appears to be mentioned in some texts dating back to 1277. Here you can visit the old San Magno’s Shrine at 1,661 m above sea level as well as the small farms producing Castelmagno Cheese. The farmers will be very happy to make you taste their products.
You can then get into Stura Valley with its renowned Vinadio Spa Centre, then into Gesso Valley and get up as far as the Maritime Alps National Park, or get to Vermegnana Valley, with Limone Piemonte, its famous skiing resort.
For dinner you can try one of the typical restaurants in the old town, among which we suggest “L’Osteria della Chiocciola” in Via Fossano, one of the most secluded and evocative parts of the town characterized by old and dark lanes.
3rd day – Sunday
A place worth seeing is certainly Asti, a town situated on the left bank of the Tanaro river just where among the Monferrato Hills the river meets the Borbore torrent. It is an artistic city, founded by the Ligurian-Gauls, later on turned into a Roman camp in 89 B.C.
The oldest part of the town, once called the Nobles’ Enclosure, is the heart of the town. Vittorio Alfieri’s monument overlooks this beautiful square lined up with 19th c. buildings. Every year on the third September Sunday since 1988 this square has been housing the most famous town’s event, the Palio.
You can then get on to Nizza Monferrato with its Bersano Farm and Wine Prints Museum on Piazza Dante. Your next stop could be Acqui Terme, a Romanesque and Medieval town on the border of the Po Plain and the Mediterranean Region.
The town’s fortune was made up not only by its strategic position on the Via Emilia, but also by the presence of steaming hot sulphur waters. Therefore, the first thing to do, now almost a rite, is a visit to the Piazza della Bollente.
Roman remains, among which the ancient Aqueduct, and the beautiful historic centre certainly deserve a visit.
Agency of hospitality and tourism promotion in the province of Asti: +39 0141.353034