What to see in Asti in 2 days: medieval towers, fine wine and UNESCO hills

Why visit Asti in 2 days

Asti is the secret capital of hilly Piedmont. While tourists head for Alba and the Langhe, this city of medieval towers, Early Christian crypts and elegant squares remains surprisingly little visited. Yet its hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its Palio is the oldest in Italy and its wines - from Barbera to Asti spumante - are famous worldwide. Two days let you explore city and hills with the right unhurried pace.

Day 1: the city of towers

Morning - Piazza San Secondo and the Cathedral

Start from Piazza San Secondo, the beating heart of the city where the Palio takes place every third Sunday in September. The Collegiate Church of San Secondo, in Lombard Gothic style, holds the patron saint's relics and the Palio itself, a crimson velvet drape. In the basement the Romanesque crypt is a hidden jewel.

Walk up to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the largest Gothic building in Piedmont. The interior, entirely frescoed in the 18th century, surprises with its decorative richness. The original terracotta floor is visible in some side chapels.

Afternoon - Towers and medieval centre

Asti was the "city of a hundred towers" and still preserves about a dozen. The Torre Troyana, 44 metres tall, can be visited and from the top the panorama stretches from the hills to the Alps. The Torre Rossa, of Roman origin, is the oldest and rises in the courtyard of a Baroque church, creating a fascinating contrast.

Stroll along Corso Alfieri, the city's backbone following the ancient Roman decumanus. Palazzo Alfieri, birthplace of the poet Vittorio Alfieri, houses a museum dedicated to him. Stop at the Crypt of Sant'Anastasio, a seventh-century underground space with carved Lombard capitals: one of the most evocative and least known places in the city.

Evening

Dine with bagna cauda (the quintessential Asti ritual, anchovy-garlic-oil sauce with raw vegetables), agnolotti del plin and a Barbera d'Asti superiore. Trattorias in the Rua di Sotto area offer unpretentious authenticity.

Day 2: UNESCO hills and wine cellars

Morning - Wine hills

Devote the morning to the Monferrato hills around Asti, part of the UNESCO site "Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont". Take the road to Costigliole d'Asti, a village dominated by the Conti Asinari castle, now home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences. The Barbera vineyards surrounding the village form a perfect mosaic of greens and ochres.

Continue to Castagnole delle Lanze or Canelli, the birthplace of spumante. In Canelli the underground cathedrals, historic cellars carved into the tufa where sparkling wine ages, are a UNESCO site and can be visited by appointment. The atmosphere is evocative: endless corridors at constant temperature, dusty bottles and centuries-old stories.

Afternoon - Hidden gems of the Monferrato

Stop at Moncalvo, the smallest place in Italy with city status, offering a panoramic square and a church with frescoes by Guglielmo Caccia known as il Moncalvo. Nearby, the Sacro Monte di Crea, also UNESCO-listed, is a devotional route among frescoed chapels set in woodland, far from tourism.

If you prefer relaxation, the spa town of Acqui Terme is half an hour away: the historic baths and the Bollente, a fountain of sulphurous water at 75 degrees in the town centre, are a unique experience.

Evening

Return to Asti for a final aperitivo with Moscato d'Asti and toasted hazelnuts under the arcades of Piazza Alfieri. Buy amaretti and hazelnut cake as gastronomic souvenirs.

Practical tips

**When to go:** September for the Palio and grape harvest; May-June for hills in bloom
**Getting there:** train from Turin (35-50 min), from Milan (about 1h40)
**Getting around:** centre on foot; car needed for the hills
**Wine cellars:** book visits at least a day in advance
**Market:** Wednesday and Saturday mornings in Piazza Alfieri and Campo del Palio
**Palio:** third Sunday in September, historical procession on Saturday evening