Garessio, thermal waters and chestnut woods between the Ligurian Alps and the Langhe

You reach Garessio by climbing along the Tanaro, where the province of Cuneo turns to mountains and borders Liguria. It is one of those places you pass through without a second thought, on the road to the sea, and yet it deserves a proper stop. The village spreads out across several districts, each with its own character: the Borgo Maggiore perched around the remains of the castle, the Borgo Inferiore with its houses mirrored in the river, the hamlets scattered among the chestnut woods.

The village

The feeling, as you walk through the stone lanes, is of a town that lives for itself and not for its visitors. You will find no queues in front of monuments, no tourist menus translated into five languages. Instead you will find medieval arcades, fountains, elderly people on benches and the smell of woodsmoke in the cold months. Garessio has always been known for its waters: the area of the spa and the springs speaks of an ancient thermal calling, today experienced with discretion, far from the clamour of fashionable resorts.

The surroundings

The value of Garessio lies in its surroundings. Paths that climb towards the pastures and woods, mule tracks that link the hamlets, routes that in autumn take on the colours of the chestnut groves, which also star in the local cuisine alongside herbs and mushrooms. It is an in-between land, between the Langhe and the Riviera, that lets you move slowly, on foot or by bicycle, without ever feeling stuck in a queue.

When to go

Go off-season and you will have the village almost to yourself. Sleep in an inn, buy bread from the village baker, exchange a few words with those who live there: that is how Garessio lets itself be known. A real alternative to the more well-trodden destinations of the Cuneo area, for those who travel with respect and without haste.

Related guides: Hidden Piedmont: villages off the beaten track among the Occitan valleys and the Monferrato · Where to go in October without the crowds: villages, foliage and a sea still warm · Where to go at Easter without the crowds: villages and weekends in lesser-known Italy.

Getting there

By car, leave the A6 Turin-Savona motorway at Ceva and continue on the SS28 along the Val Tanaro towards Col di Nava; from Genoa and the Ligurian riviera, instead, leave the A10 at Albenga and climb the same SS28. Garessio has a station on the Ceva-Ormea line, but since 2012 the passenger service has been replaced by buses. The reference airports are those of Cuneo, Turin and Genoa.

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