In and around Asti
ASTI located 30 kilometers north of Alba , is the capital of Italian sparkling wine. Most of the year it's small, the ugly town is quiet and peaceful, and it only comes to life in mid-September on the occasion of the annual horse run called palio. Preparation for the race are street banquets and a medieval fair, and on the day of palio, on the third Sunday of September, a procession of a thousand passes through the streets, dressed in traditional fourteenth-century costumes, citizens of the city. Then, in the arena at Campo del Palio there is a crazy race on the lap. The winner of this race receives a palio (here: banner. The word palio also means a valuable scarf for the winner of the competition). Throughout the next night, residents experience this event, feasting and drinking for winners and losers. This race has no comparison with its counterpart in Siena, which is taken much more seriously. (See. Tuscany, Chapter Eight), and its revival is largely due to tourism. Nevertheless, being in the area during the race, it's worth watching.
For the rest of the year there is a car park in Campo del Palio, and there is not much to see in the city. The official center of Asti is Piazza Alfieri, behind which is the church of San Secondo, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, martyr of the second century. Of course, there is no trace of the church from the time of the saint, but in the basement there is a beautiful crypt from the VI century, with columns so thin, that you have the impression, that the crypt is about to collapse. The early Gothic main church is supported by elegant, topped with carved capitals pillars of red brick, and in the left nave there is a one made by Gandolfino d'Asti, one of the Renaissance artists from Asti, polyptych. On the other hand, in the richly decorated baroque chapel, palio banners are stored.
From the square runs through the city the main street, Corso Alfieri. On its right side is the church of San Floor (Tue-Sat. 9.00-12.00 and 15.00-18.00, Nd. 10.00-12.00; you need to call the custodian). Next to the church there is a twelfth-century round baptistery (currently a showroom) and a not very well organized Egyptian-Roman museum located in a former hospice for pilgrims. At the other end of Corso rises the medieval tower of Torre Rosa with a lattice finial. It was built on the foundations of the tower, in which, as a Roman soldier, he was imprisoned before his execution of San Secondo.
Most restaurants in Asti are expensive. The exceptions are the cheap pizzeria Rosalba, near Torre Rosa, and already slightly more expensive trattorias in The Genova and Del Mercato hotels. For supporters of Asti Spumante and other local wines, at the end of August and in September wine festivals are organized (details in APT).
Surroundings of Asti: Abbazia di Vezzolano
It is true that ALBA is a better base for tours of vine plantations and wine museums, but it is worth remembering, that a short bus ride from Asti is the COSTIGLIOLE D'ASTI. It is the production center of Asti Spumante. It has an enoteca winery and an expensive gourmet restaurant located in the castle (Tue-Sun.10.00-12.00 and 14.30-17.30).
Car owners and patient hitchhikers can reach ABBAZIA DI VEZZOLANO, lonely pearl of late Romanesque architecture. The abbey is located west of Asti, far into the depths of the valley and, according to legend, was founded by Charlemagne, who in the eighth century was to experience religious ecstasy in this place. From the outside, the complex has a beautifully carved façade with arcades and a quiet Romanesque courtyard. The interior, on the other hand, hides an antique stone rood screen with carved scenes from the life of Mary and simple-looking figures of saints..
Alessandria, Acgui Terme and Casale Monferrato
The area located directly east of Asti is rich in castles, but unfortunately most of them are in private hands and only occasionally made available to visitors of these estates. The only attraction of ALESSANDRIA, modern industrial capital of the province, there was a museum of borsalino hats (with a sunken bottom, favorite by American gangsters of the Prohibition period), but because it has now been abolished, there is nothing interesting in the city.
South of Alessandria lies ACQU TERME. It is a rather gloomy spa. On the not very attractive main square gushes La Bollente, smoking water source with sulfur admixture, and a river polluted with sewage flows through the town. The waters of Acqui enjoyed the interest of numerous Romans, from Pliny to Seneca, but the only remnants of this golden period of the city are the four spans of the aqueduct rising below the main bridge.. In a neglected castle located above the railway station, there is a small, not very interesting museum with preserved Roman mosaics.
CASALE MONFERRATTO, north of Asti, boasts the rather dubious title of the cement capital of Italy, but it also has the richest synagogue in the country. It comes from the period, when a large Jewish community lived in Piedmont, most of whom found themselves here fleeing persecution , which in the sixteenth century raged in Spain. Almost two hundred Jewish families lived in Casale until Mussolini's reign., when Hitler's forced introduction of racist laws forced many Jews to leave the city.. Rich, gold-encrusted synagogue (Nd. and holidays 10.00-12.00 and 15.00-17.30; at other times you need to call the neighboring building) has an extremely realistically carved pulpit and a "treasure museum", located in a fenced off gallery for women. You reach the synagogue by turning from the main street of Via Roma into the first block to the left, Via Saloman Olmer, and then into a small street to the side.