Travel

Crowned a UNESCO World-Heritage landscape in 2014, the Langhe-Roero–Monferrato hills of Asti still feel blissfully under-the-radar. Here, steep terraced vineyards, medieval towers, and hazelnut groves roll away from the tourist throngs of Turin and Milan.

Asti is where you swap crowded aperitivo bars for cellar tastings served 100ft/30m underground in Canelli’s brick cathedrals. Pedal or e-bike along ridge-top lanes, refueling on robiola cheese and nocciola gelato; or lace up hiking boots and follow vineyard trails that end with a glass of Moscato d’Asti in the shade of an acacia.

Skiers heading to the Alps or sun-seekers bound for the Ligurian coast are only ninety minutes away—making Asti the perfect stop to breathe, taste, and recharge before mountain pistes or seaside promenades.

Use this guide to turn those fragrant, fizzing hills into your next long-weekend playground.

Getting to Asti

Asti sits in north-west Italy at the centre of a triangle formed by Turin, Milan, and Genoa. From Turin, you’re on the autostrada just an hour before the Baroque spires of Asti appear. Milan and Genoa take about ninety minutes, while the French Riviera (Nice) is a three-hour run across the Maritime Alps. Trains from Turin or Milan run hourly; hire a compact car once you arrive—the best vineyards hide up single-track lanes that were never meant for large vehicles.

When to Come

Harvest season, end of August to mid-September, is electric. You’ll catch three signature events in rapid fire:

• Palio di Asti – Italy’s oldest horse race (since 1275). Medieval flag-throwers march, then jockeys sprint bare-back round the piazza in a deafening forty-second blur.

• Douja d’Or Wine Fair – two weeks of tastings in Asti’s frescoed palaces; more than 400 Italian wines poured!

• Alba White-Truffle Fair – half an hour’s drive; follow the scent of Tuber magnatum, then chase a truffle-shaved tajarin with icy Moscato.

Spring brings wildflower hikes across the sorì terraces; July and August are hot and dry, perfect for e-biking between hill-top castles, but book a pool.

Where to stay

Asti city for buzz and trains. Pick a boutique B&B inside the medieval walls if you want cafés, the Saturday farmers’ market, and quick rail links to Turin and Milan.

Canelli if you dream in bubbles. The town sits over 12 miles/20km of 19th-century “Underground Cathedrals.” Sleep above them in a converted Cistercian monastery with a spa that pipes in sea-salt steam and pours Brut Nature by the glass.

Hill-top agriturismi for vineyard views. Farm-stay rooms in Strevi, Mango, or Calosso run €90-120 with breakfast, pool, and a sunset tasting set under a vine-covered pergola. Expect zero traffic, rooster alarm clocks, and the Milky Way for street-lights.

Castello stays if you want the fairy-tale. North-east in Nizza Monferrato, you can find turret suites that let you sabre a magnum of Dolce Asti at check-in.

Book six months ahead for the September-harvest weekends; sorì slopes host more grapes than beds.

Must-Do Experiences

• Descend into the Underground Cathedrals of Canelli—20 km of nineteenth-century brick tunnels keeping millions of Asti bottles at the perfect temperature all year.

• Lace up for the Moscato Ultra Trail (6-60 mile/10-100km options). Even if you walk, every aid station hands you apricot focaccia and a sip of frizzante.

• Drift at dawn in a hot-air balloon over the Tanaro river fog; touch down to brioche and Brut Nature Asti.

Eat & Drink

Robiola di Roccaverano goats’ cheese melts into Dry Asti. Winter signals bagna caùda, a warm bath of anchovy, garlic, and hazelnut oil served with purple artichokes; Brut Nature slices through the savoury funk. Local torrone and baci di Cherasco sharpen Dolce Asti’s orange-blossom sweetness. And when the first white truffle hits the market, grab a plate of buttery tajarin, then pour a frosty glass of sage-tinged Moscato d’Asti for the ultimate sweet-savory clash.

Move Between Hills

The Grande Sentiero del Roero is a cliff-edge single track above the Tanaro river; casual riders can freewheel a section and meet the support van at a winery terrace. Too steep? Hail an Asti Wine Taxi—local drivers happy-hour-price the run between tasting rooms so you can skip the spit bucket.

Easy Side Trips

• Alba (35 min): medieval “hundred-tower” skyline, Saturday truffle market, and the Gothic Duomo. Pop into the wine bar inside Enoteca del Duomo for some amazing tastings.

• Turin (1 h): royal cafés pouring vermouth flights, the world-class Egyptian Museum, and Eataly’s original food hall; finish with bicerìn, the chocolate-espresso drink Piedmont invented.

• Acqui Terme (45 min): soak in Roman sulphur baths, taste Bollente spring water at 75°C, then pair Passito di Strevi with hazelnut gelato on Piazza Italia.

• Roero badlands (40 min): hike a cliff-edge stretch of the Grande Sentiero; stop in Canale for its famed white peach sorbet.

• Sacred Mountain of Crea (1 h): Basilica plus 23 chapels strewn along a woody ridge—Renaissance frescoes, zero crowds, and a picnic lawn tailor-made for Asti.

These detours sit inside a 90-minute driving radius, meaning you can chase castles by morning, hunt truffles at lunch, and be back on a terrace for golden-hour by evening.

Practical Info

• Tasting fees run €15–25 and often include a tour of the winery/vineyard.

• Most cellars open 10:00–12:30 / 14:30–18:30; book ahead during harvest weekends.

• Harvest traffic fills every agriturismo by June—reserve early if you want a pool with a vineyard view.

• July afternoons hit 88°F (31°C) but plunge at night; October averages 65°F (18°C) with crystal skies.

• Many Producers who make Asti and Moscato d’Asti also produce red wines, like Barolo or Barbaresco, so be sure to check those out too!

Pack hiking shoes, an empty suitcase for truffles and wine, and a sense of adventure —Asti’s hills are waiting.