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How to get there: Highway A26 Genoa – Alessandria, exit at Ovada and continue along the sate route that goes to Lerma.
An old town that is located on a hill around a castle. It has soft hills that are very unique because of its many vineyards. It has medieval origins and it is situated on the hills of the Alto Monferrato where the Ligurian and Piedmont Apennines begin.
The valley of the Piota torrent dominates the area and since Roman times it was one of the most important communication links between the Ligurian region and the Po valley. There are still many remains that highlight its history. Within the castle walls there is an ancient “refuge,” which was actually the first residential area that was called Herma. It is situated on a steep ridge on both sides and this made the town impossible to reach. The castle was built at the end of the 12th century on top of a previous settlement that was destroyed by Guglielmo of Monferrato and the castle is situated on a rock that dominates the Piota River.
It was strongly protected by the Genovese and in the 13th and 14th centuries it represented a cornerstone for there defense system of the Oltregiogo. Through an arched door that had a working drawbridge you can enter the piazza where the castle and church are located. On one side there is the steep cliff of the Piota Valley that has a breathtaking view of the entire region. If you continue along the ancient Recinto it will be like going back in time, when a small community lived under the lord of the castle.
A legend states that there is a hidden treasure located in the castle that is made up of 3 gold roses that a Spanish damsel should have brought back to her Queen. One of the towers that is of medieval origins was transformed in the 15th century into a apse of the parish church but it still maintained its original structure of one of the towers of the Monferrato castle. The beauty of the town, the vineyards of Dolcetto and Cortese and untouched nature that continues along the Apennines makes it one of the most interesting spots of Basso Piedmont.
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