The starting point of this wonderful trail, which begins in the hills of Asti and moves into the Langhe, is the huge Campo del Palio square in Asti. Leave the city and head south along Corso Savona. The Tanaro river is wide here and has just joined the Borbore, increasing the flow of its waters by no small margin. You will also cross the overpass on the ring road and immediately turn left towards Torrazzo. One of the many reasons behind the beauty of Asti is certainly the fact that in just a few minutes, from the rich and historic old town, you can immerse yourself in a lively, industrious countryside characterized by ancient rhythms and flavours.
You keep on riding and zigzag through the landscapes of Mongardino and San Marzanotto. At the junction to Vigliano d'Asti you continue along the SP45 road and after a few bends, halfway down, turn left onto the small road marked Frazione San Marzanotto to enter the Isola d'Asti area and reach Isola Villa along Via Campo del Frate. From the Churchyard of San Pietro, you can admire the Tanaro valley and the Roero rising on the other bank. A steep descent takes you to the junction with the SP 456: cross it carefully and continue straight on towards Repergo. Continue along the SP 64 road until you reach Strada Lazzaretto and, while surrounded by vineyards, you will come across the small Chapel of San Grato. Next, follow Strada San Michele and enter the municipality of Costigliole d'Asti and then, along Strada Carrobbio, you will reach the SP 51 road. A few metres downhill and turn left at the traffic lights to enter the city centre, which welcomes you with its white turreted castle, worthy of a fairytale and worth admiring while enjoying a break in the nearby park.
It's back uphill again, but it's an effort that will be repaid with the entrance to Neive with its old town steeped in history, rightly included among the most beautiful villages in Italy, where you can set out on the trail of the "Donna Selvatica" (Wild Woman), the friendly character who lives on the labels of the renowned Levi distillery. Leave Neive and join the SP3 road: five kilometres through a harmonious stretch of vineyards and soon you will be in Barbaresco. Here you will see, to your left, a deconsecrated church which houses the Enoteca Regionale (Regional Wine Shop) and, with a small detour, you can reach the splendid Barbaresco Tower, from the top of which you can enjoy a priceless view over the Tanaro valley and the surrounding hills. You will be wandering through a sea of vineyards that will produce future Barbaresco wines, which you may taste in the comfort of your living room. However, those notes of fine wine will remind you of these landscapes which in spring/summer explode with shades of green, which in autumn embrace you with warm nuances and in winter, when the hills are covered in snow, you will have the sensation of riding between the lines of an endless score, where the vines draw notes, sharps and treble clefs.
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Alba-Asti via Roero
Two-hundred towers in two, a long and fickle river, in between the splendid hills of Langhe Monferrato Roero. Asti and Alba: enemies - friends, practically promised partners.
Find out morePLEASE NOTE: Responsibility for the maintenance and practicability of the various trails lies with the municipalities where the routes are located. The Tourist Board, therefore, cannot be held responsible for any inefficiencies, but is willingly available to collect your reports so that they can be forwarded to the authorities concerned.
