Monferrato is Piedmont's rolling wine country, a landscape of hilltop villages, fortified castles, and vineyards that stretches between the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. The wines here are among Italy's finest -- Barbera d'Asti, Grignolino, and the sweet, fizzy Moscato d'Asti all come from these hills, and the wine cellars are welcoming and unpretentious.
The area is studded with medieval castles, a legacy of centuries of feudal rivalries, each surrounded by small villages that produce local specialties the old-fashioned way. The historic capital, Casale Monferrato, sits on the Po and hides one of the most beautiful synagogues in Europe. The Via Francigena, the ancient pilgrim route linking the Mediterranean to northern Europe, passes directly through the region. Acqui Terme, known since Roman times for its thermal baths, and the gold-working town of Valenza are both worth a detour.
Two UNESCO listings cover what makes the landscape special: the hand-carved infernot wine cellars of the lower Monferrato villages, and the underground sparkling-wine cathedrals beneath Canelli. The Sacro Monte di Crea, a hilltop pilgrimage of twenty-three frescoed chapels, is a third UNESCO site within the region.