Acqui Terme is a quiet wine-and-spa town in the south of Monferrato, known since antiquity for its hot sulphur springs. The central piazza is named for, and dominated by, La Bollente — a steaming public fountain that has been the symbol of the town since Roman times. Children paddle around it on hot days; locals fill bottles to take home.
The Civic Archaeological Museum sits inside the Paleologi Castle and is worth an hour, while the elegant Liberty-era thermal baths and a separate modern spa across the river still take visitors for mud cures and pool sessions. Acqui is also the home of the Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, a sweet, lightly fizzy red wine almost unknown outside Italy.