Discovering Ovada: A Hidden Gem in Piedmont's Wine Country

Hello dearest friends,

In today's post, we are staying in Piedmont, as I hinted in the previous post. I've been here for work reasons these days. By now, you know me well – I'm always on the move in Italy. Today, I'd like to introduce you to a place I discovered for the first time. It's the municipality of Ovada in the province of Alessandria, a medium-sized town with a population of approximately 10,000 inhabitants.

Practically, we are 90 km away from Turin, the most famous city in Piedmont, and about thirty kilometers from Alessandria, the provincial capital. The special characteristic of this small town is that it is located at the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. When I arrived here by car, I noticed that this town is practically surrounded by vineyards. It seems that this place has even positioned itself as a candidate to become the European capital of wine.

I was struck by the fact that I found a tourist information office within this town. Honestly, I had never come across such an office in any of these small towns before. I enjoyed strolling through the streets of this small place. There are several historical buildings and beautiful churches to visit. There was also a paleontological museum to visit, but it was closed. However, you can clearly see the transformations this town has undergone through its buildings.

I read later at home that it was founded by the Romans, but it actually had a significant influence from the Franks, who somewhat transformed it into a center of commerce. In recent years, it has become important because they produce a wine called "dolcetto di Ovada," a wine that is said to have been produced even in Roman times.

For me, discovering these places is always an exciting experience. I'm a very curious person, so even if I spend just a few hours here, I was pleased to explore this place. Just like the Tuscan villages, these places around Italy should be more appreciated.

I hope my photos have virtually taken you along with me on this journey, and as usual, I hope you can visit these places in person. I regret not being able to delve into my culinary experience during my visit here. There were some interesting shops selling excellent food products.

Before exploring this place, I had read some reviews on the web. I usually do this to save time, but the reviews of this place praised it specifically for its local cuisine and wine, even though you know well that unfortunately I am not a big fan of wines.

Lastly, as the final photo, I've posted the place where I stayed, a small farmhouse that is located very close to this town, and it had a beautiful swimming pool that I would never want to leave!

I wish you all a wonderful day, and I'll see you in my next post.

NB Please have patience for some photos that didn't come out well, but I only had my work phone. 😪