Acqui Terme

Acqui Terme is a small spa town in Piedmont's Alto Monferrato, set on the Bormida River amid vineyard hills in the province of Alessandria. Its character is announced immediately in Piazza della Bollente, where a sulphurous spring still surfaces at nearly 75°C beneath an ornate 19th-century marble pavilion—waters that Romans already prized when this was Aquae Statiellae, a town of baths, theatre, and forum along the Via Aemilia Scauri. Arches of the old Roman aqueduct still stand beside the river.

The medieval centre built itself around that Roman inheritance. The Romanesque cathedral, consecrated in 1067, keeps its ancient apses and crypt along with a striking 15th-century Spanish triptych inside. Nearby, the Paleologi Castle—once a stronghold of the Monferrato marquises—now holds an archaeological museum that makes sense of the Roman and medieval fragments scattered around town.

Beyond the thermal baths and ruins, Acqui sits at the edge of serious wine country, known for Brachetto d'Acqui and Dolcetto d'Acqui alongside Barbera, with a regional wine bar in Piazza Levi offering an easy introduction to the local DOC and DOCG bottles.

It's an unhurried place: a working spa town rather than a polished tourist set piece, best suited to travelers who want thermal relaxation, Roman and medieval layers, and genuine Piedmontese wine country without crowds.