Piemonte has the most fantastic range of events and activities throughout the year. They nearly all seem to be based around one of three things - wine, food or history and pageantry. And there is plenty of food and wine at all of the pageantry events! Medieval castles, Napoleonic battlefields, the largest shopping outlet centre in Italy, museums and churches, golf, cycling and horse riding all compete with the simple pleasures of the countryside for your time and attention.

This page lists some of the major events take place within easy driving distance of the hotel and gives the link to the official Piedmont web site, which has a wealth of information about the area.

Throughout the year, Italians love to find reasons to celebrate and there are events virtually every week of the year, from wine tasting to historic re-enactments to simple celebrations of the joy of life.

The Palio at Asti – 3rd Sunday in September

The Asti Palio is reputed to be the oldest in Italy, dating back to 1275, when Astigian jockeys raced through and over the vineyards surrounding Alba. At the heart of the programme are the bareback horse races around the triangular track in the main piazza of Asti. The pageantry that surrounds the event includes over 1,200 inhabitants in full medieval costume representing each of the 21 ‘commune’ of Asti and the surrounding area.

These 21 commune parade through the streets to the beat of hundreds of drums and one of the highlights is the flag waving and throwing displays, where huge banners are tossed high in the air in a fantastic display of colour and noise. These ceremonies both open and close the Palio.

The Antiques Market – every weekend

The antiques market is set up in the main squares at Asti, Nizza Monferrato and Ovada and other towns throughout the region and is a monthly event.

The markets are very large and a potter past every stall can take the best part of 2 hours – this excludes stopping at stalls, enquiring about prices and haggling for the best deal available.

There is a huge range of items available, ranging from antique furniture, paintings and mirrors to 33 rpm LP records, refurbished ancient farm implements and tools and ceramics, glassware and objets d’art.

Corsa delle Botti – Nizza Monferrato – 4th Sunday in May

The barrel racing in Nizza Monferrato only dates back to 1978 and represents the race between the various wine producers, hurrying to deliver the the families of the region (a bit like the race to deliver Beaujolias Nouveau each year). The race itself is between the various 'houses' and, after a series of heats, leads to a grand final in the afternoon.

During the day, visitors can enjoy ‘monferratointavola’, where each of the local towns and villages offer regional food specialities, together with ample opportunity to taste the Monferrato wines.

The barrel racing takes place in the main square, while families enjoy the huge market and the funfair in the main square.

The Palio degli Asini at Alba – 1st Sunday in October

The Palio of Asini – Donkeys – deliberately mocks the Asti Palio and, since 1932, has developed its own status in the region. In 1275, the people of Asti raced for the Asti Palio under the walls and through the vineyards of Alba and, allegedly, wreaked havoc to the area. Thereafter the Asti Palio was run in the city of Asti and the Albese jockeys participated and registered many victories until they were no longer invited to take part. This led to the foundation of the alternative Palio - to play down and diminish the importance of the defeat in 1275. As in Asti there is a major historic parade, with over 500 participants in full medieval costume supporting an event renowned for its humour and casual attitude.

The Siege of Canelli – 3rd weekend in June

This celebration re-enacts the siege of Canelli in 1613. The small local garrison was supported by the local citizens, many of whom lost their lives, in successfully defending the city. As the official programme notes:

“ It is a celebration without embellishment. For two days more than 1,000 Canellesi wearing the traditional costumes of the period and always acting as if they were actually taking part in the most crucial events of a siege, re-create the atmosphere and the reality of a town under siege. The visitor becomes both protagonist and witness of the events, actor and spectator mingling with the officers and soldiers or with the farmers and their animals, sitting in inns and taverns often haunted by evil-doers and beggars…”

For us, this is the best festival we have ever been to, where the battles are just a part of the occasion, and the sights, sounds and general atmosphere are very special.

The Festival Delle Sagre, Asti – 2nd Saturday and Sunday of September

In 2004, the main square at Asti was over-flowing with over 250,000 visitors (and this is the best photo available!) who managed to consume over 800,000 portions of food at this feast/festival.

The square at Asti is full of small stalls and catering facilities, where each region promotes its own speciality food and visitors either eat on the move or can compete for one of the available chairs.

Tractors pull trailers that are decorated to show a typical local scene through the streets. This could be livestock grazing, a small house built on the back of the trailer, or the production of wine.

This is an ideal opportunity to check out a wide variety of local dishes without having to travel throughout the region.

Douja D’or, Asti - 2 weeks in mid-September

The Douja is named after an ancient, pot-bellied Piemontese jug and is a festival for the taste buds and senses. The major attraction is the row upon row of wine, much of which is available for tasting. This is complemented by a wide array of food and musical performances.