Even though Monferrato is renowned for its enchanting landscapes and hills covered with vineyards, don’t be discouraged by a grey sky and a few drops of rain. The humid weather can turn your visit into a surprising adventure, discovering hidden corners and unique activities that shine precisely under a covered sky.

In this article, we will guide you through a selection of must-see experiences during your stay at La Romana, which will make your rainy day in Monferrato just as special, if not more, than a sunny one.

The history of Asti is revealed not only on the surface: in its underground areas, among ancient crypts and precious archaeological finds, lies a past that stretches back over two thousand years, inviting you on a fascinating journey back in time.

With Underground Asti, you can explore an enchanting and unusual itinerary that will take you “upside down,” discovering the city’s most secret gems: the journey begins in the mysterious Crypt of Sant’Anastasio, and continues to the Roman Domus, where you can admire a fascinating ancient mosaic.

The adventure culminates in the underground areas of Palazzo Alfieri, where the extraordinary collections of Eugenio Guglieminetti, a renowned sculptor and stage designer from Asti, are displayed. Get ready for a journey through time that will leave you speechless.

Emanuele Gambino offers a unique experience that stimulates all the senses and expands knowledge about the world of wine, from the vine to the bottle.

Inside the cellar at the Monvì Wine Relais, Emanuele personally explains the winemaking techniques used in the production of wines, illustrating step by step the different paths each wine follows.

The visit also includes a tasting of the produced wines, accompanied by a selection of local cured meats and cheeses, chosen to enhance the notes of the wines offered.

At Monvì Wine Relais in Costigliole d’Asti, you can enrich and make your experience memorable by adding the exclusive use SPA to the tasting.

The Wellness

Area is designed to offer you moments of complete relaxation. You will have access to a heated pool with hydromassage that will invite you to immerse yourself in a pure pleasure experience.

The emotional shower, sauna, and Turkish bath are ready to give you a moment of regeneration for the body and spirit.

If the weather is too bad to go out, you can turn a small disappointment into a great opportunity! Discover the secrets of Piedmontese cuisine by participating in our cooking classes.

Each lesson is a celebration of traditional recipes, where you will learn to prepare typical dishes such as Barolo risotto, homemade tajarin, and authentic Piedmontese desserts. Guided by expert chefs, you can immerse yourself in the culinary techniques that make Piedmontese cuisine renowned worldwide.

The castle, owned by the Alfieri family since 1240 and built by Count Catalano Alfieri in the seventeenth century on the ruins of a medieval fortress, is a notable example of Piedmontese Baroque.

In addition to hosting the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions, which includes a unique section dedicated to the plaster ceilings typical of the farmhouses of the Roero, Astigiano, Monferrato, and Ovadese areas between the 17th and 19th centuries, the castle also houses the multimedia museum Theater of the Landscape of the Langhe and Roero Hills, inaugurated in 2015.

The latter explores the transformation of the hills in the twentieth century and celebrates the stories of the farmers who shaped this landscape, now a World Heritage Site. Not to be missed is also the family chapel of the Alfieri family, adorned with frescoes and known as the oratory of the Holy Shroud, a splendid example of Piedmontese Baroque.

The Langhe, immortalized in the stories of Beppe Fenoglio and Cesare Pavese, preserve an agricultural heritage that the Museum of the Langhe in Grinzane Cavour illustrates through the arts and crafts of the past.

The local castle, with its rooms of rare beauty, displays historic agricultural tools and offers ethnographic paths that lead to the relics of Count Camillo Benso, testifying to the transformation of these lands.