Secret Piedmont, at gentle prices.
UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014 together with Langhe and Roero: infernot carved into the rock, hills of Barbera and authentic villages, the countryside that lives year-round one hour from Turin and Milan. Those who come for a weekend often end up looking for a home.
A name wrapped in mystery
Nobody knows for certain where the name “Monferrato” comes from. Some trace it back to the Latin mons ferax, the fertile mountain; others to mons ferratus, for the iron left behind by the Romans; more recent scholars point to “ferretto,” a type of soil common across Piedmont and Lombardy. And then there is the legend, the most beloved in these parts: the knight Aleramo, fleeing with Alasia, the emperor’s daughter, is said to have shod his horse with a brick, mun in dialect, because he had no iron shoes. “Mun frà”: the bricked shoe. History or fable, in 967 Emperor Otto I granted him by diploma all the lands from the Tanaro to the sea: the Aleramica March was born, later the Marquisate and finally the Duchy of Monferrato, governed over the centuries by the Aleramici, the Palaiologoi of Byzantium and the Gonzaga, until the Savoy in 1708.
Three Monferratos, three characters.
Those who live here distinguish three territories within the same name. Basso Monferrato, around Casale: gentle hills that do not exceed 400 metres, villages built in the golden Pietra da Cantone and the infernot, cellars carved by hand into the rock, today protected by UNESCO. Monferrato Astigiano, the heart: Nizza Monferrato capital of Barbera, Moncalvo which was the first capital of the Marquisate, Mombaruzzo which has smelled of amaretti since the eighteenth century, and the hill of Albugnano which at 549 metres is the rooftop of all Monferrato. Alto Monferrato, towards Liguria: Acqui Terme with the hot waters the Romans already venerated, Ovada and Gavi with their great wines, and a Ligurian soul that you can feel in the dialect and on the plate, focaccia and ravioli included.
Explore the surroundings
Wineries, restaurants, villages and trails around every property. Filter by category on the map below, and mark the home you're evaluating to see the distances.
Living here, for real.
Turin is one hour away, the Ligurian coast a little more; Milan is reachable for dinner. But the reason people stay is something else: it is village life that still works. The Thursday market in Nizza, the baker who knows your name, the neighbours who leave courgettes on the gate in summer. Schools and a hospital in the main centres, fibre broadband that now reaches the hills, and a calendar of festivals, from the Palio di Asti to the village fairs of every bell tower, that fills weekends without ever needing to take the motorway. The climate does the rest: warm dry summers, proper winters, and that autumn light on the vine rows that cannot be explained, only watched.
The table of Monferrato
The food here is like in few other parts of Italy: agnolotti al plin pinched by hand, egg-rich tajarin, bagna càuda which in winter is a collective ritual, fritto misto and gran bollito. Raw Piedmontese beef hand-chopped with a knife, the cardo gobbo di Nizza that grows bent under the sand, the muletta, the noble salame of Casale, and to finish panna cotta and bonet, the cocoa and amaretti “pudding” that existed here before puddings did. In the glass: Barbera d’Asti and Nizza DOCG, Grignolino, Ruché, Brachetto d’Acqui, Cortese di Gavi, and Asti spumante born in the cellars of Canelli. Seventy-four varieties of native apples, white truffle in autumn, robiola di Roccaverano: biodiversity is not a slogan, it is the Saturday shopping.
Where to eat (well) for real
Monferrato is the homeland of the family trattoria: places where the menu is recited by the lady of the house and the bill surprises you the other way round. There are the crotin and wine cellars with kitchens of Basso Monferrato, the Asti piole with house wine, the agriturismi in farmhouses where the meat comes from the neighbouring breeder, and a few discreet starred tables, without fuss. The rule is one: where the locals eat on Thursday evening, that is the safe bet.
A year of festivals: choose the season
Nizza è Barbera
Nizza MonferratoThe capital of Barbera opens its squares and cellars for its great wine festival.
Castelli Aperti
throughout MonferratoPrivate manor houses and historic residences open only on these weekends.
L'Assedio di Canelli
CanelliThe village relives 1613 in costume: two days inside history, taverns included.
Monferrato on Stage
various villagesConcerts in the squares and among the vines, with the village kitchens in full swing.
Acqui in Palcoscenico
Acqui TermeInternational dance in the open-air theatre, after the thermal bath.
Calici di Stelle
Asti hillsThe night of San Lorenzo with a glass in hand in the castle courtyards.
Palio di Asti
AstiThe oldest bareback race in Italy: districts, flag-throwers and a square that seethes.
Douja d'Or e Festival delle Sagre
AstiThe wine salon and the pro loco village: you eat the whole Asti area in one evening.
Fiere del Tartufo
Moncalvo and MontechiaroThe white truffle of Monferrato: fewer crowds than Alba, the same magic in the alleys.
Fiera del Bue Grasso
MoncalvoThe ritual of great Piedmontese beef: the square full of white giants.
Le terme di Acqui
Acqui TermeWarm vapours and the steaming Bollente in the square: the season when Acquese is at its best.
Presepi e infernot
Basso MonferratoVillages in celebration and UNESCO cellars open for markets and mulled wine.
Dates and editions vary year to year: when we arrange your visit, we time it with whatever is on.
Buying here, in practice
Viewings first, everything else after
We select with you from the catalogue, then organise a full day of viewings: Maria Cristina knows every property in person, flaws included.
The purchase process, explained
Offer, preliminary contract, deed at the notary: we guide you step by step, even if you are buying from abroad, with documents verified beforehand, not after.
Renovating without fear
A farmhouse waiting to be reborn? We put you in touch with the local surveyors and craftsmen we have worked with for years, with real quotes.
We are still here after the deed
Utilities, connections, the right baker and the neighbour to meet: those who buy with us are never left alone the day after.
The homes of Monferrato, now in the catalogue.
REF 615 Villa in Nizza Monferrato con ampio giardino
Nizza Monferrato (AT)In posizione comoda, in vendita ampia villa su due livelli, con circa 900 m2 di giardino cintato, in ottime condizioni strutturali, da…
A country hotel with own parkland and pool
Castelnuovo Belbo (Asti)In una splendida e tranquillissima posizione panoramica, a soli 9 km dal centro di Nizza Monferrato, in vendita complesso immobiliare ad uso…
Charming country house with panoramic views of the vineyards – a rare restoration opportunity in the heart of Piedmont
Nizza Monferrato (Asti)In posizione spettacolare, con vista aperta sulle colline e sui vigneti, in vendita ampia casa tipica piemontese, da ristrutturare, con strada privata…
Appartamento panoramico con balconi e garage
MOMBERCELLIAppartamento al piano primo di piccola palazzina vicina al centro paese, con due balconi panoramicissimi. Ingresso, camera, cucinino e tinello, servizi, altra…
REF 619 Casa in ottime condizioni a poca distanza dal paese
Mombercelli (AT)Casa ristrutturata recentemente, abitabile subito, in ottime condizioni generali, adatta anche come prima casa. Al piano terreno ingresso su vano scala, cucina,…
REF 616 Appartamento arredato a pochi mt dalla piazza di Mombercelli
MOMBERCELLIAppartamento arredato a poca distanza dalla piazza di Mombercelli, sito al piano secondo, con ascensore, in ottime condizioni. Si compone di ingresso…
«We had been looking for a farmhouse for three years. Maria Cristina showed us three: the second one was the right one.»Famiglia Berger, da Zurigo a Calosso
Come and see Monferrato in person
Tell us what you are looking for: Maria Cristina knows every property personally and organises viewings in a single day.
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