Province AT
Nizza Monferrato, AT
A market town in the Asti hills and the reference point for Nizza DOCG, a Barbera-based red made here and in seventeen surrounding communes. It has a long portico-lined main street and a large covered market building. Its other speciality is the cardo gobbo, a hunched cardoon grown by burying the plant so it curves as it grows.
Sights
- Palazzo Crova, an 18th-century palace now holding the civic library and the regional wine centre
- The Foro Boario, the former cattle market, a large arcaded masonry hall reopened in 2008 as an events and market space
- Via Carlo Alberto, the porticoed spine of the old town
- Palazzo Comunale, with origins in 1353 and the bell tower locally called el Campanon
- Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista of 1772, three-naved, with an octagonal dome
- Museo delle Contadinerie and the Bersano wine museum, farm tools and several centuries of wine labels
Things to do
- Come on the third Sunday of the month for the combined antiques and farm-producers market
- Order cardo gobbo raw with bagna cauda between late autumn and winter, when it is in season
- Taste Nizza DOCG against ordinary Barbera d'Asti to see what the stricter rules do
- Walk the porticoes of Via Maestra end to end
Annual events
April
Fiera del Santo Cristo
The town's main spring fair, on the fourth weekend of April.
May
Nizza e Barbera
Wine event centred on Barbera and Nizza DOCG, on the second weekend of May.
June
Corsa delle Botti and Monferrato in Tavola
Barrel race through the streets with food stands, on the second weekend of June.
November
Fiera Patronale di San Carlo
The patronal fair in the first week of November.
November
Nizza e Bagna Cauda
Bagna cauda served around the town on the third weekend of November.
December
Fiera del Bue Grasso e del Manzo
Fat cattle fair on the first Sunday of December.
When to visit
November, for bagna cauda, cardo gobbo and the San Carlo fair. June if you want the barrel race.
