| Acqui Terme | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Piedmont | |
| Territory | Alto Monferrato | |
| Altitude | 156 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 33.30 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 20.054 (year 2011) | |
| Name inhabitants | Acquesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0144 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 15011 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | San Guido (11 July) | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Acqui Terme is a city of Piedmont.
To know
The city, which also boasts an important past, is now universally known above all for its famous thermal baths, one of the most important and popular in the area.Italy.
Geographical notes
Located on the left bank of the Bormida river, towards the border with Liguria, the city is located in the Apennine hills in a flat area. It is 19 km from Ovada, 34 from Alexandria, 41 from Asti, 80 from Genoa.
Background
A legend tells that Acqui was founded by Greek colonists, attracted by the presence of thermal waters; the name Carystum - so Tito Livio handed it down to us with his appearance grecizing perhaps it gave rise to the imagination. The truth is that Acqui was formerly the capital of the Liguri Statielli. Finds from prehistoric times in the area confirm the presence of Ligurian populations. Between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC the named urban center was formed Aquae Statiellae or Aquae Statiellensium, indicating that the ancient people, now Romanized, were not dispersed. The importance of the city grew with the construction in 109 BC. of via Æmilia Scauri, which connected Dertona to Vada Sabatia (today's Tortona is I'm going to Liguria), passing through Acqui and the Cadibona Pass. In the imperial age this road was renamed via Julia Augusta: it was one of the major land connections and connected the Po Valley, through the Riviera di Ponente, with Narbonne Gaul and the Spain. It became Municipium in the 1st century BC. Even then its thermal waters were held in great esteem: the Latin writer Gaio Plinio Secondo remembers them among the most important in the Roman world, together with those of Puteoli (Pozzuoli) and Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence). The Roman city was in fact equipped with at least three spas, of which some remains survive today. Furthermore, a monumental aqueduct guaranteed the supply of common water for both thermal and domestic and productive uses.
In the late empire, perhaps as early as the fourth century, a Christian community developed in Acqui and the city was a bishopric, and was the seat of a garrison of Sarmati. San Maggiorino was the first bishop of the city, perhaps at the end of the 4th century The presence of the baths (still in use in the Gothic age - as Cassiodorus states - and Lombard - according to Paolo Diacono) and an episcopal chair guaranteed the survival of the city even during the difficult early medieval period, unlike many other towns in southern Piedmont which were abandoned in this period (Libarna, Pollentia, Augusta Bagiennorum, Vardacate, Industria, Forum Fulvii etc.).
The Lombard conquest left a small necropolis near the city in the locality of Bossallesio, perhaps dating back to the early stages of the occupation. Acqui, possibly included in the Duchy of Asti, was a border territory since coastal Liguria was in Byzantine hands. Under the Franks it was the seat of a committee within the Aleramic brand.
As in many cities in northern Italy, in the Ottonian age public power was exercised by the Bishop, who in 978 received an imperial diploma from Otto II. In the following century Bishop San Guido (patron saint of the city and the diocese) completed the construction of the cathedral, which he consecrated in 1067, and founded two monasteries in the city, one for women (Santa Maria de Campis) and one for men at the ancient church of early Christian origin of San Pietro. Already in the first decades of the twelfth century the Municipality developed (the first attestation dates back to 1135), which tried to assert its autonomy towards the Bishop and over a countryside of modest extension.
The development of Acqui came to a halt with the foundation in 1168 of the new city of Alexandria, promoted by Genoa and from the Municipalities of the Lombard League hostile to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa: the new city, in fact, tried to wrest the bishopric, with serious political and economic consequences, from Acqui, with the support of the then reigning pope Alexander III (from whom Alexandria took the name). Many times, the Alexandrians clashed with Acqui, wanting to take control of the territory around Acqui. For this Acqui did not join the Lombard League but was almost allied to the imperial side (as revealed by the eagle in its coat of arms).
Once these wars ceased in 1234 thanks to Frederick II of Swabia, internal struggles began between the Blesi and Bellingeri families. In 1278, no longer able to withstand the threats of Alexandria and other hostile powers, torn apart by internal struggles, Acqui preferred to hand himself over to the Marquis William VII of Monferrato. Since then, except for brief parentheses, as under Charles I of Anjou, Acqui remained permanently part of the Monferrato even when, in 1306, the Aleramic dynasty died out and the marquisate passed to a cadet branch of the Byzantine imperial family, the Paleologi, heirs of the Aleramici in the women's line. Between 1322 and 1345 Acqui was occupied by Robert of Anjou, to later return to the Marquises of Monferrato.
In 1431, it was occupied, like other parts of the marquisate, by the Visconti of Milan but already in 1436 it returned to the Paleologi, who had requested the help of Amedeo VII of Savoy. In 1533 the paleological house also became extinct and the whole of Monferrato passed to the dukes of Mantua. In 1566 it was the seat of the local senate and damaged by the wars between the Spanish and the French and by the subsequent plague of 1630. The annexation of Monferrato (and Acqui) to Piedmont Savoy occurred in 1708.
Jewish community of Acqui Terme
The Jewish presence, which lasted until the years before the First World War, is attested in the city since the sixteenth century in two areas: in the Calabraghe alley and at the Castle. In 1731, with the establishment of the ghetto, the Jews then residing in Acqui were forced to concentrate in two large buildings, which still exist today, in the Piazza della Fontana Bollente. In 1761 there were 239 Jews, to become over 500 after the emancipation of 1848. The small community oratory in via Portici Saracco was then replaced by a large synagogue thanks to the financing of the Ottolenghi family.
The end of the ghetto, however, also meant the decline of the Jewish community due to the strong emigration to the major centers of the region. The synagogue was dismantled after the Second World War and today only a commemorative plaque remains on the entrance. The ancient cemetery in via Romita also remains.
How to orient yourself
Acqui Terme: full screen map.Neighborhoods
The oldest nucleus is the Borgo Pisterna, adjacent to the Borgo Nuovo and Borgo San Pietro: together they represent the current center of the city, which then gradually developed both towards the plain and towards the hills. In more recent times and beyond the Bormida river, the thermal area and the Baths have developed, with the Hotel Antiche Terme, home to a grandiose park, the spas and numerous hotels, and the hamlets of Ovrano, Moirano and Lussito .
How to get
By plane
- 1 Cristoforo Colombo Airport in Genoa. It is connected to the Genova Brignole railway station with the Volabus, a bus service calibrated for national and international arrivals.
- Direct flights: Milan Malpensa, Turin, Cagliari, Naples, Palermo, Catania, Alghero, Olbia, Trapani, Trieste, Rome Fiumicino.
- International flights: London Stansted, Paris CDG, Cologne, Munich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Istanbul.
- 2 Turin airportTurin Caselle Airport, Airport Road, 12 (Caselle Torinese).
- 3 Milan-Linate, ☎ 39 011 5676361. About 5 km east of the city center, Linate airport whose official name is Enrico Forlanini, is 4th in the Italian ranking in terms of traffic.
By car
Highway exit a Ovada on the A26 of the tunnels (Gravellona Toce - Genoa Voltri)- It is at the intersection of the state road
del Turchino (which joins the SS1 in Genova-Voltri) with the state road 
of Val Bormida.
Highway exit a 
del Turchino (which joins the SS1 in Genova-Voltri) with the state road 
of Val Bormida.On the train
Railway station, Vittorio Veneto square, ☎ 39 0144 322583. Acqui Terme has rail connections with Milan Street Alexandria; with Turin Street Asti; with Genoa Street Ovada and with Savona via San Giuseppe in Cairo.
By bus
Coach station, Vittorio Veneto square. It has bus lines that connect it to Turin and ad Alexandria
How to get around
What see
- 1 Church of San Francesco. Not far from the Bollente stands the church of San Francesco (formerly of San Giovanni), formerly connected to a Franciscan convent of which two adjacent 15th-century cloisters survive. The church was almost completely rebuilt in the neoclassical style in the mid-19th century, with the exception of the Gothic apse and bell tower. In addition to a precious wooden door by the sculptor Giulio Monteverde (1837-1917), it has a monumental facade with a large tympanum and the interior with a barrel vault, frescoed by Pietro Ivaldi da Ponzone called The Mute. A painting by Guglielmo Caccia Moncalvo is preserved there.
- 2 Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. It was built starting from the 10th century and consecrated in 1067 by Bishop Guido, venerated as the patron saint of the city and the diocese. It is a Romanesque building with a Latin cross plan originally with three naves, which became five in the 18th century. The interior has eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century decorations: the Baroque altar of San Guido d'Acqui and the triptych of the Annunciation or the Madonna di Monserrat by the Catalan painter Bartolomeo Bermejo (late 15th century).
- 3 Church of San Pietro (Sorrowful). The ancient church of San Pietro, also known as the church of the Addolorata, has early Christian origins. It was almost entirely rebuilt between the 10th and 11th centuries in Romanesque style when a Benedictine abbey was established there. Deeply transformed in the 18th century, it was restored and partially rebuilt in a neo-Romanesque style in the 1930s. The central nave and part of the side aisles, the apses and the octagonal bell tower remain original.
- 4 The Boiling. The first appointment for those arriving in the city is a visit to Piazza della Bollente, on the side of the very central Corso Italia. Here, in the center of the square, there is an octagonal marble aedicule, built in 1879 by the architect Giovanni Cerutti, which surrounds a thermal spring from which boiling and healing water flows: 560 liters per minute at 74.5 ° C a sulphurous-salty-bromine-iodine water.
- A legend has it that newborn babies were brought to the spring to be immersed in it for a moment: if they came out alive, they deserved the nickname "sgaientò", that is, burned.
- 5 Town Hall. On the same Piazza Levi hosting the Church of San Francesco there are two important buildings: the Palazzo Comunale, formerly the residence of the Counts Lupi di Moirano, built in the seventeenth century and became the municipal seat in the early twentieth century (when the civic tower was erected) and the Casa Robellini, built in the sixteenth century with eighteenth-century transformations. The regional Enoteca is located in the basement.
- 6 Civic Tower. The Civic Tower overlooks Piazza della Bollente and is the result in 1763 of an elevation of a floor of a door of the ancient city wall (XII-XIII century); equipped with a bell and other devices, it served as a civic clock from the end of the eighteenth century. The Jewish ghetto once stood around the same square.
- 7 Bishop's Palace and Hospital of Santa Maria Maggiore. The construction of which began in the first half of the fifteenth century and ended in 1592, thanks to the bishop Francesco dei Conti di San Giorgio and Biandrate. In the adjacent via Verdi stands the ancient Hospital of Santa Maria Maggiore, also built in the 15th century and currently the seat of the Ottolenghi Hospital, inside which there is a bronze group by the sculptor Arturo Martini.
- 8 Paleologi Castle. The Paleologi castle is mentioned for the first time in 1056; it was rebuilt in the 15th century by the Marquis of Monferrato Guglielmo VIII Paleologo. With the use of gunpowder it became inadequate from a defensive point of view and was damaged and stormed several times. Part of the castle houses the Municipal Archaeological Museum which houses numerous artifacts, especially from the Roman era found around the city. It is inserted in the system of Open Castles of Lower Piedmont.
- 9 Roman aqueduct. The structure, one of the symbols of the city, dates back to the imperial era; the pipeline was originally 13 km long and drew water from the Erro stream, near Cartosio, also crossing the territory of Melazzo. It is one of the best preserved structures of this kind in Northern Italy. Other important testimonies of the Roman period can be found in the city, for example the remains of the calidarium pool of a thermal plant.
- 10 Hot Springs. In the Bagni district, on the right bank of the Bormida, there are other thermal springs (Lago delle Sorgenti, formed by seven springs at 45-55 ° C; little fountain of the Acqua Marcia, around 20 ° C). Here, at the end of the fifteenth century, a spa called Antiche Terme was built, destroyed in the seventeenth century by a landslide. The current building, rebuilt in 1687), was enlarged in the 19th century with the addition of pavilions and an entire floor. Nearby is the Regina spa and a huge swimming pool built in 1927.
- The hypothermal waters springing from the so-called "Fontanino di Visone" in the municipality of Visone, near the railway station, are similar to the previous ones. The latter, however, immediately undergo a considerable cooling during the ascent (temperature: 21.8 ° C) and a strong mixture with surface groundwater.
- The other thermal establishment dates back to the last decades of the 19th century and is called Nuove Terme; it is located on the edge of the historic center (left bank of the Bormida), in Piazza Italia, where from 1 January 2000 there are two monumental fountains called "delle Ninfe" and "delle Ninfee". Today (since 2009) the former fountain of the nymphs, no longer equipped as such, while remaining unchanged in geometry looks like a bed full of flowers and with centuries-old olive trees inside. This renovation improves the atmosphere of "Piazza Italia" from an aesthetic and practical point of view, which is now less burdened by icy marble and more open to the eye of the tourist, right in front of the entrance to the "Grand hotel new terme". in Carrara marble from the fountain of the Nymphs, after its transformation into a flower bed, it was relocated in the garden of the Paleologi Castle.
Events and parties
- Sgaiéntò market, Italy square.
the fourth Sunday of the month. Antiques, old and used things, hobby. - Bagnacaudando (Convention Center). in March. Great party of the bagna cauda with Occitan dances and music.
- Risotto all'acquese. second week of May.
- Feast of the Holidays. second Saturday and Sunday in September.
- Palio del Brentau. second weekend of September. It is connected to the Feast of the holidays; it is a competition between the bearers of jugs, full of boiling water, who must complete a journey in the shortest possible time, with the brenta on their shoulders full of water.
- Cisrò. in October. Festival of chickpea soup, a typical traditional dish
- Bagnacaudando second edition. in December. The event dedicated to bagna cauda returns at the end of the year, with distribution of the typical dish with vegetables.
the fourth Sunday of the month. Antiques, old and used things, hobby.What to do
- 1 Thermal baths of Acqui, Viale Einaudi, 6, ☎ 39 0144 324390, fax: 39 0144 356007, @[email protected].
Shopping
Typical products of the Acqui Terme area are the Dolcetto d'Acqui and Ovada wines, with Barbera, Brachetto, Cortese, Moscato, Grignolino; mushrooms (porcini) and truffles (black and white).
Sausages include the fillet kissed, a raw salami created in Acqui in the 19th century; other cured meats are cooked and raw salami, boxed head, black pudding, frizze, grive, sausage, cacciatorini.
Among the dairy products it is worth mentioning the cheese which is the only traditional Italian cheese of pure goat's milk, still produced in the area by about forty cheesemakers. The spread of sheep and goat breeding also makes it possible to sell a good quantity of lambs and kids during the Easter period.
Confectionery workshops produce macaroons, soft and hard nougat, mother-in-law's tongues, baci di dama, brut and bon and a local chestnut cake derived from ancient peasant recipes, which is the typical dessert of the Easter holidays.
Grappas, liqueurs and bitters, including the amaro al mushroom from Porrone and the amaro marroni from Spigno Monferrato conclude the local productions.
How to have fun
Where to eat
Average prices
Taverns
- 1 Bo RUSS, Via Garibaldi 98 / corner with via Cavour, ☎ 39 0144 321682. Piedmontese and Acquese cuisine; fillet kissed, agnolotti, braised meats
- 2 From Bigat, Via Mazzini, 30-32, ☎ 39 0144 324283. farinata, tagliarini, ravioli, tripe, stockfish, mixed boiled meat
- 3 The Curia, Via alla Bollente 72, ☎ 39 0144 356049. Kissed fillet, Monferrini agnolotti, Acquese stockfish - Enoteca
- 4 Osteria 46 - Truffle Park, Via Vallerana, 11 / end of via Nizza, ☎ 39 327 6533413. homemade pasta, gnocchi, ravioli, bread and focaccia
- 5 Wow, Via A. Manzoni 16, ☎ 39 0144 56199. taglierini with meat sauce with Bra sausage, stew with Barbera, bunet with hazelnuts and typical Piedmontese cuisine
- 6 The Farinata, Via IV Novembre 4, ☎ 39 0144 320816, 39 348 2313597. farinata, tripe, stockfish, pan-fried pizzas and typical cuisine
Trattorias
- 7 Arsenic and Old Lace, Conciliation Square 20, ☎ 39 333 4911371. pasta and beans, polenta, minestrone and typical Piedmontese cuisine
- 8 Carialoso, Via A. Manzoni 34, ☎ 39 347 9277733. stockfish, stewed tripe, mixed boiled meat and typical cuisine
- 9 Cit Ma Bon, Mazzini Gallery, ☎ 39 349 3108509. Genoese and Ligurian cuisine, Recco focaccia and pizzas
- 10 Gamondi, Stradale Alessandria, 101, ☎ 39 0144 356951. Piedmontese antipasti, grilled meat and pizza
- 11 Mazzini, Via Mazzini 29, ☎ 39 0144 325347, @[email protected]. farinata, anchovies with sauce, ravioli al plin
- 12 San Guido, Piazza San Guido 5, ☎ 39 0144 58654, 39 333 6737850. Acquese stockfish, mixed boiled meat, tripe, mixed fried
Pizzerias
- 13 Alfieri, Via Alessandria 30 / corner of Via Chiabrera, ☎ 39 0144 980057, 39 389 9450802, @[email protected].
- 14 City Bai, Montestregone promenade 51, ☎ 39 0144 329881, @[email protected].
- 15 Civic 66, Corso Bagni 66, ☎ 39 0144 323389.
- 16 Two Elves, Via Nizza 12, ☎ 39 0144 55171.
- 17 The bridge, Viale C. Rosselli 1, ☎ 39 0144 323299.
- 18 The Old Borgo, Piazza della Bollente 3, ☎ 39 0144 322615, @[email protected].
- 19 La Cuntrò di Sgaientò, Corso Bagni, 66, ☎ 39 0144 670215.
- 20 The sweet life, Via Crenna 8, ☎ 39 0144 441693.
- 21 The Tavernetta, Via Amendola 20, ☎ 39 0144 98033.
- 22 Renowned Pizzeria, Via Mariscotti 78, ☎ 39 0144 323072.
- 23 Royal, Via Biorci 1, ☎ 39 0144 321144.
- 24 Sorrento, Via IV Novembre 34, ☎ 39 0144 57943.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 Belvedere Hotel, Viale L. Einaudi, 8, ☎ 39 0144 322748, @[email protected].
39 0144 440222. Two stars - 2 New Gianduja hotel, Viale L. Einaudi, 24, ☎ 39 0144 56320, @[email protected].
- 3 Hotel San Marco, Via F. Ghione, 5, ☎ 39 0144 322456. Two stars
- 4 Switzerland hotels, Viale L. Einaudi, 25, ☎ 39 0144 322989. Two stars
- 5 Villa Glicinia, Viale L. Einaudi, 11, ☎ 39 0144 322874. A star
39 0144 440222. Two starsAverage prices
- 6 Acqui hotels, Corso Bagni, 46, ☎ 39 0144 322693, fax: 39 0144 322820, @[email protected]. Three stars - Spa & Beauty Farm
- 7 Ariston Hotel, Piazza Matteotti, 13, ☎ 39 0144 322996, fax: 39 0144 322998, @[email protected]. Three stars
- 8 Hotel Gli Archi, Viale L. Einaudi, ☎ 39 0144 320481, 39 348 5301924, @[email protected]. Three stars
- 9 Gianduja hotels, Viale L. Einaudi, 37, ☎ 39 0144 322442, fax: 39 0144 56320, @[email protected]. Three stars
- 10 La Meridiana hotels, Piazza Duomo, 4, ☎ 39 0144 321761, fax: 39 0144 350075, @[email protected]. Three stars
- 11 Hotel Pineta, Via alla Salita, 1, ☎ 39 0144 320688, fax: 39 0144 322594, @[email protected]. Three stars.
- 12 Hotel Rondò, Viale Acquedotto Romano, 44, ☎ 39 0144 322889, fax: 39 0144 57897, @[email protected]. Three stars
- 13 Royal Hotel, Via G. Biorci, 1, ☎ 39 0144 321144, fax: 39 0144 321165, @[email protected]. Three stars - residence
- 14 Savoia hotel, Viale L. Einaudi, 18, ☎ 39 0144 322703, fax: 39 0144 322703. Three stars
- 15 Valentino Hotel, Fonte Fredda Walk, 20, ☎ 39 0144 356767, fax: 39 0144 326977, @[email protected]. Three stars
High prices
- 16 Grand Hotel Nuove Terme, Piazza Italia, 1, ☎ 39 0144 58555, fax: 39 0144 329064, @[email protected]. Four stars - Spa & Beauty Farm
Safety
Pharmacies
- 4 Albertini, Corso Italia, 70, ☎ 39 0144 322630.
- 5 Alla Boiling, Corso Italia, 36, ☎ 39 0144 322747.
- 6 Baccino, Corso Bagni, 65, ☎ 39 0144 322556.
- 7 Central, Corso Italia, 13, ☎ 39 0144 322663.
- 8 Cignoli, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 23, ☎ 39 0144 322488.
- 9 Of the Baths, Piazza Italia, 2, ☎ 39 0144 322920.
- 10 Old Baths, Via Acquedotto Romano, 22, ☎ 39 0144 322479.
How to keep in touch
Post office
- 11 Italian post, via Ermenegildo Trucco 27, ☎ 39 0144 388211, fax: 39 0144 322901.
- 12 Italian post (agency 1), via Carlo Marx 34, ☎ 39 0144 322986, fax: 39 0144 322986.
Around
- Mombaldone - It is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
- Alexandria - It is named after Pope Alexander III and was a cornerstone of the struggle against the Empire. Free Municipality, it was for centuries a military stronghold. It has a vast historic center with an unequivocal Savoy imprint.
- Tortona - City of ancient origin, it has always been a crossroads of trade and commerce. Its historic center has the elegance and sobriety of Piedmontese cities with Lombard influences.
Other projects
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