Between boiling thermal water and piping hot farinata: a day in Acqui Terme

There are cities whose beauty is enhanced also by the landscape around them, and the pleasure of visiting them begins along the road you take to reach them: Acqui Terme is one of these. To get to this famous spa town of the Alto Monferrato, we drive along the Turchino road that climbs from Genova Voltri to Ovada and from there leads to Acqui Terme through a breathtaking landscape stretching among endless vineyards, colourful villages and medieval castles. As soon as we reach the Ponte Carlo Alberto, over the Bormida river, we notice the remains of the Roman aqueduct, among the symbolic monuments of the city. From the bridge you can clearly see the fifteen pillars and the four gigantic arches that remind the people of Acqui of their glorious spa tradition, which continues successfully today in the city's thermal establishments.

The thermal springs of Acqui Terme in fact enjoyed considerable prestige already in Roman times: the Latin writer Pliny the Elder lists them among the most important of the Roman world. After the aqueduct we go to see the water: that of the Bollente, the most famous monument of the city: it is a splendid marble aedicule created in 1879 by the architect Giovanni Cerutti, inside which gushes the boiling and healing water: 560 litres per minute at 74.5 degrees, a sulphurous-saline-bromic-iodic water. The motto of Acqui Terme is "Arte et Marte", that is with skill and with strength. Acqui has been the birthplace of several artists over the course of history, including Ginevra Scatilazzi, a famous 16th-century woman of letters, who on the occasion of the visit of Pope Paul III Farnese addressed him in perfect Latin, astonishing the Pontiff.

Also from Acqui Terme is the folk rock group Yo Yo Mundi, who have performed even on the prestigious stage of the Premio Tenco with their poetic songs in which they often pay tribute to their city and the Monferrato. For the little ones, on the other hand, the art of Acqui offers adventure novels for children, from the pen of the writer from Acqui Pierdomenico Baccalario. Among the other monuments that bear witness to the city's history, we visit the Castle of the Palaeologus, mentioned as early as 1056, which today houses the Archaeological Museum, while among the religious buildings we admire the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, dating from the 10th century, and the wonderful Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro, of early Christian origins, dedicated to the Madonna Addolorata.

We stay in the historic centre, stopping for dinner at Trattoria Mazzini, located on the street of the same name, in the heart of the pedestrian area. The sign immediately reveals one of the restaurant's strong points: the farinata, which here is prepared in a characteristic wood-fired oven. "The success of our farinata is also due to the fact that we still follow the old recipe of my grandfather Ferruccio, who for over forty years delighted the people of Acqui and tourists with his famous 'bela cauda', that is the piping hot farinata," Mrs Denise tells us, who after her grandfather and father continues the family tradition together with her husband Danilo. "The original licence dates back to 1950; indeed this trattoria is one of the oldest in Acqui Terme, and today as then we prepare the typical dishes of the area, often changing the menu according to the seasons," the owners explain.

One of the typical specialities of the house is called "Tastuma tit", meaning "let's taste everything": it is an exquisite single dish for sampling three traditional recipes: the stewed tripe and the stockfish prepared in the Ligurian and Acqui style. Among the appetisers we taste the polenta sformatino, the warm tomino with pancetta, the anchovies in bagnetto and the oven-baked peppers with tuna sauce. We continue with first courses prepared with fresh homemade pasta, including the legendary handmade ravioli al plin, the mushroom crespelle and the lasagne with courgettes. We also taste the tasty fettuccine with chickpea flour and rosemary, tossed with gorgonzola. We wash down these delicacies with local wines, filling our glasses with Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and the ever-present Brachetto di Acqui.

We are also won over by the white Cortese, Chardonnay and Arneis, as well as a few Ligurian and Veneto labels. Among the second courses we cannot resist the oven-baked pork shanks and the rabbit alla acquese, while our seafaring friends choose the stuffed squid and the cuttlefish with potatoes and peas. At the end we delight in the spectacular artisanal desserts: besides the traditional bunet and the hazelnut cake, we are enchanted by the sweet creations of the house, including the nougat mousse, the zabaione pudding with amaretti and the Moscato foam with hazelnuts. At the Bollente, unlike the Trevi Fountain, it is not customary to throw in a coin to return, but we would have been tempted to. The warmth, both thermal and human, of this city truly won us over.

Francesca Bertha

PER INFORMAZIONI:

Trattoria Mazzini Via Mazzini, 29 Acqui Terme (AL) Tel.: 0144/325347