A Scent of Truffles and Bubbling Relaxation in the Monferrato: a Day in Acqui Terme

There are towns whose beauty is enhanced also by the landscape that surrounds them, and the pleasure of visiting them begins along the road you take to reach them: Acqui Terme is one of these. To reach this famous spa town of the Alto Monferrato, we drive along the strada del Turchino which from Genoa Voltri climbs to Ovada and from there leads to Acqui Terme through a breathtaking landscape that stretches between endless vineyards, very colourful villages and medieval castles.

As soon as we reach the Ponte Carlo Alberto, over the river Bormida, we notice the remains of the Roman aqueduct, among the symbolic monuments of the town. 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 town's spa establishments. The thermal springs of Acqui Terme in fact enjoyed notable prestige already in Roman times: the Latin writer Pliny the Elder even recalls 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 town: it is a splendid marble aedicule made in 1879 by the architect Giovanni Cerutti, inside which gushes the boiling and curative water: 560 litres per minute at 74.5 degrees, a sulphurous-saline-bromo-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 sixteenth-century woman of letters who, on the occasion of the visit of Pope Paul III Farnese, addressed him in perfect Latin, arousing the astonishment of the Pontiff. To move to our own times, the folk-rock group Yo Yo Mundi come from Acqui Terme; they have also performed on the prestigious stage of the Premio Tenco with their poetic songs in which they often pay homage to their town 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 splendid monuments that bear witness to the town's history, we visit the Castello dei Paleologi, already mentioned in 1056, which today houses the Archaeological Museum, while among the religious buildings we admire the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, dating from the tenth century, and the wonderful Benedictine Abbey of San Pietro, of early Christian origins, dedicated to the Madonna Addolorata.

We stay in the historic centre for dinner too, stopping at the Ristorante Nuovo Parisio, located in piazza Verdi, a stone's throw from the Cathedral and the Bollente. Two distinct entrances lead to the two rooms of the restaurant: this time we choose the spacious and characterful Sala delle Mura, available for lunches and dinners, with the tables surrounded by the ancient brick walls and with a view of the very well-stocked cellar. The Sala Padronale, located upstairs, is instead a wonderful location for special occasions, parties, tastings and events, an environment with a unique atmosphere also thanks to the valuable coffered wooden ceiling with floral decorations, originating from the second half of the fifteenth century.

The ancient walls and the precious details of the rooms form an elegant frame for a cuisine of great tradition, yet young at the same time. This is thanks to the chef Nicolò Conigliaro, a born chef, a descendant of the Parisio, a historic family of cooks from Acqui. The talented third-born of the important dynasty of chefs began to make his own way at this restaurant in November 2012, putting to good use the great experience gained working alongside his grandfather and his uncle. Alongside him in running the restaurant are his wife Giovanna, who as well as helping her husband is also the owner of a nearby jewellery shop, and Piero, the maître with immense culture in the field of food and wine, with special regard to wines, of which the restaurant offers an extremely wide variety, summarised in no fewer than three voluminous lists.

Like many tourists, we too choose the tasting menu called the “kitchen's proposal”, which for just 35 euros allows us to taste the most renowned and unmissable specialities of this territory on the border between Piedmont and Liguria. Our dinner in the name of the best traditional flavours begins with the raw monferrina meat and with the vitello tonnato, starters that we follow with the agnolotti monferrini, an exquisite first course prepared with fresh pasta that is made in-house daily. We continue with another flagship of the kitchen, the stoccafisso all'acquese, prepared without tomato, but with delicious Taggiasca olives. We wash down these good things with excellent wines recommended by Piero, ranging from labels of the territory, meaning the province of Alessandria, to those of other regions and abroad.

We particularly appreciate the Barbera Monferrato from the Acqui area of the Maggiora, and L'Alba Rossa, a nectar from a grape variety born from the crossing of Barbera and Nebbiolo from Dronero. With the desserts we will instead taste aromatic wines: Moscato and the sweet and lively Brachetto, also available in a passito form, as well as other exquisite passiti from the Strevi area.

Our friends who preferred to range among the other specialities of the menu very much appreciate the cannelloni alla Parisio, smaller than usual and made only with veal meat and a very light béchamel. Among the main dishes the veal tripe in umido is very popular, but the beef braised with Parmantier cream and the rabbit with pine nuts and olives also win converts, a speciality that underlines the closeness of this territory to Liguria, as do the warm focaccias served every evening. Since it is the season, mushroom and truffle dishes are also going strong, which can be enjoyed following a dedicated menu.

Finally, we gladly give in to the sweet temptations of the desserts, always made on the spot, which also change with the seasons, but some, which represent true flagships of the establishment such as the panna cotta with pear in Moscato, are always available. The dessert par excellence of the restaurant is the “Speciale P.P.”, devised by Nicolò's grandfather and so delicious as to attract people even from distant cities who come to Acqui just to taste it. It is a spoon dessert made up of a base of cold zabaglione with a scoop of ice cream on top, also homemade, covered with plenty of melted chocolate: a triumph of goodness also thanks to the balance of the different temperatures of the very finest ingredients.

After this splendid day we are certain to be among those who will gladly return to Acqui both for new walks and to spend other evenings in the name of good cuisine, and next time we may even treat ourselves to a spa weekend staying in the comfortable and elegant lodgings, equipped even with a kitchen, of the Ristorante Nuovo Parisio.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Nuovo Parisio Piazza Verdi, 3 Acqui Terme (AL) Tel.: 0144/442196 Facebook: Ristorante NUOVO Parisio