One example of a place worth discovering is Bubbio, a small village of Roman origin that today has about a thousand inhabitants. Many of its narrow streets and historical facades have been restored with great care for detail. Parts of the church and the castello as well as the municipo have been redone in fresh pastel hues.On Thursday evenings in the summer, the village is transformed into a playing field for “Pallapugno”, the region’s traditional ball game. Bubbio is also famous for excellent amaretti from Cresta and hazelnut cocoa spread handmade by confectioners Andrea e Franco.

In and around Bubbio, you can also find numerous winegrowers, some of whom make organic wines, as well as a little artisanal cheese manufacturer that produces the famous Robbiola from Roccaverano, and a Azienda Agricola that sells flour (normal type 00, whole grain) and polenta made the traditional way.

In short, Bubbio invites visitor to take a leisurely stroll through its picturesque streets, discovering tiny shops and opportunities to stop for a meal. Or simply have a quick espresso or café latte on the piazza, soak up the atmosphere, and then continue driving along the banks of the Bormida to the next attractive site.

The thermal baths of Acqui are fed by various sulfur springs containing bromide, including the bollente, which bubbles out of the ground in the city center with a temperature of 75 °C.

In addition to its famous thermal baths, Acqui also offers a beautiful, picturesque old town center and many opportunities for sightseeing, such as the 11th century cathedral square, the cathedral with its renaissance portal, the bishop’s palace, the Paleologhi Palace/Town Museum with many Roman ruins and artefacts, the Basilica San Pietro from the 10th century, and the banks of the Bormida with the remains of a Roman aqueduct.

The weekly market takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays. Also noteworthy are the regional enoteca, the many shops and small stores, the excellent restaurants, the public pool, and, above all, the tranquility Acqui Terme radiates, when you sit in the sun under the blue Italian sky and green palm trees in the center of this Mediterranean town, sipping an espresso and watching the bubbling fountain in the Piazza.

Exploring the cozy town of Cairo Montenotte, you will discover many, mostly medieval, historical buildings, villas and palaces with splendid balconies, terraces and beautiful, manicured gardens.

The town center offers further sights, such as the fascinating market square. Cairo Montenotte also will make walkers happy, providing numerous beautiful hiking trails, leading past orchards, though vineyards, and alongside olive trees.

Here’s an introduction to four towns near Savona that can all be reached relatively quickly from Montaldo.

The shortest way from Montaldo to the ocean is a 39 km route to Varazze, east of Savona. Besides interesting medieval buildings the town offers 3 km of fabulous sandy beach with a nice promenade. There are also numerous splendid gardens and parks in Varazze.

About 4 km from Varazze in the direction of Savona lies Celle Ligure with its pristine waters: every year since 1995 the town has been awarded the Blue Flag for good water quality from the European Union. And it is not only the sea that is pristine here, but also the beach with its wonderful promenade.

Spotorno, west of Savona, has long been a favorite travel destination and is also popular in winter because of its mild climate. Fine sand and small pebbles make up the 2 km long beach here. The center of Spotorno, with its winding streets and pastel colored houses typical of Liguria, invites visitors to take a stroll.

The ocean at Noli, 17 km west of Savona, goes quickly from shallow to a few meters in depth. The old medieval town center of Noli is picture perfect. From your relaxing stroll on the beach promenade you can enjoy the views all the way across the sea to the island of Bergeggi. The sandy beach in Noli is immaculate and inviting, if, however, only 1 km long and not very broad.

Savona itself, capital of the province of Savona, has about sixty thousand inhabitants that live primarily from tourism and the port. Savona’s port is an important traffic hub for ferries in the Mediterranean. There are also plenty of restaurants here offering fresh fish.

Turin became the first capital of Italy in 1861; it also calls itself the capital of Baroque. Baroque and Art Nouveau dominate the architecture of this city. It is marked by a grid system of roads from Roman times, ochre-colored mansions, and long boulevards. Many heroic bronze sculptures decorate the plazas. The city reminds many people more of Paris than of Rome. Nietzsche claimed it was the only big city he liked.

Squares, 18 km of arcades, monuments, art (forty museums), green spaces, cafes, restaurants, arts and crafts, culture, night life, music (a jazz festival in July), live sessions, cafe culture, fashion and design, antiques (behind Porta Palazzo is the Balon, where you’ll find Turin’s antique and second-hand stores), the largest open-air market in Europe, palaces and castles, the Shroud of Turin - it’s all there waiting to be discovered!

Three times a week there is a market, including a flea market, and this is always a lively place. Among the sights is the Piazza della Liberta, the central square, where you will find some of the city’s most important buildings; on the southern side is the Palazzo Rosso, the red city hall, and also the Palazzo Ghilini (1732), a typical example of the Baroque architecture in Piedmont.

Alessandria is also the capital of hats, thanks to Borsalino. Classic Borsalino hats can be bought at the main store on the Corsa Roma, if you have cash to spare. The factory, however, has moved to the outskirts of the city. Today, there is a hat museum in the Palazzo Borsalino in the Via Cavour 84, the Museo de Capello, displaying more than five thousand specimens from almost one hundred fifty years of the company’s history.

But even though Genoa is still Italy’s most important port city, it is also known for its art treasures and many museums.

The city is located between the ocean and the Apennines and runs along the Italian Riviera in a slender strip about 30 km in length. It is a narrow city; large squares are rare, small alleys everywhere. The houses are usually seven to eight stories high, and even the main „boulevard“ in Genoa, the Via Garibaldi, is only 7.5 m wide, somewhat constricting the beautiful Renaissance palazzos that line it.

Genoa has changed fundamentally over the past twenty years, a development that can best be seen at the Porto Antico, the old harbor. It used to be the center of the economy; today it is a touristy port for hundreds of boats and yachts, as well as a cultural center with an aquarium and other museums. All this has made it one of the most popular tourist attractions in northwest Italy. In 1992, the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, who was born in Genoa, the city hosted the World Expo, and in 2004, it was the Cultural Capital of Europe.