Asti
Asti is the capital of the Piedmont province of the same name and is 10 km away from the Sunstar Boutique Hotel Castello di Villa, by the river Tanaro. Asti is famous worldwide primarily for its sparkling wines, Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti, and for outstanding grape varieties such as Barbera, Dolcetto, Freisa, Grignolino and Moscato. The wine and harvest festivals that take place in September are also well-known, as is the traditional horse-race, the Palio d’Asti.
As Asti was originally founded by the Romans, even today there are still many structures dating from the Roman era, making any walk around the town a fascinating historical experience.
Particularly worth a visit: the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Gottardo di Asti, which was built on the ruins of the Roman church of San Giovanni; the Palazzo Bellino, which houses the Museum of the Risorgimento and the town's art museum; and also the church of San Secundo, which is called after Asti’s patron saint and located in the piazza of the same name next to the Palazzo de Comune; it was built over the grave of the town's patron saint.