What is Acqui Terme known for?

Sulphurous spring rising at 74.5 degrees in the central piazza, the same waters that drew the Romans to Aquae Statiellae. Fifteen pillars and four arches across the Bormida, one of the best preserved imperial aqueducts in northern Italy. Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, a sparkling red dessert wine produced from at least 97% Brachetto grapes on the surrounding Monferrato hills.

Where is Acqui Terme?

Acqui Terme is a comune in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont region of Italy, about 73 kilometers from Genova.

Piedmont · Alessandria

Acqui Terme

A Roman spa townon the Bormida, where a sulphurous spring still surfaces at 74.5 degrees under an 1870 pavilion.

73 km / 45 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

18,967

Population

All year

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Acqui Terme sitson the Bormida, fifty kilometers north of Genova in the southern Monferrato hills. The Romans founded it as Aquae Statiellae in the second century BC, around hot sulphur springs Pliny the Elder rated among the best in the empire. The aqueduct they built to feed the baths still stands: fifteen pillars and four arches across the Bormida valley, one of the best preserved in northern Italy. At the center of the old town, the Bollente spring still pushes water to the surface at 74.5 degrees Celsius, under a small octagonal pavilion Giovanni Ceruti designed in 1870. The Romanesque cathedral was consecrated in 1067. The surrounding hills produce Brachetto d'Acqui DOCG, a low-alcohol sparkling red made from at least 97% Brachetto grapes. The town carries three signals at once: Spighe Verdi, Comuni Termali, Città del Vino. The thermal trade runs year-round; the wine and the hills set the pace for everything else.

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Gallery

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Known for

Acquedotto Romano
Imperial-era aqueduct, fifteen pillars and four arches across the Bormida valley, originally carrying water 13 km from the Erro stream.
La Bollente
Octagonal marble pavilion designed by Giovanni Ceruti in 1870, covering the sulphurous spring that surfaces at 74.5 degrees in the central piazza.
Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta
Romanesque cathedral consecrated in 1067 by Bishop Guido, built on the Latin cross plan over an earlier 10th-century church.
Castello dei Paleologi
Late medieval castle of the Marquises of Monferrato above the centro storico, now housing the archaeological museum.
Museo Archeologico
Civic archaeological collection inside the Castello dei Paleologi, with finds from the Roman baths, theatre and amphitheatre of Aquae Statiellae.

When to visit

Best months · All year

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Acqui Terme runs on a thermal calendar, which means almost no closed season. The spa hotels operate through the cold months and the baths fill more reliably in November than in August. April through June is the gentle window: green Monferrato hills, mild evenings, the Bollente piazza busy without the August press. July and August touch the mid-thirties and the centro storico thins after lunch. September and October are the harvest months, when the surrounding cantine open for Brachetto and the truffle stalls appear in the markets. Winter is quiet but functional: the thermal trade keeps the town awake, the cathedral stays cool, and the Bollente steams visibly in cold air.