Piedmont · Asti
Cocconato
A Monferrato ridge town with a microclimate mild enough to grow palms and olives this far north.
Known for
RIVIERA DEL MONFERRATO
Microclimate on the south-facing ridge mild enough for palms, olives and mimosas at 491 meters in northern Piedmont.
GOTHIC PALAZZO
Fifteenth-century Palazzo Comunale in Late Gothic civil style, a rarity in Piedmont and the town's architectural signature.
PALIO DEGLI ASINI
Donkey race held since summer 1970 between the six frazioni of Airali, Brina, Colline Magre, San Carlo, Torre and Tuffo.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Cocconato sits on a south-facing ridge in the northern Monferrato hills, thirty kilometers east of Torino. The microclimate on this ridge is mild enough to grow olives, palms and mimosas, which is why locals call the area the Riviera del Monferrato. Starting in the tenth century the town was the seat of the Radicati counts, a Manfredian family that held Cocconato as an imperial fief for four hundred years, until 1586.
The Palazzo Comunale, built in the fifteenth century, is one of the rare civil buildings in Late Gothic style in Piedmont, with pointed-arch porticoes and terracotta-framed windows. The seventeenth-century parish church of Santa Maria della Consolazione anchors the upper piazza. Since 1970 the six frazioni of Airali, Brina, Colline Magre, San Carlo, Torre and Tuffo have raced their donkeys in the Palio degli Asini. Cocconato is the only commune in the province of Asti to hold the Bandiera Arancione.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Cocconato’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Palazzo Comunale
Fifteenth-century Late Gothic civic palace, a rare example of the style in Piedmont, with pointed-arch porticoes and terracotta-framed windows.
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Consolazione
Seventeenth-century parish church anchoring the upper piazza, the religious counterweight to the medieval Palazzo Comunale.
Centro storico
Medieval ridge town that was the seat of the Radicati counts from the tenth century until 1586, well preserved on the south-facing slope.
Belvedere sul Monferrato
Panoramic viewpoint on the ridge, looking south across the vineyards toward the Alta Langa and on clear days the Monviso massif.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 1,422
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Turin, 1 h 2 min drive
- Regional capital Torino, 57 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 491 m
- Population: 1,422
- Surface area: 16.52 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Featured on
Cocconato appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
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