What is Cocconato known for?

Microclimate on the south-facing ridge mild enough for palms, olives and mimosas at 491 meters in northern Piedmont. Fifteenth-century Palazzo Comunale in Late Gothic civil style, a rarity in Piedmont and the town's architectural signature. Donkey race held since summer 1970 between the six frazioni of Airali, Brina, Colline Magre, San Carlo, Torre and Tuffo.

Cocconato is a comune in the province of Asti, Piedmont region of Italy, about 42 kilometers from Torino.

Piedmont · Asti

Cocconato

A Monferrato ridge townwith a microclimate mild enough to grow palms and olives this far north.

42 km / 26 mi

Nearest hub (Torino)

1,422

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Cocconato sits on a south-facing ridgein 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.

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Gallery

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Known for

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.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September through October are the months that earn Cocconato its Riviera nickname: dry warm days on the ridge, vineyards in green or gold, and the palms in the lower gardens visibly out of season. July and August are warm and busy, with Cocco Wine at the end of summer drawing crowds into the centro storico. November through March is the quiet half of the year. Some restaurants close midweek. Fog gathers on the lower hills around Asti but often stops below the ridge, which leaves Cocconato sitting above a white sea on cold mornings.