What is Ovada known for?

Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore, the first Dolcetto DOC in Piemonte (1972) and DOCG since 2008, produced across twenty-two communes around the town. Chiesa Parrocchiale dell'Assunta, twin-belfry parish church built 1772–1781 after Santa Maria delle Vigne in Genova. Confluence town where the Orba meets the Stura, sitting on the historical salt road between the port of Genova and the Po plain.

Ovada is a comune in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont region of Italy, about 54 kilometers from Genova.

Piedmont · Alessandria

Ovada

The Monferrato townwhere the Orba meets the Stura, the first Dolcetto DOC zone in Piemonte and now DOCG.

54 km / 34 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

10,779

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Città del Vino

Why come

Ovada sitsat the confluence of the Orba and the Stura, in the southern Monferrato hills, 35 kilometres north of Genova on the old salt road between the port and the Po plain. The painted façades and the tall narrow houses still show the imprint of the Republic of Genoa, which held the town through the Middle Ages alongside the Marquises of Monferrato. Dolcetto from the Ovadese hills was already commercialised in the Lombard period (seventh and eighth century) and was the first Dolcetto in Piemonte to win DOC status, in 1972; the DOCG for Ovada Superiore came in 2008. The Chiesa Parrocchiale di Nostra Signora Assunta, with its two twin bell towers, was designed by Gio Antonio Delfrate after the Genoese Basilica di Santa Maria delle Vigne, built from 1772 to 1781 and consecrated in 1801. The Capuchin church was built from 1640 after a plague vow of 1631 and suppressed under Napoleon in 1810. Ovada carries Città del Vino.

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Gallery

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Known for

Chiesa Parrocchiale di Nostra Signora Assunta
Twin-bell-tower parish church built 1772–1781 by Gio Antonio Delfrate, modelled on Santa Maria delle Vigne in Genova, consecrated 1801.
Loggia di San Sebastiano
Medieval loggia, the original parish church of Ovada dedicated to Santa Maria, now used as a venue for cultural events.
Chiesa dell'Immacolata Concezione (Cappuccini)
Capuchin church begun in 1640 after a 1631 plague vow, single nave with two side chapels, suppressed in 1810 under Napoleon's ecclesiastical decree.
Centro storico
Old town between the Orba and the Stura, narrow streets and painted façades that record the centuries Ovada spent under Genoese rule.
Colline dell'Ovadese
Hills around the town producing Ovada DOCG and Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG, twenty-two municipalities in the Alessandria province.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June is the green window in the Ovadese hills, vines breaking bud and the rivers running off the Ligurian Apennines. July and August touch the mid-thirties; the centro storico thins after lunch and the Orba pools become bathing spots for residents. September and October are the harvest months, the entire Ovada DOCG zone working through vendemmia, and the cantine open for tasting. November is fog along the rivers and damp on the colline; the parish church and the Capuchin chapel stay open year-round, but most outdoor programming closes until late March.