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Stemma di Ovada

Piedmont · Alessandria

Ovada

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

Known for

  • OVADA DOCG

    Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore, the first Dolcetto DOC in Piemonte (1972) and DOCG since 2008, produced across twenty-two communes around the town.

  • TWIN TOWERS

    Chiesa Parrocchiale dell'Assunta, twin-belfry parish church built 1772–1781 after Santa Maria delle Vigne in Genova.

  • ORBA AND STURA

    Confluence town where the Orba meets the Stura, sitting on the historical salt road between the port of Genova and the Po plain.

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

Ovada sits at 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.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Ovada’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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Ovada — photo 1
Ovada — photo 2

What to see

  • 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.

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Living here

  • Population 10,779
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 43 min drive
  • Regional capital Torino, 1 h 31 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 186 m
  • Population: 10,779
  • Surface area: 35.37 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.

Close by

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🍷 Città del Vino

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