The villages of Roero you absolutely must not miss

When we talk about the Roero, we refer to a historical-geographical region of Piedmont that got its name from the fact that, in the medieval era, it was dominated and inhabited by a noble family that bore this surname.

In addition to being a region particularly famous for the wines produced here, Roero is also characterized by a multitude of charming villages worth visiting.

Narrow streets climbing the heights, historic centers crowned by bell towers or medieval fortresses, towns surrounded by green expanses and snippets of history to stumble upon. Here are the villages of Roero that you must absolutely not miss.

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One of the most famous villages of Roero, in the province of Cuneo, located right on the border with the nearby province of Asti. Its particular notoriety comes from the indigenous wine production, which - due to the particularly clayey soil - yields high-quality, full-bodied wines. But not only that: noteworthy is the medieval fortress located in this town, which belonged to the House of Savoy and is now a UNESCO heritage site. With its English gardens, it was the preferred summer residence of King Charles Felix of Sardinia and Queen Maria Cristina of Bourbon; it now houses the town hall.

Its castle - connected to that of Govone by the so-called

It is a fortress particularly known for its panoramic view that offers breathtaking vistas of the village and extends to the surrounding countryside.

In Magliano Alfieri, the cultivation of vines is also particularly widespread.

With its 2,309 inhabitants, Vezza d'Alba is one of the most characteristic villages in the area. Its vocation, due to its hilly geographical position, is mostly agricultural: in addition to the extensive vineyards in this municipality, the madernassa pear is also cultivated. Vezza d'Alba also hosts the important natural history museum of Roero.

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Considered somewhat the capital of the Roero region. Bra, with its ability to blend the old with the modern, certainly deserves to be discovered. It is indeed one of the main centers of Piedmontese Baroque, and its origins - which probably date back to 1082 - were the work of a group of monks.

Only later did the De Brayda family (from which the town's name derives) settle in this center, the owners and tenants of the castle that is still open to visitors today. In the last century, Bra also became a commercial hub and an industrial center, without ever really losing its typical agricultural vocation. In the last decade, it has also given birth to the international Slow Food movement.

Once under the dominion of various noble families, Santo Stefano Roero is today a fairly well-known tourist destination. In addition to hosting several monuments, most of a religious nature, the village is indeed famous for its so-called 'rocche': a typical landscape feature of the Roero area.

The 'rocche' are gray tuff walls eroded into 'ring' shapes by geological erosion. They were, in the past, the scene of many partisan battles and have now become one of the most visited destinations for nature trail enthusiasts thanks to dedicated itineraries. The main square of Santo Stefano Roero overlooks them, adding further charm to this village.