Holiday apartment in Prasco: discover the castle, wine and landscape

Prasco combines the impressive culture, wine traditions and landscapes of Monferrato. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Prasco, you can tailor your stay to different interests: historic buildings, a route with expansive views, local grape varieties or botanical discoveries in the Mongiut district.

A holiday apartment in Prasco between culture and landscape

Castello di Prasco is a 12th-century building. Its square main structure is complemented by three attached, semicircular towers with crowned tops. A small museum of material culture is housed in the Armoury Hall. It contains collections of old household objects and documents traditional methods of winemaking and beekeeping. The park contains a remarkably well-preserved 17th-century neviera, an icehouse.

The later traces at the castle also lead into the history of the town. In the first half of the 19th century, Count Ferdinando Piuma restored the part used as the owners’ living quarters, preserving the building’s simple structures and original architectural lines. For around ten years, the castle has also housed the Istituto di studi Gallesiani, which promotes research into areas studied by Giorgio Gallesio.

Three hanging gardens surround Castello di Prasco. They were created on earth embankments within the walls and contain a collection of old fruit-tree cultivars planted by Count Giorgio Gallesio in the 19th century. The Parrocchiale di San Defendente stands near the castle. It dates from the second half of the 17th century and regained its original Baroque appearance through a recent conservation restoration.

Hiking with views over the Visone Valley

The Collinando hiking route begins at the Piscine di Prasco at Via Roma 15010, Prasco AL, and ends at the Rocca di Visone on Piazza Castello in Visone AL. It is classified as a tourist route of difficulty level T and requires no special physical preparation. The viewpoints over the Visone Valley and the lower Alessandria Plain are particularly impressive.

The route passes the former parish church of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, which is now integrated into the cemetery of Prasco. The building dates from the 11th to the 16th century. For orientation, it is important to distinguish it from the cemetery church, or Pieve, of Saints Nazarius and Celsus: this is located in the cemetery north of the town on Strada Provinciale 206 and should not be confused with the parish church of the same name in the historic town centre.

Wine traditions from Barbera to Dolcetto

In Prasco, Barbera ranks first in production volume after Dolcetto. Barbera has been recognised as a DOC wine since January 1970. Cortese is the white wine produced by the producers of Prasco and has carried the designation Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato since July 1979. Giorgio Gallesio already described Dolcetto in 1812 in his work “Pomona Italiana” as an autochthonous variety originating in Monferrato. In September 1972, Dolcetto received DOC recognition as Dolcetto di Ovada.

Experience nature and choose the right holiday apartment in Prasco

In the Mongiut district, the Giardino botanico dei Mandorli covers more than 15,000 square metres and is home to around 1,500 plant species. In addition, Prasco has an approximately 5-kilometre circular cycling route where you can take in the nature and landscape of Monferrato. These different focuses can provide practical guidance when choosing your holiday apartment: decide whether historic buildings, wine, hiking, cycling or plant diversity should be at the centre of your days.

More places for planning your trip

Rocca Grimalda, Tortona, San Cristoforo, Figino, Villanova Monferrato, Palazzina, Montaldo Cosola, Caldirola

To the main travel overview: Alessandria.