Ovada: Art, History and Wine

Ovada lies at the confluence of the Orba and Stura rivers. The town offers several specific points to consider when planning your trip: a historic centre with a Genoese character, sacred art and architectural history, parks, a cycling route and wine experiences. These themes are quite distinct; as you plan, you can decide whether you would rather focus on architecture, religious heritage, getting active or wine.

Railway and cycling route

Ovada railway station is served by the Acqui Terme–Ovada–Genoa and Alessandria–Ovada lines. If you plan to arrive by train, check the timetable for your travel date. The Strada dei Castelli dell’Ovadese is a cycling route that starts and ends in Ovada. This makes Ovada both the starting point and the return point for the tour. When planning, you can treat the circular route as a trip in its own right, separate from a focus on architecture and art.

Architecture and art

Ovada’s historic centre has a typical Genoese character. Among its individual buildings is Palazzo Maineri, a large Genoese-style building dating from the second half of the 17th century. It has a stone staircase and a room on the piano nobile where an 18th-century fresco with a stucco frame is preserved. At the Chiesa Parrocchiale N.S. Assunta, the main altar takes centre stage: the polychrome marble work was created from a design by Antonelli.

The Oratorio dell’Annunziata houses a polyptych of the Annunciation dated to 1500 and attributed to Agostino Bombelli, though not without difficulty. The Confraternity of the Santissima Annunziata, associated with the oratory, is first mentioned in 1214. The two dates refer to different things: the polyptych is dated to 1500, while the first mention of the confraternity dates back to 1214.

Sacred history and tradition

Other places also show how varied Ovada’s religious and historical themes are. The Casa Natale di San Paolo della Croce preserves original architectural features and relics of the saint, including clothing, books and breviaries. The Oratorio di San Giovanni Battista houses the Cassa di San Giovanni: a processional sculpture by Anton Maria Maragliano depicting the beheading of John the Baptist. The two works offer different points of interest: one through religious heritage and the other through a specific depiction and its artist.

The Museo Paleontologico is housed in a former 14th-century church built in honour of Saint Anthony the Great. The Processione di San Giovanni Battista is also a traditional religious folk event that attracts visitors to Ovada every year.

Parks and wine

Parco Villa Gabrieli was laid out along with its Liberty-style villa between 1910 and 1913 and is home to rare tree species from different parts of the world. Parco Comunale Sandro Pertini was created in the second half of the 19th century, when the gardens and kitchen gardens of Palazzo Maineri and Palazzo Scassi–Buffa were brought together. The histories of the two parks therefore differ both in their dates and in how they came about: the Liberty-style villa and rare trees define the picture at Villa Gabrieli, while the uniting of the gardens and kitchen gardens is central to the story of Parco Sandro Pertini.

Wine is another specific focus. The Enoteca Regionale di Ovada e del Monferrato is based in the cellar rooms of a palace and offers technical wine tastings, bottle sales and events centred on wine and the region. The “La Corte dei Contadini” stall, featuring Km0 products, is also present at a market in Ovada. Together with the art and architecture, these offer a varied picture to help you plan your trip, without any one focus replacing the others.

Discover more destinations: Oviglio, Poggio Maggiore, Frassineto Po, Pontestura, San Salvatore Monferrato, Fabbrica Curone, Cassinelle, Morano Sul Po.

For the broader travel overview: Alessandria.