Hotel Acqui & Beauty Centre - Acqui Terme

The main town streets radiate from Piazza Italia, the heart of the town. Toward south, in the right corner of Corso Bagni, is situated the Gran Hotel Nuove Terme with its termal establishment with treatments with mud, where the waters of the Bollente stream.

On the left of Corso Bagni, in the public gardens,  there is the monument in bronze (1821-1907) dedicated to Giuseppe Saracco by Giulio Monteverde (1837-1917).

In front of the Hotel Nuove Terme Corso Italia begins, the main street of Acqui. A bit after let’s take the abrupt but typical ascent with stairs of the Schiavia, where it appears an arch remaining of one of the doors of the medieval town.

At the end of the stairs via Cardinal Raimondi begins, immediately on the right side there are Marenco Palace and Accusani palace, buildings of the second half of ’400 constructed over the medieval walls of the town and renewed in a second time. Marenco palace mantains in the court two orders of loggias and inside, in two salons, a series of ceilings painted in the second half of 1400, where allegoric scenes, scutcheons of Acqui families and environments of lombard style are represented.

Accusani palace mantains in the court loggias with capitals of ’400 and inside some painted salons.

By continuing it begins the Cathedral climb, on the right site the Vescovile Palace is situated,  a building begun under the Episcopate of Bonifacio Sigismondi during the first half of XV Century (enlarged by the Bishop Francesco di S. Giorgio). It preserves frescos portraying all Acqui diocese bishops in the bishop’s palace, one of the most ancient of all Piedmont (dated back to the IV century), and a peinting of Guglielmo Caccia known as “il Moncalvo”, born in Montabone (1568-1625), in the chapel. On the left side of the same climb the Seminario Maggiore of XVIII century rises with the internal arcade where the neo-Gothic style chapel by the architect Gualandi  is situated. The square is rapidly reachable, here there is the Duomo, bordered by two series of arcades that enclose it.

The Cathedral of the town is a roman construccion maybe created above existing Christian temple, built and blessed in 1607 by San Guido, Bishop and Patron saint of the town, consacrated to the Beata Vergine Assunta. It conserves part of the external structure, the transept and the semicircular apses decorated by a series af arcs from the original architecture.

The apses, renewed in 1971/72 by the Superintendence to Architectonic Goods in Piedmont, are visible from the street on the left side of the Cathedral; it’s possible to notice a granite sarcophagus of XI century, discovered thanks to the recent restoration, in front of the central apse.

The front, rearranged during several epochs, is preceded by an atrium with twin columns dated ‘600 and it boast a valuable marble portal dated 1941 by Giovanni Antonio Pilacorte, who engraved a bas-relief with Our Lady of the Assumption and the Apostles in the lunette, and an hexameter consacrated to Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Ambrogio, Girolamo, Gregorio and Agostino in the transom. In the left jamb Saint Maggiorino, the firt Bishop of Acqui during the IV century, and on the right one Sain Guido, Bishop from 1034 until 1070 who decided to built the Church, are visible. An attractive bell tower dated the first half of ‘400 with five levels rises next to the front .

The interior Latin cross-shaped, that partially shows the original roman structure, is composed by three naves flanked by two rows of later lateral chapels, separated by pillars. The central nave is dominated by the great marble mass of the high altar, decorated by reliefs dated the first half of ‘500, as adorned as the bas-reliefs visible on the marble pulpit coming from Carmaglieri family’s chapel dismemberment: the baroque confessionals elegantly engraved are notable.
It’s useful to indicate, in the low part, the first chapel on the right side when entering where an ivory crucifix is situated obtained by just one elephant tusk, by the sculptor Righetti. On the left side when entering the encharming eighteenth-century chapel with the central font is situated.
On the sides of the high altar two eighteenth-century elegantly decorated chapels are situated. Below the presbitery the wide and suggestive crypt extends with a longitudinal shape with three apses, shared in three naves by a series of small columns. Inside the sarcophagus of Saint Guido and some fragmets of the altar belonging to noble sixteenth-century disappeared chapels are conserved.

On the right side of the high altar the Sacristy and the Canonical Capitulary Hall are situated, where two precious panel paintings are conserved: the Triptych of Bermejo known as Rubens, one of the major representatives of the fifteenth-century Spanish painting, representing the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus and the purchaser in its center, the Virgin Mary birth and Saint Francesco in the left lateral panel, Jesus presentation to the Temple and the painter on the right side; the second panel painting (Saint Guido and the Doctors) is a work of Piedmont with Lombard fifteenth-century influence. 

It’s possible to enter in the charming fifteenth-century cloister through a small door on the right side of the presbytery (two orders of arcades with strong cylindrical pillars) and rounding the canonical rooms built by the Bishop Costantino Marenco at the end of 1400. Several architectural fragments originated by the Cathedral renovation are situated on the walls.     
From the portico in the square near the episcopal palace is possible to arrive in Via Verdi, where the Ricovero Ottolenghi is situated and that will constitute in ’500 the old town hospital, with a charming court and porticos rised above by a double loggias on the two sides. In the garden is situated the group in bronze  “Figliol Prodigo” by Arturo Martini (1889-1947).
In the little square Verdi there is, next to the almhouse, a  building with  the front dated first ’400 with lancet windows.

Continuing along Via Domenico Barone  on the left side of the Duomo, is possible to join Paleologi Castle. Built in XI century, the Castle was citadel of the Medieval suburb during the severals sieges, domain of Monferrato marquis (1278) and of Gonzaga. Partly  destroyed in 1646 after several events, has been redevelopped in 1815 and recently partly renewed. Actually the Castle accomodates the judicial jail and the Archeological Museum.The discoveries illustrate with enough variety the material life of the town and of the land from the origins until the modern age, the most represented in the manifestations and aspects of diary life. The collection includes a group of epigraphs among which the funeral steles of Mettia, Marco Valerio and Paolo Canino families stand out, a type of tomb founded in the town sepulchres, among which sarcophagus in stone and plumb, a serie of amphoras, mosaics and architectonic elements, chinas and oil-lamps, necklace in bronze and bones.

Glasses have particular relief, with its elegant and rare shapes, a series of four strigils in bronze (used by athletes and  gladiators to clean the sweat) with the angraving on the handle of figures of warriors, a silver stylus with a onyx seal representing a hippogriff and a rython (vase with shape of horn) decorated with leafs and ending by a goat head.
From the castle to the railway street there is the public garden decorated by the monument to the Caduti by Pietro Canonica, and by the monument by Giacomo Bove (artic explorer born in Maranzana in 1852) by Eugenio Baroni.

From Corso Italia turn right in Via Saracco flanked by two neoclassic palaces: under the right one that accomodates the court of justice palace there’s a roman mosaic discovered in 1898. Here is possible to read:

L. VLATTIVIS P.F.L. VALERIV...
D.D. CAMERAS PAVIMENTA TECT...
L VALERIVS M.F. CV...TOR PRO...

This inscription suggests that the two citizens L. VLATTIVS and L. VALERIS made build the construccion intended almost surely to the termal public.
In the square of Bollente, the most attractive of the town, with in its center the hoctagonal kiosk in marble built in 1879 by the architect Giovanni Cerruti, from which salso-bromo-salso bromo iodic water gushes with the temperature of 74.5°C with the range of 560 lt/minute, arising lots of vapours. The Bollente is the compulsory objective of Acqui visitators and patients who uses the waters for therapeutic aim.

The finding of a fountain and of the roman epoch mosaic  prove that in this place must have rise important termal construccions, that prove that the civil life of the town has always been related to the exploitation of sulfurous water.
On the left side of the fountain there is the belltower rised up in 1763 without basis, reclined against the near houses.
On the back side of the Bollente, in Via Manzoni,  there is one of the most characteristic street of the old quarter, the Pisterna.  At the end of Via Manzoni, on the left side, is Porta Nizza with its ogival arch, representing the last door of the medieval walls. On the right side of Via Manzoni there is the little square Massimo d’Azeglio, where it rises S. Antonio church in baroque style, it keeps inside a charming choir and closets that are works of engrave from the baroque of Piedmont.

Piazza della Conciliazione is situated on the right side of the church, where, during archeologic excavations (1979), wall structures of roman age and a waste necropolis of Christian age have been found. Palace Talice-Radicati rises in this square with is gothic portico, a truly notable building,  by this time abandoned. From the square Via Conciliazione conduces to S. Guido square and from here to the Madonnina  Sanctuary, church built in ’700 and adorned in a second time by the bishop Contratto, who is buried here.

It is posible to continue until the little square of Dottori, where one of the most ancient church of Acqui existed:  Santa Maria Rotondo, about which there are no information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Piazza Italia and continuing for the homonym street  is possible to reach S. Francesco square, where the “rocca”  fountain dated 1828 is situated. On the square the church of S. Francesco rises, rather redevelopped with a ’800  front. Inside there is a waste central nave with barrel vault. It preserves two valuable paintings: in the right nave the Epifania by Raffaele Angelo Soleri (celebrated from 1567 until 1589)  and on a column of the central nave on the right side the Immacolata by Guglielmo Caccia known as the Moncalvo (Montabone 1568-Moncalvo 1625).

In the back side of the polygonal apse there is the belltower of gothic age (XVth century).
Next to the Caserma C. Battisti (today school) a cloister with octagonal columns and cubic capitals is situated; it is dated ’400 and it belong to the minor monks with S. Francesco church.
The town hall, ancient but renewed residence of Earls Lupi from Moirano, is situated in front of the church of S. Francesco in the little square of Abram Levi.

Palazzo Robellini rises in front of it. On the architrave situated  in the doorway there is an almost unreadable latin inscription by Antonio Robellino to remember the works made in the structure.  The palace has been recently renewed by the Civic Administration. Today it is intended as cultural initiatives seat, as for the natural sciences museum, while in the cellar is situated the wine-cellar with typical local wines.

Continuing and turning right in Via Garibaldi is possible to reach Piazza dell’Addolorata, where the basilica of San Pietro, the ancient Cathedral, is seated. Renewed in the years from ’30 until ’60 it preserves the  apse and the octagonal notable belltower from the medial epoch.

Inside thre are three naves shared by quadrangular columns; the central superior apse is unburdened by six niches. A painting dated XV th century representing the deposition is mantained in the left nave, while the sides are occupied by the first Bishops S. Maggiorino and S. Tito.
In the same square on the left side Palace Roberti is seated, with its two series of internal loggias. It preserves some nicely decorated salons.
From Corso Dante is possible to come bach in Piazza Italia.

In the next gardens there is the monument to the Resistenza by the sculptors S. Caldini and M. Ferrari.

After the railroad on the left side there is a building of liberty period (beginning of ’900).
Let’s continue on the rectilineal Corso Bagni that, after an avenue with trees, conduces to the Bormida on the bridge Carlo Alberto.
On the right side of the river is possible to see the rests of the roman aqueduct, the most important exemple of the gender conserved in Piedmont. Let’s arrive in the Bagni zone that is extended between Bormida riverside and Monte Stregone lawer slopes. Here there are the fountains, the termal buildings, the hotels, and here, from May until October the termal life pass off.

In Bagni zone there is a waste pool (6500 mq) with annexed the new Kursaal, which is a ballroom and discotheque. A little bit after the Grand Hotel Antiche Terme and the Hotel Regina appear with their establishment for termal treatments and tennis courts.

The avenue ends with the establishment Carlo Alberto, built in 1845 with the aim to care poor people, finalized in 1847 as it is possible to read in the epigraph on the front : ”PAUPERUM SALUTI - THERMALEM -REX CAROLUS ALBERTUS -A-MDCCCXLVII”

In front of the pool, the  street with trees reaches the fountain of “putrid waters”, so-called beacause of the typical smell that it emits. The fountain is seated in a little neoclassic temple from which the sulfureus water arises from two mouths and it represents a typical objective for Acqui citizens and termal patients, due to the cool of the luxuriant vegetation.
It is possible to have suggestive walk in Lussito also, at the lower slope of Monte Stregone.