Alessandria: gold in Castles and Rivers

• Meeting point for participants at the motorway toll booths (and/or railway station), where the reserved coach will take you to the starting point of this exceptional route: the Citadel of Alessandria, where a professional guide equipped with audio guides will be waiting for you.
• Visit of the Fortress.
• Visit to the city of Alessandria: crossing the scenic Meier bridge, you can take a pleasant walk passing through the streets of the Rovereto village, discovering the Church of Santa Maria di Castello and its medieval walls which testify its pre-existence before the foundation of the city. The route will lead you to Piazza della Libertà, the administrative heart of Alessandria, with Palazzo del Comune also called Red Palace, the Ghilini Palace or Palazzo della Prefettura, Palatium Vetus (the Broletto) and the Palazzo delle Poste e Telegrafi, an example of rationalism with mosaics by Severini. You will cross Guerci Gallery, a typical passage from the late nineteenth century.
• Stop for brunch in one of the De.Co brand pastry shops where you can also taste Polenta di Marengo ®.
• After the stop, passing through the central walking street, Corso Roma, you will arrive at the meeting point in Piazza Garibaldi, one of the largest squares with porticoes in Piedmont, built at the end of the 19th century.
• Transfer by coach to Marengo, a few kilometers from Alessandria.

Along the route you will be able to observe some buildings built by Ignazio Gardella, one of the most important protagonists of Italian rationalism: the Borsalino House of Employees, the Agorà Complex and the Taglieria del Pelo Borsalino.

• Visit to the Marengo Museum, a historical site emblematic of the battle of the same name which, with the victory over the Austrians in 1800, gave rise to the myth of Napoleon. Finally you will visit Villa Delavo built to magnify Napoleon’s deeds. Free Kisses of Marengo
• Return to Alessandria for an overnight stay at the Hotel Alli Due Buoi Rossi.
• Dinner with local dishes at a typical Osteria in the city centre.

• Transfer to Tagliolo Monferrato, where the Marquis will show you the rooms of the Castle and in the cellars he’ll illustrate the wine production techniques, followed by tasting.
• The tour will continue in Casal Cermelli at the Cascina Merlanetta, located in the Special Reserve of the Orba Torrent, an area in which the Piedmont region has identified the only area authorized for gold exploration for amateur, scientific and educational purposes. Through the expert guidance of the owner, you will learn the ancient techniques of gold diggers, and then try your hand directly in the river bed and bring home a safe loot.
• Return to Alessandria