Piedmont · Alessandria
Casale Monferrato
The historic capital of the Marchesato del Monferrato on the Po, where the Paleologi castle and the Baroque synagogue still stand.
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 15 min from Turin
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 32,204
Known for
CAPITALE DEL MONFERRATO
Historic capital of the Marchesato del Monferrato from the fifteenth century, passed from Paleologi to Gonzaga in 1559.
SINAGOGA
1595 synagogue with one of the most important Baroque interiors of Jewish Piedmont, restored and partly preserved as a museum.
KRUMIRI
Curved butter biscuit invented in Casale in 1878 by Domenico Rossi, shaped like the moustache of Vittorio Emanuele II.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune also lies inside the Barbera d'Asti DOCG and Gorgonzola DOP production zones.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- J8°
- F12°
- M15°
- A19°
- M23°
- J28°
- J30°
- A30°
- S25°
- O19°
- N12°
- D7°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Sant'Evasio, 1 May
Why come
Casale Monferrato sits on the right bank of the Po, sixty kilometers east of Torino, at the foot of the Monferrato hills. Casale fell to the Marquess of Montferrat in 1292 and rose as capital of the Marchesato in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, on the strategic edge of the Po Valley. The Duomo di Sant'Evasio is its oldest stone: consecrated on January 7, 1107 by Pope Paschal II on the site of a Roman temple to Jupiter and a Liutprandian-era church to Saint Lawrence, the basilica is one of the most important Romanesque-Lombard cathedrals in Piedmont, with five naves and a matroneum of trifore and quadrifore galleries.
The Castello dei Paleologi, raised in 1352 by Giovanni II Paleologo, runs an asymmetric hexagonal plan with circular corner towers and a dry moat. The Sinagoga, completed in 1595 in the old Jewish quarter, holds a gilded Piedmontese Baroque interior and a museum of Jewish history. The town is also the historic capital of Italian cement and Krumiri biscuits.
The Sunday letter
Casale Monferrato is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Casale Monferrato comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Casale Monferrato in our articles
The best cheese towns within 90 minutes of Milan6 towns, Casale Monferrato among them.
The best cheese towns within two hours of Genoa6 towns, Casale Monferrato among them.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of Genoa6 towns, Casale Monferrato among them.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of Milan7 towns, Casale Monferrato among them.
How to get there
From Turin (TRN), about 1h 15m by car.
Genoa (GOA) is about 1h 17m away.
By car from the centre of Milan 1h 18m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Turin, Milan or Genoa?
Coming by train into Torino Porta Susa? Casale Monferrato is about 1h 11m away by road.
What to see
Duomo di Sant'Evasio
Romanesque-Lombard cathedral consecrated 1107 by Pope Paschal II, with five naves, barrel and cross vaults, and a matroneum of trifore galleries.
Castello dei Paleologi
1352 castle by Giovanni II Paleologo, asymmetric hexagonal plan with circular corner towers and a dry moat, now used for exhibitions.
Sinagoga di Casale Monferrato
1595 synagogue in the old Jewish quarter, gilded Piedmontese Baroque interior, restored 1968 with a Jewish history museum on the upper floor.
Palazzo Treville
Eighteenth-century Rococo palazzo with one of the most elaborate stuccoed interiors in northern Italy, on Via Cavour.
Piazza Mazzini
Central square with the bronze equestrian statue of Carlo Alberto by Abbondio Sangiorgio, marking the heart of the historic town.
Lungo Po Gramsci
Riverside promenade along the Po at the foot of the town, with views across to the Monferrato hills.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Casale Monferrato fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Osteria Bar SportRistorante
Osteria Bar Sport holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a Gambero Rosso listing.
Accademia RistoranteRistorante
A spot in the Michelin Guide, at Accademia Ristorante.
Cascina Faletta 1881Ristorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (76/100), at Cascina Faletta 1881.
Faletta 1881Ristorante
Faletta 1881 carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Mercatino dell'antiquariato di Casale Monferratomarket
usually held across August and September. Langhe.net - Sagre & Fiere in Langa e Roero
Farmer Marketmarket
usually held in September. Langhe.net - Sagre & Fiere in Langa e Roero
Festa del Vino del Monferrato Unescofood festival
usually held in September. TrovaSagre
Living here
- Population 32,204
- A local hubi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Turin, 1 h 15 min drive
- Regional capital Torino, 1 h 15 min drive
Common questions
- What is Casale Monferrato known for?
- Casale Monferrato is the historic capital of the Marchesato del Monferrato at 116 meters on the Po, where the Paleologi castle and the Baroque synagogue still stand.
- Where is Casale Monferrato?
- Casale Monferrato is a comune in the province of Alessandria, in Piedmont.
- What is the nearest airport to Casale Monferrato?
- Turin (TRN), about 1h 15m by car.
- Can you get to Casale Monferrato without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Milan to Casale Monferrato?
- About 1h 18m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Casale Monferrato?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Casale Monferrato?
- Yes. Mercatino dell'antiquariato di Casale Monferrato, Farmer Market and Festa del Vino del Monferrato Unesco. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Casale Monferrato?
- Conegliano, Bassano del Grappa and Mantova.
- How many people live in Casale Monferrato?
- 32,204 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 116 m
- Population: 32,204
- Surface area: 86.21 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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