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00 Gavi
Stemma di Gavi

Piedmont · Alessandria

Gavi

The Cortese di Gavi town below a Genoese star fortress, where Piemonte white wine was first recorded as Ligurian court tribute in 972.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
54 min from Genoa
Population
4,415

Known for

  • GAVI DOCG

    White wine from 100% Cortese grapes, DOC in 1974, DOCG in 1998, the only Piemonte white traded internationally at scale.

  • FORTE DI GAVI

    Genoese star fortress on the hill, twenty-one days to retake from the French in 1625, a POW camp in both world wars.

  • 972 TRIBUTE

    First documented wine tribute to Genoa, three Genoese pounds, the earliest record of vine cultivation in the commune.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J8°
  • F12°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J26°
  • 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: Giacomo il Maggiore, 25 July

Why come

Gavi sits where the Lemme stream meets the Rio Neirone, the southern edge of Piemonte before the Apennines drop to Genova. The first record of vines here is a 972 tribute paid to the Republic of Genoa, three Genoese pounds of wine. The medieval town clusters along the narrow valley below the Forte di Gavi, a polygonal star fortress built and expanded by the Genoese between 1540 and 1673 on the foundations of a tenth-century castle.

The fort fell to French-Savoyard troops in 1625 and was retaken in twenty-one days; under the Savoy it became a prison, then a prisoner-of-war camp for Austro-Hungarian and later Allied soldiers in both world wars. Cortese di Gavi was made DOC in 1974 and DOCG in 1998. Wine from vines inside the commune may be labeled Gavi di Gavi, and the consortium maintains a separate denomination for grapes grown in the historic center.

The Sunday letter

Gavi 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 Gavi comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Gavi in our articles

How to get there

From Genoa (GOA), about 55 minutes by car.

Turin (TRN) is about 2 hours away.

By car from the centre of Milan 1h 17m.

Coming by train into Genova Piazza Principe? Gavi is about 56 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Genoa airport.

Gavi, photo 1
Gavi, photo 2

What to see

  • Forte di Gavi

    Polygonal star fortress on the hill above the town, built by the Genoese 1540 to 1673, later a Savoy prison and WWI/WWII POW camp.

  • Chiesa di San Giacomo Maggiore

    Romanesque parish church in the medieval center, with twelfth-century stonework and a baroque interior.

  • Centro storico

    Stone-house old town along the Lemme stream, arcaded streets and small piazzas framed by terraced vineyards.

  • Vigneti del Cortese

    Surrounding hills of Cortese vines that produce Gavi DOCG, the white wine that put the commune on the international map.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Gavi 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.

Plan your trip

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.

  • La GallinaRistorante

    La Gallina holds two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Locanda La RaiaRistorante

    Locanda La Raia carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100), plus 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.

Living here

  • Population 4,415
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Genoa, 55 min drive
  • Regional capital Torino, 1 h 42 min drive

Common questions

What is Gavi known for?
Gavi is the Cortese di Gavi town below a Genoese star fortress, where Piemonte white wine was first recorded as Ligurian court tribute in 972.
Where is Gavi?
Gavi is a comune in the province of Alessandria, in Piedmont, at 233 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Gavi?
Genoa (GOA), about 55 minutes by car.
How long is the drive from Milan to Gavi?
About 1h 17m by car.
When is the best time to visit Gavi?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and October the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Gavi?
Yes. Gavi sotto il Forte. July is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Gavi?
Dogliani, Ornavasso and Castagnole delle Lanze.
How many people live in Gavi?
4,415 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 233 m
  • Population: 4,415
  • Surface area: 45.04 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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