Novi Ligure: Castle, Museums and Cycling History

Novi Ligure appeals to travellers who want to discover Italian history through architecture, museums and cycling history. Highlights include the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, historic castle remains, the Teatro Romualdo Marenco, as well as collections on beekeeping and the development of the bicycle. If you would like to combine culture and technology, you will find several clearly distinguishable points of interest for planning your trip.

History in architectural landmarks

The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta was founded in the 13th century and extensively remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries. The square tower of the Castle of Novi Ligure was built by the people of Tortona in 1233. The Torre del Castello documents a complex castle complex founded in the 10th century and stands in a park laid out by Gerolamo Durazzo towards the end of the 18th century.

Museums and theatre

The Museo dell’Apicoltura is the first beekeeping museum in Piedmont and is located in the Maglietto in the hamlet of Merella in Novi Ligure. Its collection includes beehives, traditional log hives, feeding vessels, honey extractors, presses, wax sculptures, beekeeping magazines, bee-related stamps and numerous thematic objects.

The history of the theatre is also linked to a specific date: the Teatro Romualdo Marenco was inaugurated in Novi on 2 October 1839 as the Teatro Carlo Alberto. The Ridotto of the Teatro Marenco houses a private collection of 29 marionettes, which the Pallavicini family donated to the city of Novi.

Cycling and an accessible exhibition

The Museo dei Campionissimi is housed in a carefully restored, decommissioned industrial complex. A central long track tells the history of the bicycle through significant exhibits – from the draisine to the latest titanium prototypes. The museum is accessible to visitors with disabilities. This makes the site a place where industrial architecture, technological development and cycling history come together in one exhibition.

Places in the surrounding area

Several palaces are located in the immediate vicinity of Novi Ligure: Palazzo Peloso, Palazzo Delle Piane, Palazzo Franzosi Ricolfi - Doria and Palazzo Durazzo. The Giardini Garibaldi are a garden in the immediate vicinity. Further away in the wider region are the peaks of Bric della Croce and Bric Castiglione. The Miniature Golf Club Novi Ligure is a park in the area around Novi Ligure. This allows you to distinguish between built cultural attractions, a garden, a park and landscape features.

Choose accommodation based on your travel interests

When choosing accommodation in Novi Ligure, you can clearly separate your priorities: historic architecture and urban history, beekeeping and theatre, or cycling and technology. Destinations in the immediate and wider surrounding area complement the city programme with palaces, gardens, parks and landscape features. This allows you to plan your days according to your interests without equating nearby destinations with regional peaks.

More places for your planning

For further travel planning, you can also include Ovada, Vignale Monferrato, Sale, Carrosio, Cassano Spinola, Oviglio, Tortona and Bistagno.

For the overview of the wider area: Alessandria.