Alba between Roman History and Truffle Culture

Roman Traces and City History

The compact city centre of Alba still follows the layout of a Roman fortress. Remains of a Roman temple have been preserved in Piazza San Giovanni; parts of the ancient walls are visible at the Piazza of the Bishop's Palace. This means that, on your tour, you encounter an urban structure where Roman history can be traced at specific locations.

The Museo Civico Federico Eusebio was founded in 1897 on the initiative of Federico Eusebio as a historical and archaeological collection. It combines natural history departments with archaeological finds from excavations carried out over the last 30 years, offering insights into prehistory and the Roman city of Alba. The Roman section documents everyday life in imperial-era Alba Pompeia, including inscriptions, wall plaster from domus and grave goods. If you enjoy exploring historical connections through different groups of finds, you will find several chronological and thematic points of reference here.

Alba Sotterranea offers another perspective. The tour, led by an archaeologist, includes three of the city's 32 archaeological tour stops in total and lasts approximately one hour and 40 minutes. The Chiesa della Maddalena is a Baroque work by Bernardo Vittone with an elliptical floor plan. The cultural spectrum therefore ranges from archaeological exploration to Baroque formal language.

Truffles, Exhibitions and Local Festivals

The MUDET, Museo del tartufo di Alba, presents the natural history, historical, cultural and gastronomic aspects of truffles across 530 square metres. This includes a 140-metre-long exhibition route with four thematic areas and ten rooms, including a laboratory area, multimedia offerings and more than 50 thematic objects. The museum thus makes truffle culture accessible from different perspectives without limiting it to its gastronomic aspect.

Seasonal events also shape Alba's culinary profile. The White Truffle Fair, dedicated to the white truffle of Alba, has been held in Alba in autumn since 1929; every autumn, it transforms the historic centre into an international culinary venue for one month. The Vinum Fair turns public squares in Alba into tasting areas for wines from local historic vineyards. When choosing your hotel, you can give these highlights as much weight for your stay as museums, city history and walking routes.

Paths Along the River and Through the Surrounding Area

Alba's network of cycling and walking paths includes flat and hilly routes with signposts, route maps, information on the duration of the walks and historical information. Some paths have equipped picnic areas with views. The Parco Fluviale del Tanaro complements this network with an approximately 1-kilometre-long riverside walking path along unpaved tracks, with meadows, benches and views of the river. This allows you to organise your days according to your interests, alternating between city history, culinary themes and physical activity.

Discover More Destinations

Cissone, Centallo, Fossano, Gallo, Camerana, Monforte De Alba, Dogliani, Farigliano

To the higher-level travel overview: Cuneo.