24 hours in Casale Monferrato — Part 1

There are places in Italy that greet you with noise, with signs, with a checklist of must-see attractions. Casale Monferrato isn't one of them. Here the charm is subtler: it arrives while you're doing something else, in the scent of a pastry shop you weren't expecting, in front of a church where you suddenly realize what you're looking at is nearly a thousand years old.

Thirty-two thousand residents, the Po river just steps away, a baroque centre that very few truly know. The capital of the Monferrato Casalese: not a postcard village, but a city with a marquisate's history still visible in its palaces, its squares, its churches. In this first part, we walk you through breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast: Krumiri Rossi and Piazza Mazzini

The day begins on Via Lanza, where Krumiri Rossi biscuits have been baked with the same recipe since 1878. The scent of freshly made biscuits reaches the street before you even step inside, packed in the original tin box that has become almost a family heirloom in this city.

For breakfast sitting down, the reference point is Pasticceria Ninin, the city's pride. Or, more simply, a coffee at the tables in Piazza Mazzini, watching the city wake up.

The Cathedral of Sant'Evasio

Consecrated in 1107, it's one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Piedmont. The exterior, plain and unassuming, doesn't prepare you for what's inside: five naves, twelfth-century mosaics, a narthex that stands as an architectural one-of-a-kind. Worth stopping for ten minutes of silence.

The Synagogue

From the outside it looks like an ordinary palazzo. Inside, one of the masterpieces of Italian Jewish baroque opens up. The women's gallery houses the Silver Museum, among the most important collections of Jewish art in Europe. Open every day except Saturday.

Piazza Mazzini

The bars in Piazza Mazzini never empty out. From here, Via Roma and Via Saffi branch off, the city's main shopping streets, and through here flows the whole rhythm of daily life: markets, strolls, the slow ritual of an aperitivo at the outdoor tables.

Lunch: choose your Monferrato

Casale offers two culinary souls. For history and atmosphere: Accademia Ristorante at Palazzo Treville, frescoes and territory-driven cuisine inside a noble palace. For homely warmth: Osteria Amarotto, Locanda Rossignoli or Cicin&Barlichin. Everywhere: agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato, Monferrato wines.

In part two: the Paleologi Castle, the Municipal Theatre, the Civic Tower, the Po river and a Casale evening.