Cocconato is a hill town whose identity comes from two things that meet on its steep main street: the power once held by the Radicati counts and the food and wine still rooted in the surrounding farms. From Piazza Cavour, old market lanes rise toward the parish church and the site of the former castle. Along the way, pointed arches, brick façades and small shops turn a walk into a reading of the town’s history. The nickname “Riviera of Monferrato” belongs to its mild hill climate and food culture, not to a seaside setting.
A municipality of hills and hamlets
Cocconato lies in the province of Asti in Piedmont, at an average elevation of 491 metres. ISTAT counted 1,399 residents in the whole municipality on 31 December 2024. That number includes the historic centre and the scattered hamlets across 16.52 square kilometres; it is not a count of the old village alone. Tuffo, Bonvino, Gesso and Maroero are among the named localities. The wider municipal area is part of the experience: vineyards, woods, meadows and small roads spread beyond the compact ridge-top centre.
The centre is best explored on foot, but the climb is real. Via Roma links the lower market square with the higher parish church, and the lanes narrow as they pass beneath arcades and old houses. Allow time for pauses rather than treating the route as a quick photo stop. The hilltop position also explains the town’s long-standing relationship with the countryside: this was a place of farms, livestock markets, wine and local exchange as much as a seat of feudal authority.
What the records say about its beginnings
The origins need careful wording. The Comune proposes that “Cocconato” may derive from the Latin cum conatu, a phrase evoking the effort required to climb the hill. Roman-period presence is documented at Marcellina in the valley below, but this does not prove that the present hilltop settlement was founded by Rome. The municipal history also tells of the golden Pietra Cagnola, shaped like a dog, and an emperor’s golden bust hidden in a well during invasions. That is a local legend, not archaeological evidence.
The documented story becomes clearer in the medieval period. A castle and the Radicati counts shaped the hilltop settlement; between the 12th and 13th centuries the inhabited centre moved up from the valley toward the fortified height. The family later formed an influential network of lordships across the Asti hills and nearby territories. Its precise beginnings remain uncertain, a point the town’s own historical account makes explicitly. The Radicati shifted political alliances among Vercelli, Asti, Monferrato and the Visconti before Cocconato came under Savoyard rule from around 1450; the family’s final submission came in 1586.
One less familiar chapter is monetary. Emperor Charles V granted the Radicati the right to mint coins in 1530. The mint opened at Passerano about thirty years later, and the family eventually renounced the privilege in 1598 after disputes over counterfeit coinage. The castle itself was destroyed in 1556 during conflict between French and imperial forces. The surviving tower site then acquired a surprising second life: a Chappe optical-telegraph station operated there from 1809 to 1814 as part of a communications line between France and Italy. The medieval tower was demolished in 1836, replaced by a windmill that was dismantled in 1851; the building later became a private residence. It is a layered history, not a single preserved fortress to enter.
Reading the town through its buildings
The Palazzo Comunale is the clearest architectural statement in the centre. Built in the 15th century, probably as an extension of the Radicati castle, it is one of Piedmont’s rare civic Gothic buildings. Its pointed arcades follow the street’s slope; decorated terracotta frames surround the arched windows. Small craft premises sit under the arches, while the courtyard still marks the civic heart of Cocconato. The former grammar school founded there in 1754 gave the complex another public role.
At the top of the hill, Santa Maria della Consolazione gives the town its vertical focus. Construction began in 1670 and the church opened in 1689; it was extended in 1859–60 as the population grew. Eight side chapels preserve works from different periods, while an altarpiece dated 1731 offers the oldest known painted view of Cocconato, with the tower, convent and church visible in the landscape. The smaller Santissima Trinità church began in 1617 as a votive response to plague and was completed in 1667. Santa Caterina, built between 1747 and 1770, adds a Baroque façade to Via Roma.
At Piazza Giordano, the 47-metre brick market canopy recalls the town’s commercial life. Built in 1882 to shelter livestock on market days, it now serves produce markets and community events. This is a useful stop for understanding Cocconato as a working centre rather than a museum set: the old lanes, civic buildings and food trade have remained connected.
Robiola, vineyards and the calendar of the borgate
Food is part of the town’s historical record. The municipal archive preserves 17th-century correspondence about sending wine, robiola, truffles and other local products to officials and dignitaries. Robiola di Cocconato was once made in farm households; production shifted toward artisan cow’s-milk cheese in the 1950s, and the cheese has been classified as a traditional Italian food product since 1998. Wine, cured meats and seasonal truffles are also part of the local food identity. Rather than assume every farm is open to visitors, arrange tastings or producer visits in advance.
The local nickname “Riviera of Monferrato” is associated with the mild climate and the area’s long attraction for visitors. Cocconato developed restaurants, inns and summer stays alongside agriculture and wine production. Cocco...Wine, launched in 2002, brings local wines and food into the centre. The Palio degli Asini began in 1970, inspired by the medieval history of the Radicati; it is a modern festival, not a medieval custom preserved unchanged. A medieval-style fair followed in 1990. The events draw on the identities of the borgate, with processions, costumes and a race through the old streets. Dates and programmes change, so check the municipality’s current calendar before planning around them.
How to plan a visit
For a first walk, begin at Piazza Cavour, follow Via Roma beneath the town hall’s arcades, then climb toward Santa Maria della Consolazione. Continue through the lanes around Piazza Giordano and the market canopy. The slope and stone paving call for comfortable shoes; opening hours for churches and private historic properties should be confirmed locally. The municipal tourism portal lists restaurants, bars, lodging, agriturismi, food shops, a pharmacy and local producers, but these listings and business hours can change. The town’s tourism office is based on Via Cavour; check its current contact details before relying on in-person service.
By car from Turin, the municipal visitor portal directs drivers along the A4 to Chivasso Est, then via the bypass, SP94, SS590 and SS458 through Casalborgone. The GTT 3105 bus runs on the Asti–Chivasso corridor and includes a Cocconato stop, but its timetable is limited and varies by day and date. Check the current schedule, the stop you need and the return connection before travelling; a train station serving regular passenger trains is not a substitute for a direct bus plan.
For a longer stay, the hill roads and paths connect Cocconato with neighbouring villages and the wider Monferrato landscape. Local route operators describe signed walks, cycle routes and visits to food and wine producers, with conditions and availability to confirm. Albugnano and the Abbey of Santa Maria di Vezzolano make a rewarding separate excursion: the abbey’s first documented mention is from 1095, while its Charlemagne foundation story is a later legend. Check its official visiting arrangements before setting out. Cocconato rewards a slower itinerary: a morning among the Gothic arcades, a meal built around local produce and an afternoon looking outward from the ridge toward the surrounding hills.
+
Cocconato in three videos: the Monferrato hill town, food traditions and its Palio
This 5-minute-46-second video presents Cocconato under its familiar Riviera del Monferrato identity. Its longer running time makes it a more relaxed visual preview than the short Tgr segment, and its local subject is useful before planning a walk through the hilltop centre. It was uploaded in 2017 by an individual account, so practical details may have aged; confirm businesses, access and schedules locally.
The municipal video gallery lists this clip as the finale of the 2018 Palio degli Asini. It is the most event-specific of the three selections: viewers can connect the modern village festival with the streets and borgate that stage it. It documents one edition only. The Palio began in 1970, so the medieval costumes and setting should be understood as a modern historical pageant, not an uninterrupted medieval survival.