Ovada........................................... Among the hills of the High Monferrato region
Another important town in the Province of Alessandria is Ovada, situated at the foot of the Ligurian Apennines, at 192 metres above sea level. Only 34km from Alessandria and within easy access to Genoa. Ovada, due to it's strategic position, halfway between the regions of Piedmont and Liguria, has evolved as an important communications centre throughout the years, due also to it’s roads and railway network. For this reason it has become an important meeting point for many different cultures. Situated between the Stura and Orba rivers it’s surrounded by the lush green of the Monferrato hills, which are rich in cultivations of the highest DOC wines in Piedmont such as: the Dolcetto d’Ovada, Barbera of the Alto Monferrato, Cortese of the Alto Monferrato, and the Cortese of Gavi. In the past the local economy depended on the agricultural sectors and silkworms breeding. Presently, other than the wine producing sector, in Ovada there are craftsmans’ and mechanical industries , which specialize in the production of furniture and the town is renown as the “Town of Furniture”. As Acqui Terme, the origins of Ovada, date back to the Celtic-Ligurian and Roman populations. In old documents, traces of this town once called “Vada” indicated it’s position and transit, situated between the sea and the Padania plain. The following attractions are worth mentioning: the old Church of Saint Sebastiano, the oratory of SS. Trinità and Saint John the Baptist, the Church of S. Maria of the Grazie, the new Church of Our Assunta, the oratory of SS. Annunziata, the birth house of S.Paolo della Croce.