The village of Visone is traversed by the Visone stream, from which it takes its name. This small watercourse is a tributary of the Bormida River, which skirts the outer part of the village where the fortress, the castle, and the oldest part of the settlement are located. Visone is part of the Alto Monferrato area and lies along the state road connecting nearby Acqui Terme to Ovada. Its origins are ancient, certainly Roman, as evidenced by archaeological finds in old tombs.
The territory is rich in vineyards and forests of oaks and chestnuts, but what truly characterizes it is the presence of a unique type of limestone, known for its peculiar qualities as Pietra di Visone. This stone has been used since Roman times, and repeatedly through the centuries up to the present day, for columns, portals, tombstones, decorative elements for houses and churches, and to adorn porticoes and loggias.
In the 1500s, the Palazzo “Madama Rossi” was built from this stone by Cardinal Bonelli Ghisleri and remains well preserved. Although the interiors have undergone significant modifications and are now divided among multiple owners, the palazzo still retains a beautiful frescoed loggia and Doric columns, preserving its ancient charm and warranting a visit from the roadside.
In modern times, the quarries expanded and the stone was also used to produce lime until the late 1970s, when the two processing plants near the village were closed for public health reasons.
Today, these sites, along with the old hydroelectric plant, represent important examples of industrial archaeology and could benefit from redevelopment. It is also worth noting the presence of thermal springs, more notably located within the city of Acqui Terme.
The “modern” village of Visone was founded in the Middle Ages. In 991, a document establishing the Abbey of San Quintino in Spigno was signed at its castle, suggesting that the village existed well before that date, likely occupied by Lombard peoples.
Naturally, Visone, with its castle and fortified village, was involved in all the historical events that affected the Monferrato territory over the following thousand years.
A particularly significant period for the village’s economic development occurred in the last decade of the 1800s with the arrival of the railway along the Acqui–Ovada–Genoa line, opening new commercial and industrial opportunities.
The old village, a medieval fortified settlement, stood on the rocky outcrop overlooking a bend of the Bormida River. Of the original medieval settlement, little remains: the ruins of the castle, parts of the defensive walls, the beautiful Malaspina Tower with its well-preserved battlements, accessible to the top via an internal staircase, and the main gate through the walls.
One of the village’s oldest structures, dating back to around the year 1000, is part of a Romanesque apse located near the cemetery. The parish church, originally built before 1450, was completely rebuilt in 1604 and is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
Visone is also renowned for its nougat, produced continuously since the second half of the 1800s. According to the town’s official website:“The nougat of Visone has, over the years, been appreciated by leading international gourmets and food critics (Luigi Veronelli, who ‘discovered’ it, Gianfranco Vissani, Edoardo Raspelli, Paolo Massobrio, among others) and has received numerous awards and recognitions (the ‘Faccino d’Oro’ by Papillon in 1994 and 2002, the international ‘Nonino Risit d’Âur’ in 2002, ‘Tre Coni’ in the Gambero Rosso gelato guide uninterruptedly from 2017 to 2020), becoming a true symbol of the village.”Additionally, Visone produces the local specialty Busie ‘d Vison, a type of fried pastry similar to chiacchiere, celebrated annually with a festival in the village.
