There’s a late summer Sunday, with light beginning to stretch across the afternoon, when you feel like leaving the sea for a moment. Genoa offers water horizons all year round, but you only have to look inland, toward the north, to sense that beyond the hills there’s another landscape waiting. Orderly vineyards, soft hills, a silence different from that of the port. A world that smells of damp earth and ripe grapes instead of salt air.
It takes about fifty minutes by car from Genoa to find yourself in another Piedmont, the less-celebrated one of the great Langhe: the Gavi area. Here, between the province of Alessandria and the border with Liguria, a white grape variety has been growing for centuries that has made its discreet elegance an identifying trait: Cortese. And here, dominating everything from the top of a hill, stands a fortress that seems to have stepped out of a military history book, with views that reach the Alps on the clearest days.
Gavi is not a picture-postcard village crowded with tourists: it’s a real, lived-in town, with a historic center you can walk through in half an hour but that’s worth spending a full day in if you accept the slower pace. It’s the kind of outing that Genoese people know well — many have friends or relatives around here, or passed through for work at the wineries — but that remains surprisingly unknown to those visiting Liguria from outside. Yet the border between the two regions here is almost imperceptible: the cuisine blends, the dialects brush against each other, and even the landscape isn’t quite sure whether it’s still Liguria or already Piedmont.
The village and its fortress: a day among alleyways and vineyards
Gavi is organized around a still-legible medieval layout: low arcades, stone houses in muted colors, a main square that comes alive in the evening with aperitivos and conversation. The historic center is explored on foot without hurrying, among small wine shops and a few shops selling local products. Don’t expect grand monuments or imposing museums: Gavi’s beauty lies in the whole, in the atmosphere of a lived-in village, not in any single attraction.
Maurizio Ravera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Above the village, reachable by a short walk uphill or by car, stands Forte di Gavi, a fortified complex of ancient origin, enlarged several times over the centuries and today managed as a museum hub. Its walls tell a story of borders and control of traffic toward the sea: one of the most natural routes between Piedmont and the Ligurian coast passed through here, and it’s still easy to understand why by looking at the valley’s shape. The view from the bastions, on clear days, spans the surrounding hills and clearly shows why this place has always been contested.
Morning is the best time to visit the fortress, when the light is still gentle and the heat, if it’s mid-summer, hasn’t yet set in. On market days, which at Gavi have a well-established weekend tradition, it’s worth going down to the village before heading up to the fortress: you’ll find stalls of cheeses, cured meats, produce, and of course some local producers displaying their own bottles.
Gavi DOCG: the story of Cortese in a few words
The wine that gives its name to this designation comes from the Cortese grape variety, cultivated in this area for centuries. Over the years, Gavi has gained increasing recognition up to DOCG status, the highest designation in the Italian system, a testament to a quality journey that has brought this Piedmont white to be known and exported well beyond regional borders. It’s a wine that strikes you for its minerality and vibrant acidity, capable of accompanying both an aperitivo and a fish-based meal — it’s no coincidence that it’s among the most beloved Italian whites in Ligurian restaurants, helped also by geographic proximity.
F. Ceragioli, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The hills of the Gavi area are well-suited to viticulture for their exposure and soil composition, often calcareous. Walking or driving among these vineyards in the late afternoon hours, when the light turns golden, is in itself an experience worth the detour from the sea.
“Janua coeli”
— historic motto of Genoa, “gate of heaven”: a reminder of how, for centuries, the overland routes like the one passing through Gavi were vital for connecting the sea to the rest of Piedmont.
Wineries to visit: three addresses to discover Cortese
The Gavi territory is home to numerous producers of varying sizes: from large historic estates to small family-run businesses working just a few hectares with artisanal care. The simplest approach, if you don’t already know a specific winery, is to inquire at the Gavi tourist office or consult the Consorzio Tutela del Gavi website, which lists member producers and often organizes collective tasting events in spring and autumn months.
Federico Orione, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Many businesses in the area offer tours by appointment, with a route through the vineyard and winery followed by a guided tasting: this is the best way to understand the differences between a young, crisp and direct Gavi, and a more structured version, perhaps aged in wood or left on the lees longer. Booking a few days in advance, especially on high season weekends (September and October, harvest season), is almost always necessary: many wineries are small operations without dedicated reception staff every day of the week.
For those traveling by car, a practical tip: the hills of the Gavi area are well explored even without a specific destination, simply by following secondary roads that climb through the vineyards. But if time is limited, it’s better to choose one or two wineries in advance, perhaps alternating a larger operation with equipped tasting rooms with a small family-run business, where often the producer himself accompanies visitors.
How to get to Gavi from Genoa
Gavi is easily accessible by car from Genoa via the A26 motorway heading north and then the A7 towards Alessandria, or via the state road that goes up the Lemme Valley: the journey takes about fifty minutes to an hour, depending on traffic and the route chosen. It’s one of the quickest day trips possible in the hinterland, perfect even for those who want to leave in the morning without having to set their alarm too early.
Those without a car can also reach Gavi by train: Gavi station is connected to Genoa Piazza Principe via the line that runs through the Lemme Valley, with connections possible depending on schedules. The travel time is longer than by car, but the journey itself, which winds through tunnels and narrow valleys before opening onto the Piedmont hills, is already part of the experience. It’s worth checking updated schedules, as direct trains aren’t very frequent during the day.
Those staying in one of the residences in the heart of Genoa and leaving from the Brignole or Principe area have the advantage of being already close to motorway and railway connections heading north: a trip to Gavi can be organized with ease even at the last minute, perhaps deciding the evening before in front of a map and a glass of wine.
Day itinerary: how to organize your hours in Gavi
Leaving Genoa early in the morning, you’ll arrive in Gavi in time for breakfast: a good time for a coffee in the square, perhaps accompanied by some local pastries, before dedicating yourself to visiting the village. The Fortress should be visited during the cooler hours, so late morning in spring and autumn, or very early if traveling in mid-summer.
Twice25 & Rinina25, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Around noon, it’s time for lunch: in the historic center there’s no shortage of trattorias offering traditional Piedmont dishes, often revisited with some Ligurian touches — don’t be surprised to find ravioli al plin on the menu alongside fish-based dishes, a sign of a border territory that has always looked in both directions. A lunch with a glass of Gavi DOCG, perhaps paired with an appetizer of local cheeses or a pasta course with mushrooms in autumn, is probably the most genuine way to experience this territory.
The afternoon is perfect for a winery visit, ideally booked the evening before or a few days ahead. Some producers also allow direct purchases on-site, without a formal tasting, for those who prefer a more flexible pace: strolling among the vineyards, chatting with the workers, heading home with a few bottles in the trunk.
Toward late afternoon, before heading back toward Genoa, it’s worth returning to the town square for one last look at the shops or an aperitivo outdoors, perhaps with a glass of that Cortese you discovered in the vineyards just hours earlier. The drive back to the sea, with the sun beginning to set over the hills behind you, makes a perfect end to a day that moves at the slow rhythm of the countryside and tastes, quite literally, of a wine that tells the story of its land.
The detail that makes the journey worthwhile
What strikes you most when arriving at Gavi from Genoa is how quickly the landscape transforms. Just a few kilometers beyond the last Apennine tunnel and the sea disappears entirely, replaced by hills that already feel like Langhe, already like Monferrato, and yet are closer to the Ligurian capital than many places along the Riviera di Levante itself. It’s a geographic paradox that few casual visitors truly grasp: you can have breakfast overlooking Genoa’s harbor and dinner among the Cortese vineyards the same day, without rushing, without covering distances that would justify the feeling of having crossed into another region, another world almost. This blurred border between Liguria and Piedmont, which over the centuries has meant commerce, exchanges, and even conflict, today simply translates into one of the most convenient and least-talked-about day trips for those staying by the sea.
Returning to Genoa, with a few extra bottles
In the evening, driving back toward Genoa, the road descends again toward the sea and the city lights come on one by one. It’s a return that feels like home, even for those who aren’t from Genoa: the dimore genovabb.it in the heart of the city welcome you back from a day of vineyards and fortresses with the same naturalness as they welcome you back from a day at the beach. Not an anonymous hotel, but an apartment waiting for you, with the keys to a city that remains the ideal base from which to set out, every Sunday, for another discovery.
If this trip into the Piedmont hinterland has piqued your curiosity, you’ll find more ideas for exploring the area around Genoa in our city guide, which brings together itineraries, practical tips, and ideas for making the most of every day of your stay. And if Genoa is calling to you, we’re here: you can book your stay in one of our residences and set out on Sunday with the certainty of having a warm place to return to in the evening.
