Lerma begins in 1166: in an attempt to retake Parodi castle, Rondinaria was destroyed and the survivors climbed the steep ridge above the Piota valley. The place was called Erma, from hermit, for its remoteness. It also has an exclave between Bosio, Casaleggio Boiro and Tagliolo Monferrato.
The castle the Spinola rebuilt in 1499 stands sheer above the Piota and in the town's arms: red roofs on a green hill; round it runs the ricetto, a walled village with one gate. In the Thirty Years' War twenty-eight men and their women held off, with boiling water, arrows and stones, the fifteen hundred Spanish soldiers sent against the Spinola: they surrendered, but on honourable terms.
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
Near Lerma
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Places to see within 25 km
Outside Lerma, but an easy day trip away.