Favoured by a mild climate, specially protected by the Alps, Asti is famous for its vineyards and the Palio. After being a Roman civitas, Asti became in the Middle Ages an important centre of merchant and banking trade, which promoted the city’s embellishment by building towers and palaces. The Torre Rossa is the most important testimony of the Roman city, but there are also many Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. Since the Risorgimento, the Municipal Teatro Alfieri, despite the non-centrality of the city, has always offered a programme of great importance as a theatre with perfect acoustics, thanks to the numerous restorations that have not compromised the original design.