the stone
Sites within Menhir di Montechiaro
Images
Autumn
The rock that makes up the menhir is porous and full of holes, typical of the area. Over the centuries, the elements have severely eroded the monolith.
view from the side, the menhir looks almost abandoned in a field close to the road. Only two old concrete benches and a tree protect it.
Articles
On the road from Acqui Terme to Spigno, one comes across Montechiaro d’Acqui, Moncior in the local language. In a rather bleak clearing beneath a tree stands a large stone, about which nothing is known. What is certain is that it has been in that spot for many years—no one remembers its origin. On either side of the boulder, ‘benches’ made of concrete slabs have also been placed.
The Stone of Montechiaro and the Witches’ Stones of the Langhe and Monferrato: while no specific legends or stories are currently known about the large stone near Montechiaro d’Acqui, a standing in a clearing by the road between Acqui Terme and Spigno, it shares several features with what local folklore throughout Piedmont refers to as “pietre delle masche” (witches’ stones). These are ancient stones, monoliths, or sacred rocks that were often believed to be linked to the presence of masche, something like witches or magical women in the Piedmontese tradition.
Such stones are scattered across the Langhe and Monferrato regions and are frequently associated with pre-Christian rituals, weather manipulation, or supernatural phenomena. Often located in isolated or elevated spots, these stones were believed to be charged with power. In some tales, people avoided them out of fear, while in others they were seen as sites for nocturnal gatherings or places where the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thin—especially during solstices or storms.
There are suggestions that a stone near Montechiaro d’Acqui, described in older accounts as being “near some ruins”, might belong to this category of legendary stones, even if no specific folklore has survived in written form. Its age and unexplained presence could indicate ancient use or symbolic meaning now lost.
Although no clear stories remain today, the context of local traditions surrounding similar stones suggests that it may once have been part of a mythical or ritual landscape, quietly echoing the ancient presence of the masche and their mysterious world.