The town's name origins are uncertain; for some historians it derives from the Latin word "Viginti (number 20), the miles that separated the old main center from Alba. It is a small town in the province of Asti, distributed over a group of hills, located between Monferrato and the Langhe areas, precisely where three ancient Roman roads converge. The town developed on a ridge on the right bank of the river Tiglione and the nearby lands feature numerous vineyards, which produce an excellent Barbera.
The hills that surround Vinchio are of ancient origins and are rich in fossils. The territory has been inhabited since ancient times as evidenced by the discovery of an axe, which probably belonged to a population of Celtic origins. Occupied by the Romans, it was made more easily accessible, thanks to the fact that the conquerors drew a dense grid of streets, including one directed in Gallia. The first document which refers to the presence of a settlement here dates back to 935 A.D., when Aleramo, Earl of Acqui, defeated the Saracens in the area. In 948 the Count of Asti donated some land to the Bishop of the homonymous city, while in 1125, Vinchio was crded to the Marquis Bonifacio del Vasto, until after nearly a century, the lands returned to Asti. The territory borders were cause of disputes and clashes between Asti and Alessandria. In the early XIV century the area was under the control of the Solari Family and shortly after it was ceded in fief to the noble Antonio Scarampi. In the later centuries the town did not submit the similar fate and fortunes of the other of towns in the area of Asti and Monferrato, dominated by the Savoy, as with another five municipalities, it became part of the fiefs under the rule of Emperor Charles V of Spain and of the Habsburgs. After several clashes with the troops of the Savoy, in 1736, Vinchio became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia

Not to miss:

- the Parish Church of St. Mark and Vincent, originally the building featured a single nave, it was enlarged in the XVIII century with the addition of two aisles. Inside it preserves frescoes on the vault of the nave oldest, a Baroque altar in polychrome marble, and two valuable paintings, both depicting the Virgin, dating from the late XVII and early XVIII century. Inside the apse a large painting of St. Mark's dated 1853. The church is flanked by a Bell tower built in 1767;
- the Brotherhood of the Holy Trinity, better known as the church of the Beaten, dates back to the XVI century. Originally a single nave plan building with a barrel vault, it was abandoned for a long period, till the structure was recently restored and renovated. The attached Bell tower dates back to the XIX century;
- the several votive chapels and churches located between the town's boundaries.