Fascinating places immersed in nature and local traditions: 4 castles to discover the beauty of the Langhe!
Il wine landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato is a World Heritage Site and includes several municipalities, it is a rich intertwining of hills, slopes covered with vineyards and vast horizons characterized by imposing medieval fortresses, and tell the story of noble families.
I list you i 4 castles of the Langhe and Roero in my opinion the most interesting of this area: Grinzane Cavou Castler, Medieval Castle of Serralunga d'Alba, Falletti Municipal Castle of Barolo e Govone Castle.
1. Grinzane Cavour Castle
This castle pays homage to the Risorgimento statesman Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, who was the mayor from 1832 to 1849.
The center is divided into two nuclei: Cock which is the seat of handicraft activities (one of the best known is that of nougat), e Grinzane which is instead the most historical part that develops around the castle.
One of the most particular internal rooms is certainly the Hall of the Masks, a small jewel wanted by Pietrino Belli, former councilor of Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia.
Today the castle is the seat ofCavour Regional Enoteca, a renowned restaurant and an ethnographic museum that tells the story of peasant life.
Since 2014 he has been appointed UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In addition, every year, in November, theWorld Auction of the White Truffle of Alba, in which many famous personalities in politics and beyond take part, the proceeds from the sale of the specimens are then entirely donated to the hospitals and medical research.
2. Medieval Castle of Serralunga d'Alba
This is recognized as one of the best preserved examples of a fourteenth-century castle in Piedmont and represents a uniqueness in Italy as regards the architectural structure, typical of a French donjon.
It was one of the castles of the Falletti family: bankers and merchants from Asti, who represented the most important dynasty in the area, in fact obtaining jurisdiction over numerous municipalities.
Over the centuries the main function of the castle was not strictly military, but was rather a function of control over the productive activities of the territory, this is demonstrated by the vertical shape of the structure, a sort of metaphor to emphasize the importance of the Falletti family.
Since 1949 the castle has become the property of the state, which bought it fromOpera Pia Barolo and in recent years it has hosted cellars and agricultural products warehouses.
Important restoration works have been activated and since 2015 the castle has been handed over to the Piedmont Museum Complex, and its management is up to the Barolo & Castles Foundation.
The visit includes three large superimposed halls, including that of the patrol walkway, which offers an amazing overview of the hills and surrounding area.
3. Municipal Castle Falletti of Barolo
The castle in the nineteenth century hosted the Falletti family who came there from Turin, but among the regular guests there was also a patriot writer, that is Silvio Pellico, a friend of the Marquises and also responsible for their library.
After a period of abandonment, in 1970, the castle was purchased by the municipality itself with a contract that also involved local citizens and companies, and which gave way to a long series of restoration works.
Since 2010, the WiMu, Wine Museum, right inside the castle, which sees Barolo wine as the undisputed protagonist, but not only as a drink, but as a real witness of civilization, with its colors and its magnificent territory.
4. Castle of Govone
This ancient fortress was commissioned by Solaro counts, the Lords of Govone, who entrusted the construction to Guarino Guarini, who did not, however, complete the embellishment works, which were then entrusted to the architect Benedetto Alfieri.
The castle then became the property of the Savoy in 1792 and after the Napoleonic rise it was chosen as a summer residence together with the ducal castle of Agliè.
From the end of the nineteenth century it passed under the ownership of the municipality of Govone, and is also part of the Piedmontese Savoy residences recognized by UNESCO.
Today it is very visited by tourists especially for the two-flight staircase of honor rich in reliefs that come from the gardens of Venaria Reale.
I absolutely recommend you to visit these fascinating places, and above all to get closer to this territory, totally immersed in nature and local traditions.
