The landscape is the main actor and his best it gives right in the morning, when the fog that envelops the hills clears and you can see the red castles stand out among the gentle slopes “combed” by rows of vineyards. In addition to eye on this trip you do not forget to alert the nose, not to lose the scent, among all the wine and truffles.
One of the most beautiful spots to enjoy the views of the castles and vineyards of Barolo is the Belvedere of Morra, hence the stroke is great and embraces eight of the eleven municipalities of the Cuneo area where we cultivate the Nebbiolo grapes which are so called because of the autumn mist that envelops these hills and which produce Barolo DOCG, one of the most appreciated and famous wines in the world.
It’s a must a tour of the wineries to learn about the history of this great wine, and of course to taste it. We started our tour from the Marchesi di Barolo winery in the homonym village (Via Roma 11, tel. +39 0173 564457 – www.marchesibarolo.com – reception@marchesibarolo.com).
Another winery that is worth visiting is Fontanafredda (Via Alba, 15 – Serralunga, tel. +39 0173 626111 – www.fontanafredda.it – info@fontanafredda.it) whose vineyards cover a long hill on the road to Serralunga d’Alba. The company was a gift of love of Vittorio Emanuele II to Rosa Vercellana, known as the Bela Rosin, a peasant woman married by king with morganatic ritual, that is, without the right of succession, and appointed Countess of Mirafiori and Fontanafredda, from which he had two natural children who was headed the company.
In addition to the land of Barolo, from the Belvedere of Morra, they can see as many as five castles, those of Roddi, Grinzane Cavour, Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo and Castiglione Falletto. After embracing his eyes the magnificent color palette of the vintage, you have to pass by the City Winery (www.cantinalamorra.com) obtained in the eighteenth-century cellars of the Palazzo dei Marchesi di Barolo.
In the nearby hamlet of Brunese stands the colorful silhouette of the Barolo Chapel built in 1914 by a wealthy farmer never consecrated and turned into a monument to contemporary art between the rows by Sol Lewitt and David Tremlett.
Grinzane Cavour, as the name implies, is a country closely tied to the prime minister Camillo Benso di Cavour. Its imposing castle is home to the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese (Via Castello, 5 – Grinzane Cavour, Tel. +39 0173 262159 – www.castellogrinzane.it – info@castellogrinzane.com). Very nice also the castle of Serralunga d’Alba silhouetted against the sky with its Gothic architecture. The unmistakable silhouette of the castle of Castiglione Falletto with high central tower. In Barolo worth visiting the Falletti Castle, seat of the Regional Wine Barolo and Ethnographic Museum (Piazza Falletti, Tel. +39.0173.386697 – info@wimubarolo.it) which also houses the rich library of Silvio Pellico. Also interesting move from the Corkscrew Museum: there are 450, of every shape and age, from all over the world (Piazza Castello 4 – tel. +39 0173 560539 – www.museodeicavatappi.it info@museodeicavatappi.it).
At the foot of the castle of Roddi, however, is a very particular school: the truffle-dog University (Via Carlo Alberto 13, tel. +39 0173 615156) where they’re training since 1880 specimens accompanying the trifulau, the seeker truffle. The school was founded by Antonio Monchiero, said barot by name in Piedmontese indicates the stick of those who go to truffles. In the sphere of school, run by the descendants of barot, they are exposed diplomas and awards of the samples dogs. But booking you can also experience the thrill of the search for truffles in the woods at night.
In this area, small and even very rich, they condense raw materials of excellence products: great wines, not only Nebbioli which then become Barolo and Barbary, but also Dolcetto and Barbera, hazelnuts tonde gentili, chestnuts, calves Piedmontese breed, “Alba” subspecies that provide amazing meat, lean and tasty, mushrooms and white truffles.
You got hungry? Try tajarin (angel hair) and the meat Alba style between the dishes of the extraordinary cuisine of the area to be enjoyed in the restaurants that arrange the tables on the streets, under the castles. At the foot of that of Serralunga d’Alba, thanks to the mild climate and a hot sun, we tasted anchovies in green with Bagnet made with parsley, garlic and chilli, sitting under the outdoor pergola of Vinoteca (Via Roma 6, Serralunga d’Alba, Tel. +39 0173 613203). We made a bellyful drinking on some excellent Arneis, Piedmont great white wine that made us forget the disappointment of not being able to visit the castle because closed.
In La Morra for an aperitif becomes a lunch stop at Vineria San Giorgio (Via Umberto I): few bright dining rooms in a beautiful palace of the ‘700 overlooking Piazza Belvedere, where appreciate meats, cheeses and some dishes of the day made from local products to be combined with a wide selection of good wines.
Our journey through the Langhe end here. We have been bewitched: there is no escape to the magic of these hills. But now we expect the aristocratic elegance of Turin.
