ENVIRONS & MORE
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THE LANGHE: AN IDYLLIC LOCATION
La Lepre Danzante is located in Piedmont, northwest Italy, in an area known as the Langhe. This region is famous for its diverse and high-quality wines. The landscape is dominated by vineyards, interspersed with hazelnut groves, hilltop villages, and medieval castles.
Life here is slow-paced, and tourism is understated. Although the area has started to attract tourists in recent years, it still offers a wonderfully peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
The Langhe is renowned for its wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Arneis, and Moscato, among others. There are also excellent wines like Timorasso, Brachetto, and Erbaluce from the surrounding areas. Visitors can enjoy guided tastings and tours of vineyards and cellars.
Aside from being a paradise for wine lovers, the Langhe is famous for white truffles. Truffle hunters search the forests in the autumn, and the nearby town of Alba hosts the renowned International White Truffle Fair, which attracts visitors from all over the world.
The area is also celebrated for its gastronomic heritage and is the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Visitors can plan to dine at top-quality restaurants, ranging from Michelin-starred establishments to charming osterias.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the region offers opportunities to explore via hiking on famous nearby trails such as the Strada Romantica delle Langhe e del Roero, or to enjoy biking through the picturesque hilly terrain. There are also nearby horse stables for those who prefer horseback riding.
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Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont:
Langhe-Roero and Monferrato,
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
In 2014 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed a large portion (nearly 100,00 hectares) of the vineyard-covered, hilly area of southern Piedmont as a cultural landscape World Heritage Site.
This “cultural landscape” designation means the area was selected, not only for its natural beauty but also for the cultural and historical significance on a national and international level of its wine culture, which has shaped the landscape over the centuries.
The site encompasses the four most relevant wine-production systems of Piedmont and the world-class wines—Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, and Asti Spumante—resulting from each system’s unique bond between grape variety, terroir, and vinification technique.
San Bovo di Castino
Pleasant walks down country lanes
A series of country lanes and woodland paths snake along the hillside just above La Lepre Danzante along which you can enjoy some lovely walks through nature, spectacular views over the Belbo river valley and chance encounters with some of the donkeys, pigs and other farm animals that inhabit the local farms along the routes.
A five-kilometer walk from La Lepre Danzante to the 17th-century Church of San Bovo of Castino is particularly rewarding. Besides the peaceful walk, the spectacular views, and a visit to this charming church, you can treat yourselves to a delightful lunch at the Cafe d’Epoca, which is just off the courtyard in front of the church and an afternoon of horseback riding at the nearby stable.
Mango
The heart of Moscato country
The charming hilltop town of Mango can trace its origins to Roman times when it was a military settlement known as Mangiana Colonia. Its function was to supply food to veteran imperial soldiers who eventually founded a colony that gave rise to a larger village, which was permanently inhabited in the following centuries.
Mango is also known as the major Italian production area for Moscato wine. In fact, the Castle of the Marquises of Busca, which dominates the town is the seat of the Moscato Hills Regional Wine Shop.
The castle was built on the foundations of a strategic fortress around the end of the 13th century.
Around 1600 the Marquises of Busca acquired the castle, sumptuously furnished it, and used it as their summer residence for several centuries.
Alba
The white truffle capital of the world
Alba is a small city in the Langhe that packs a big punch in the enogastronomic world. It supplies the world with prized white truffles and famous fine wines and, for the more modest budgets, is also home to Ferrero Roche and Nutella.
The city's origins pre-date Roman civilization, though the town occupies the site of the Roman Alba Pompeia. Alba was hotly contested by warring factions from the fall of the Roman Empire to World War II. It was a republic twice briefly, in 1796 and 1944.
During October and November, the city hosts the International White Truffle Fair. The city also offers attractions year-round including the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence, a Romanesque 12th-century church in the center of town; the late-Baroque style Holy Mary Magdalen church with an unfinished, plain facade that contrasts with its refined, colorful interior; the Gothic San Domenico church that houses some of the city’s significant sacred artworks; Underground Alba, a guided tour of ruins under the city. The tour ends with a free visit to the Eusebio Museum that houses pre-historic, Roman and scientific artifacts; the Ferrero Foundation with its cultural events and art exhibitions; and the Wall of Sound Gallery that showcases fine-art music photography.
Barbaresco
Tower and citadel of Barbariscus
Barbaresco is perched on a vineyard-covered hill overlooking a sea of vineyard-covered hills where it presents a visual profile that perfectly illustrates the motto “Barbarisco turris et arx” (tower and citadel of Barbariscus) on the town’s coat of arms.
The tower was once part of the walls of the citadel, which was replaced by a Baroque church and the present-day castle in the 1700’s. The town of Barbaresco acquired the tower in 1982 and after a 30-year restoration project opened it to the public in 2015. Two glass elevators (one internal and one external) bring you to the top for a breathtaking view over the countryside. The tower also has a bistro for dining on a panoramic terrace at its base and hosts wine-tasting events and art exhibitions. The castle is privately owned. The Saint John the Baptist church is a real jewel decorated in fine monochromatic marble and boasting a choir in inlaid walnut.
Another church that must surely be visited is the deconsecrated Church of San Donato, which became the Regional Wine Shop of Barbaresco in 1986.
Numerous local wine producers, including the prestigious “Produttori di Barbaresco, open their doors to the public for wine-tasting, or tours of their facilities for an up-close look at wine-making.
Neive, Borgo Vecchio
Turning back the clock to the Middle Ages
Like many of the small towns in this area, Neive was also a former Roman settlement. In fact, it is thought its name is derived from gens Naevia, a Roman patrician family that once possessed it.
The center of the city retains a medieval layout with narrow, cobbled streets forming rings around the summit of the town, which is crowned with a 13th century clock tower and another building from the same period—the Casaforte of the Counts Cotti di Ceres.
The heart of the village is represented by Piazza Italia where outdoor jazz, opera or classical concerts are held during the summer.
Other notable sights in the town are: the 18th century Palazzo Borgese; the 14th century Palace of the Countess Demaria; Palazzo Bongioanni Cocito, from the 18th century; Palazzo dei Conti di Castelborgo, also from the 18th century; the Conti di Castelborgo Gardens and the Neo-classical Church of Saints Peter and Paul.
Bossolasco
Village of Roses
Perched on the top of a hill that rises from the Belbo River valley, Bossolasco, at almost 750 meters above sea level, is one of the towns with the highest elevation in the Langhe. Like most hilltop towns in the area, the choice of an elevated location by the early settlers was for defense.
The town reach the height of its splendor between the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1324 a Ligurian lord, Manfredo Del Carretto, had an imposing, moated castle with a defensive wall and a drawbridge built. Between 1431 and 1432 the town was elevated to a marquisate.
The castle fell into ruin and was replaced in the mid-1600’s by the present-day Palazzo Balestrino, which had been commissioned by the marquis Domenico Donato Del Carretto di Balestrino, Lord of Bossolasco. The moat was filled in and is today a tree-lined avenue that is known as The Rare and Ancient Rose Park.
In early 1950’s the town government decided to give a rose cutting to all the inhabitants of Via Umberto I to embellish their homes. Now—after years of carefully tending these cuttings—in the late spring Bossolasco turns into a kaleidoscopic open-air garden that has earned it the name Village of Roses.
Barolo
The king of wines, the wine of kings
Barolo’s setting is unusual compared to other towns in the Langhe. Instead of being on a hill, or along a ridge, it sits on a low plateau at the end of a valley surrounded by hills on three sides like an amphitheater.
Also, unlike many of the other area towns, Barolo does not seem to have ever been Roman. The first recorded settlement is of barbarian origin in the Middle Ages. Afterwards Barolo shared the same history as its neighbors—being passed from one rich family to another. Barolo became a marquisate in 1730. The first Marquis was Gerolamo IV Gabriele Falletti di Barolo. The Falletti castle was originally a defense structure Italian king, Berengario I had built in the 10th century. This fortress—along with the rest of the town—was bought by the Fallettis in the 13th century and restructured to make their family home. Today’s castle is the product of centuries of renovations and expansions and now houses the Wine Museum (WI.MU.).
The fame of the town’s namesake wine turned Barolo into a pilgrimage site for wine-enthusiasts from all over the planet—and the town does not disappoint. Every few meters along its narrow streets you can find a wine shop—many owned by the producers themselves—that offers wine tasting for free, or for a modest fee. It’s a perfect way to sample many of the varied expressions of the Nebbiolo grape.
Barolo also has a corkscrew museum where you can discover the evolution of this humble—but essential—utensil.
La Morra
Stunning views of the Lange hills
The city of Alba Pompeia (today’s Alba) decided to initiate a program of tilling the surrounding hills in the later part of the 11th century. The workers established a small settlement that was known as Murra, a Benedictine toponym indicating "closed place", surrounded by stone walls, where livestock (especially sheep and goats) were kept. By 1269 La Morra became a municipality in its own right—complete with a castle. Like its neighbor, Barolo, La Morra came under the dominion of the Falletti family in 1340 and in succeeding centuries changed hands a number of times until it eventually passed to the House of Savoy in 1631 where it remained until the end of the monarchy in 1946.
La Morra has a belvedere that offers spectacular views over Barolo and the seemingly endless, rolling, vine covered hills of the Langhe. The Bell Tower that was built in 1710 from the ruins of the castle stands majestically on the city-side of the belvedere. Down the street to the left of the tower is where you will find the Municipal Cellar of La Morra, a wine-shop created by an association of about 50 winegrowers and producers to showcase their wines. Beside the cellar stands the Baroque Church of Saint Martin, which is dedicated to the town’s patron saint and just across the road, the charming Church of San Rocco that was built in the early 1700’s by the Confraternity Turchini as a votive offering for sparing La Morra from the plague.
Roccaverano
Home of a famous cheese,
Robiola di Roccaverano
Roccaverano is one of the small towns with the highest elevation in the Lange. The hills are not as rolling, nor covered with vineyards like most of the Langhe, but are steep and covered with dense woods. This dominant position on the first stretch of the Bormida Valley made Roccaverano hotly contested by various powers competing for dominion of the Ligurian Apennine passes over the centuries.
You can see remains of what must have been a very imposing castle, all but destroyed in the 18th century. A large part of one wall is still standing along with a 30-meter tall, circular tower with a splendid view.
Across the square from the castle stands the Church of Santa Maria Annunziata. The architecture is very different from the others in the Langhe. Since its building was commissioned by 1509 by Bishop Enrico Bruno, a native son and treasurer of Pope Julius II, it is thought that perhaps the bishop persuaded famed architect Donato Bramante to design the church. The Greek-cross floor plan and the style of the facade strongly suggest Bramante played a role.
At the foot of the hill leading to the town there is another artistic jewel—the Church of San Giovanni Battista. Nearly every centimeter of every wall and the entire vault is covered in colorful frescoes done by different unknown artists.
The Quarelli Art Park, along the Provincial Road 24 leading into town, covers 30 hectares with 62 open-air artistic installations by 46 different artists. Here nature interacts with art in a succession of exceptional works and majestic landscapes.
The town also lends it name to a renowned soft, goat cheese produced in the area—Robiola di Roccaverano—allegedly described by the Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder in his writings from 50 AD.
Asti
The city of a 100 towers
Asti is the capital of the Piedmontese province of the same name and the former capital of the ancient Astesana, one of the "small homelands” that make up Piedmont. Asti was originally one of the settlements Ligurian tribes established in the Lange before becoming “Romanized” around 120 B.C. into a municipium known as Hasta. Through the centuries Asti was the seat of the duchy of Asti, the Longobard duchy of Neustria, a Middles Ages’ free commune with the right to coin money. Between the 12th and 13th centuries it became an important commercial center in Europe. During this period Asti earned the title of “the city of a hundred towers” as the noble families erected towers as a symbol of their economic - military power. By the end of the 13th century, 120 towers had been built. Only about 20 remain.
Asti is also known for its wine, in particular, Asti spumante. Each September Asti hosts the Douja d’Or, one of Italy’s most important wine competitions. September is also the month Asti celebrates its patron saint, San Secondo, with one of the oldest events in Italy—The Palio, a barback horse race that has been held each year without interruption since the 12th century.
There is a plethora of interesting sites in Asti. Parts of the Roman wall that once encircled the city are still visible on the north side. The northwest corner is rich in medieval palaces and merchants’ houses, many with monumental towers, among them: the Torre Comentina, the octagonal Torre de Regibus, the somewhat squat Torre Guttuari with its Ghibelline battlements, the majestic Torre Troyana and the ancient Torre Rossa, built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. There are many churches: the Romanesque-Gothic style Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, one of the biggest in Piedmont, with its ancient crypt and museum; and the Collegiate Church of San Secondo, one of the oldest in Asti, which is said to have been built on the site where San Secondo was martyred and buried. Among the museums are: The Territorial Paleontological Museum of Asti, also known as the Fossil Museum, in Palazzo dei Michelerio; the Civic Museum and the Pinacoteca in Palazzo Mazzetti; and the Alphierian Museum in Palazzo Alfieri, the residence of Asti’s most famous son, Italian dramatist and poet Vittorio Alfieri.
Turin
The first Italian capital
Beginning several centuries BC, the upper Valley of the Po River was settled by a Celto-Ligurian Alpine people, the Taurini, whose principal settlement was Taurasia. Around 28 BC, the Romans established a colony there, Julia Augusta Taurinorum (later, Taurinum). During the 1,385 years from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to the establishment of the unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861, control over Turin passed through many hands, primarily those of various Italian nobilities and the French Republic/Empire. With the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia was restored with Turin as its capital. The Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia led the struggle towards the unification of Italy. Turin became the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy and remained so until the capital was transferred to Florence in 1865.
One could spend a lifetime in this wonderful city and still not see all it has to offer, but fortunately for the hurried traveler, many of the main sites are clustered around the city center—Piazza Castello (Castle Square). The Acaja Castle, in the middle of the square, was originally the eastern gate to the Roman city and was modified many times to become the magnificent four-towered castle we see today. In the 1700s plans were drawn to turn the castle into a royal palace, but after completion of the forepart in 1721 nothing else was done. This white-stone baroque forepart, now part of the western side of the castle, is known as Palazzo Madama and houses the Civic Museum of Ancient Art. A sprawling palace complex—Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace)—is located along the northern side of Piazza Castello. This complex, housing museums, galleries and libraries, was the residences of the Royal House of Savoy until the 1946 fall of the monarchy. The western flank of the palace complex encompasses the Royal Church of Saint Lawrence, built in 1634, and a bit further to the north, the Turin Cathedral, which is dedicated to John the Baptist and is the seat of the Archbishop of Turin. At the rear of the cathedral is a large chapel that houses the Shroud of Turin. Across from the church stands Palatine Towers, the well-preserved northern Roman gate to the city. What was once the ancient Roman decumanus, now Via Garibaldi, exits Piazza Castello’s east side. This kilometer-long pedestrian street is lined with shops, restaurants and cafes. Via Roma, Turin’s upscale shopping street, leaves the piazza from the southwest corner and passes through the arcaded Piazza San Carlo with its elegant cafes. Leaving the piazza from the south side, Via Academia delle Science leads to the first parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, Palazzo Carignano, and to the Egyptian Museum, which houses one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt. Via Po leaves the piazza from the east and leads to the heart of Turin’s nightlife, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the largest Baroque square in Europe. The emblem of Turin, the Mole Antonelliana, is only a short distance away. This landmark was conceived as a Jewish synagogue, but when construction ground to a halt due to cost overruns, the people of Turin demanded the city take over and finish the building. Today the Mole Antonelliana is home to the National Museum of Cinema and at 165.7 meters, it is considered the tallest unreinforced brick building in the world.
Borgomale Castle
The five-towered castle
Borgomale Castle pales in comparison to the other far more famous, much larger castles in the Langhe, but as it is located in La Lepre Danzante’s hometown we would be amiss not to include it here.
This imposing medieval castle was built in the early 1400s on the site of a 12th-century fortification by a rich banking family from nearby Alba—the Fallettis, who later became the Marquises of Barolo. The structure was once comprised of five towers, though at least four have disappeared over the centuries. The fifth may have also disappeared, but it is part of the existing building. Entrance to the castle was once by drawbridge—the ropes used to raise and lower it passed through the long slit still visible on the façade. The drawbridge was replaced with a covered, external staircase during the Italian Baroque period (also still visible today).
Pope Pius VII is said to have sojourned at the castle during his journey to France for the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte. Borgomale Castle is also the site of the tragic Legend of Nella of Cortemilia.
The Community Wine Shop and much-acclaimed restaurant, I Crutin, is located on the castle grounds, as is the Borgomale town hall. The castle itself is a private residence.
Grinzane Cavour Castle
The home of a national hero
Once the home of the architect of the Unification of Italy—Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour—this magnificent castle sits imposingly perched on the top of a hill in the town of Grinzane Cavour near Alba. Information about its early history is scarce, though the castle’s origins have been diversely given as the 13th century or mid-14th century.
The castle is home to the rather large Langhe Museum, which is comprised of several rooms dedicated to rural civilization; ethnographic displays of original furniture items from the 19th century; the Count of Cavour; a hall of masks, which has a ceiling decorated with 157 panels featuring coat of arms, animals and allegory images; frescos and the white truffles of Alba. The castle also features an open-air museum—In Vigna—featuring the Count of Cavour vineyards, the Piedmont Regional Wine Shop, which was established in 1967 to showcase the Langhe wines, and a Michelin starred restaurant, Marc Lanteri Al Castello.
Roddi Castle
A French-style castle
It is likely that the present castle was built on the site of an 11th century fortress by the powerful Roddese Falletti family towards the end of the 14th century. In 1526 it became the property of Count Gaio Francesco della Mirandola, grandson of the great philosopher and humanist Pico della Mirandola before passing to the Della Chiesa family in 1690 and to the House of Savoy in 1815 after the Vienna Congress, which was held after the Napoleonic wars to restore the territorial order of the European states and restore the legitimate power of the sovereigns. In 2001 the castle became the property of the Municipality of Roddi.
Like the nearby Serralunga d’Alba Castle, the Roddi Castle is essentially built in a French, donjon style—a towering, circular keep designed as a place of refuge should the castle be breached.
Guarene Castle
A castle “built by correspondence"
The town of Guarene has been dominated for over seven centuries by some form of this castle: first as a Middle Ages fortress, then from the 18th century as the luxurious summer home of the Roero counts, and today as a luxury 5-star hotel.
In 1726 one of the Roero counts, Carlo Giacinto Roero di Guarene—an amateur architect—laid the first stone of the castle he had designed along with the famous Court of Savoy architect, Filippo Juvarra. For the next 23 years, Carlo Giacinto supervised the construction and furnishing of the castle on-site in the summer months, and in the winter, he sent daily and meticulous instructions by letter from Turin to the construction foreman—thus earning the castle the distinction of being “built by correspondence". After he died in 1749, Carlo Giacinto’s sons—Traiano and Teodoro—completed the castle.
This imposing, three-story building surrounded by elegant Italian-style gardens became a luxury 5-star hotel in 2011, though it has retained all of the hallmarks of the original castle.
Scarampi del Carretto di Pruney Castle
A massive quadrangular block
The original castle was a large square tower that was modified sometime between the 12th and 13th centuries into a massive quadrangular block with two square towers on one end and a single circular towner on the other. Access to the castle is through a stone-arched door known as La Batajera. A long slit for passing ropes that once raised and lowered a drawbridge is still visible above the door.
The structure is embellished with ogival mullioned windows bearing the coat of arms of the Marquis Del Carretto family—the powerful lords who ruled the area until the 16th century.
The castle, most of which has been turned into an ethnographic museum, is almost entirely open to visitors, and the vast green that separates the castle from the nearby Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine is an ideal place for a summer picnic.
Serralunga d’Alba Castle
An unfurnished fortress
The Serralunga d’Alba Castle is considered to be one of the best-conserved examples of 14th century noble castles of Piedmont. This slender, majestic castle was built on the site of a 12th century defensive tower between 1340 and 1357 as a military fortress for the Falletti family, in fact, there are no furnishings, as it was never used as a residence. Its towering keep—donjon in French—was rather avant-garde for the time, in fact, these types of tall circular towers are more common in French castles and are rather unique in Italy.
The spacious palacium—the original defensive tower—was the seat of public affairs where the lord of the castle administrated justice. The room above it was used as the living quarters for the troops stationed there and has a latrine carved into the wall—a relative comfort for that period. The third floor was an open, patrol walkway protected by merlons that was later roofed over from which there are spectacular views over the rolling, vineyard-covered hills of Barolo.
The Salone dei Valvassori—characterized by a coffered ceiling and a terracotta floor—is the main room of the castle. It has a small chapel that contains a 15th century fresco painted by an unknown artist that depicts the martyrdom of Catherine of Alexandria. Inside the adjacent circular tower, there is a trace of the so-called razor well—the final destination for those sentenced to death.
Magliano Alfieri Castle
A young noble castle
The Magliano Alfieri Castle is one of the younger noble castles in the Langhe. Its construction was commissioned in the mid-17th century by Catalano Alfieri, a member of the Alfieri family of Magliano and Castagnole delle Lanze. Catalano died before the structure was finished. His son, Carlo Emanuele, completed the building towards the end of the century.
Part of the castle is a museum in its own right and part has been dedicated to museums of local culture. The grand Coat of Arms Hall has a high, pavilion vault decorated with the plaster coats of arms of the Alfieri family. Eagle Hall, so named for the subject matter of the frescos that adorn its ceiling, and the Nobel Chapel, with its frescos and paintings, are all part of the original castle.
The Antonio Adriano Civic Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions has a section dedicated to plaster ceilings—a very particular construction technique once widespread in the humble peasant houses of the lower Langhe. The Landscape Theater allows visitors to immerse themselves in the hills and rivers of the Langhe and Roero through the displays of cultural objects, documents, and an interactive, multimedia system.
The Roero of Monticello Castle
A fortified residence
This castle has the distinction of being owned and inhabited by the same family—the Roero Counts of Monticello—since 1376. Its origins date back to the 10th century when the Bishops of Alba commissioned the building of a defensive fortress on the site. This fortress was seriously damaged during a long siege that ended in 1187 and was rebuilt in 1348 by the Malabaila family. The Roero Counts received the territories of Monticello and Castagnito as their reward for having liberated the inhabitants of the area from oppressive feudal lords in 1376.
The Roero’s began a major restructuring of the castle that culminated in 1787 with the elimination of some of its defensive elements, which made the castle more suitable as a residence and earned it the title of a "typical example of a fortified residence". The castle has a unique architectural peculiarity: each of the three towers has a different form—one is square, one is circular and the other is octagonal.
Though still the private residence of the Roero family, much of the castle is open to the public.
The Royal Castle of Govone
A summer residence fit for a king
Like many of the other Langhe castles, this one was also built on the remains of an earlier fortress. In the 17th century, the Solaro Counts, Lords of Govone commissioned the architect Guarino Guarini to expand and embellish the existing structure, and though he prepared the plans, he did not complete the endeavor. A century later, working from Guarini’s designs, the architect Benedetto Alfieri completed the project.
In 1792, with the death of Count Amedeo Lodovico Solaro, who had no direct descendants, the castle was purchased by Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia for his sons Carlo Felice, Duke of Genevese, and Giuseppe Benedetto Placido, Count of Moriana. The castle was confiscated by France after Napoleon’s invasion of Piedmont and bought at an auction by Count Teobaldo Alfieri di Sostegno in 1810. Prince Carlo Felice bought the castle from Alfieri in 1816 and thus resumed possession. When Carlo Felice became king, he chose Gavone Castle as one of his two summer residences (the other was the Ducal Castle of Agliè).
A particularity of the castle is the 18th-century Chinese wallpaper, which was used to entirely decorate the four rooms of the princesses’ apartments—among the most significant of the genre, in terms of surface area, richness, and the number of scenes.
Castle of the Beraudo Counts of Pralormo
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
The site of the castle was originally occupied by a 13th century fortress that was enlarged in the 14th century by the Pralormo branch of the Counts of Roero, who added the three towers still visible today. In 1399, the fiefdom—and thus the castle—was divided among three Roero bothers in equal parts and as the years passed, the number of heirs who owned a piece of the castle increased dramatically. Giacomo Beraudo—ancestor of the present owners—managed to obtain a third of the fiefdom in 1679 and the following year he was awarded the title of count. One of his descendants—Count Carlo Beraudo di Pralormo—obtained title to the entire castle in the early 1800s
The famous German landscape architect, Xavier Kurten—who was much in demand by the House of Savoy during the 19th century—designed a magnificent English garden to embellish the castle grounds. Each spring since 2000 the park is the site of Mister Tulip, a botanical event that features the flowering of thousands of tulips and daffodils. Each year, the tulips are freshly planted with different varieties and color schemes specifically chosen to illustrate the history of the tulip.
Another particularity of the castle is a huge collection of model trains—both electric and mechanical—the fruit of Count Edoardo Beraudo of Palormo’s passion. The collection, which started with a Marklin spring-wound train running on tracks set up on a billiard table, now spans three large rooms, complete with dioramas, highly detailed model-train stations, and tunnels bored through the walls.
Wine Tasting
On-site, nearby, or further afield
As La Lepre Danzante is situated in the heart of one of the world’s preeminent wine-growing areas and opportunities for tasting some very fine wines abound. It is easy to arrange visits to many of the other local producers. Practically every town in the Langhe/Roero area has wine shops that offer wine tasting, some for free, some for a fee. Wine bars are also present in many of the towns. No matter if you prefer red, white, rosé, sparkling, or sweet wine, the area produces famous bottles of them all, and many not-so-famous, but nonetheless incredibly delicious wines, too.
Bike rentals
Explore in the fresh air
The vineyard-covered hills surrounding La Lepre Danzante are laced with winding dirt roads that can be explored on a bike in any season. Several facilities in the area rent both regular bikes and e-bikes that can be charged onsite. Some facilities offer accompanied bike rides, or you can bike the surrounding hillsides on your own.
Horse riding
Saddle up
Another enjoyable means of exploring the area is on horseback. The nearby Associazione Ippica San Bovo (San Bovo Equestrian Association) is an equestrian school and stable that offers accompanied horse rides year-round along the crests of the hills through the vineyards and chestnut trees. For the novice, they provide riding lessons for people of all ages.
Truffle hunting
Only a simulation, but you might get lucky
A simulated truffle hunt with a local Trifulau (truffle hunter) and their amazing dogs is a pleasant way to spend a few hours in the woods of the Langhe. From October through December numerous Trifulau conduct these simulated searches to give visitors a rare opportunity to see this ancient endeavor up close. We personally know a few Trifulau and can assist in organizing a hunt.
Alba Donkey Palio
A Medieval revival
Every year on the first Sunday of October, the city of Alba holds a goliardic, bare-back donkey race (palio) in Piazza Osvaldo Cagnasso—a re-enactment of an event from the 13th century.
As the legend goes… In 1275 Alba was at war with the town of Asti. Troops from Asti set fire to the Monastery of San Frontiniano, just south of the town. As a display of their momentary supremacy, the people of Asti ran a horse race around the walls of Alba. Since in reality, all the Asti troops had done was to defeat a community of friars without affecting the integrity of Alba, the Podestà (Medieval magistrate) of Alba ordered a donkey race as a way of making fun of Asti’s “victory” celebration.
Because Asti has been running a horse palio every year since time immortal, Pinot Gallizio, an eclectic artist from Alba, thought it would be fun to revive the mockery of the town’s ancient rival and organized a donkey race in 1932. Since then, the palio has run every year (except for some periodic interruptions, like the Second World War).
The International White Truffle Fair of Alba
Not just truffles
Each year, from the beginning of October to mid-December, the city of Alba goes all out in the celebration of its world-famous delicacy—the white truffle.
The fair originated in 1928 when Giacomo Morra, an Italian entrepreneur, organized an exhibit dedicated to the white truffle as part of the local harvest fair. Morra’s exhibit was such a success, the following year an entire fair dedicated exclusively to this exquisite tuber was organized.
Over the years the fair has grown to include art exhibitions, theater performances, concerts, and markets, which offer many of the area’s other gastronomic specialties—including, of course, wines— Medieval costumed historical and folklore commemorations, a beauty contest to elect the Queen of the Langhe, and much, much more.
White Truffle World Auction
For those with deep pockets
If you have some pocket change left over after buying your Ferrari and would like to delight your taste buds while also contributing to a charitable cause, this event is for you.
Every year since 1999 the world’s rich and famous gather, either in person or via a live connection, at the Grinzane Cavour Castle in early November to bid on the most prestigious specimens of the Tuber magnatum Picco. The auction is non-profit and the proceeds are donated to charities all around the world.
In the ensuing years, the event has grown to include other items on the auction block such as barrels of Barolo en primeur, magnum bottles of Barolo and Barbaresco wine, and giant panettone (a traditional Italian Christmas cake).
The Asti Palio
A tradition for over nine centuries
The palio was once only a bareback horse race that had been run nearly every year since at least the 13th century. Now it has become a traditional Italian festival that lasts several days and culminates with the race in Asti’s Piazza Alfieri on the third Sunday of September.
Considering the palio was already a tradition when the first recorded race was run in 1275 around the walls of Alba to taunt the population, it obviously had more ancient origins.
For nearly a week, Asti turns back the clock to medieval times. Colorfully costumed musicians, flag-wavers, and townsfolk parade through the streets of the town celebrating Asit’s past glory.
La Douja d'Or
The best of Italian wines
The event, which began in 1967 and was named for la douja, an ancient, pot-bellied Piedmontese wine mug, is organized by the Asti Chamber of Commerce to promote Italian wines. Starting in the middle of September each year (the duration of the event varies), wine producers from all over Italy compete for the right to place the prestigious Douja d'Or on their labels. Judges for the event are from the Italian National Organization of Wine Tasters (ONAV).
During La Douja d'Or there are many exhibitions, concerts, and related events dedicated to wine tasting, spirits, vermouths, and Piedmontese cuisine. In some years a special section of La Douja d'Or is dedicated to food and wine from various parts of the world.
CioccolaTò
The ultimate chocolate experience
For ten days in late autumn each year, Turin’s baroque Piazza San Carlo emanates the decadent aroma of the food of the Gods—chocolate in all its forms and shades.
This annual chocolate fair is filled with cultural events, workshops, chocolate tasting, displays of Master Chocolatiers’ exceptional products, and chocolate-themed games and activities for children.
Turin has been the chocolate capital of Italy since the first hot chocolate was served in Turin in 1560 at the court of the Savoy, which fostered chocolate production in Piedmont by keeping the tax on cacao and sugar low.
