My relatives visit and beautiful sunny weather created a perfect occasion for a trip. We departed equipped with a camera and GPS navigation, that, as often happens, turned out to be useless and wanted me to drive through the fields…

The first stop was Barbaresco. It is a small (650 citizens) and charming town in Lange, famous for precious wine – Barbaresco which is called younger Barolo’s brother (like Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grapes, but it requires shorter ageing process – 26 months, 9 of which in oak).

Like many small towns in Southern Piedmont, Barbaresco is situated in a very picturesque place, 274 meters above sea level. Driving winding road, surrounded by vineyards, we saw from the distance a characteristic tower – the symbol of the town. It dates back to 11th century and in the Middle Ages it was a part of fortified complex, consisting of the castle, three towers (two, smaller and crenellated and a square one). It was built to defend the village from the Saracens attacks. Then, during 13th century Alba and Asti towns fought for its dominance, in 17th century it was taken by the Savoy Royal family, to became at the end (in 1694) an independent city. During the turbulent history the castle and smaller towers were destroyed and nowadays we can admire only square, massive, thirty-six meters high construction. In the past it was a watchtower to looking for enemies and today it’s a perfect viewpoint for surroundings, Tanaro river included. In 1695 in place of the castle it was built a new construction that now it’s property of Gaja winery. Continue reading “Barbaresco – town and wine” →