When you need a break from eating and drinking all the wonderful Langhe cuisine, here is a suggestion for a few mini-excursion; go visit one of the well restored castles in Cuneo province.

My castle top picks in the Cuneo region are: Castello Roccolo di Busca, Castello Reale di Carlo Felice di Govone and Castello Reale di Racconigi.

Castello Roccolo di Busca is located a bit over 30min by car from TorreBarolo and transports one from the rolling vine covered hills of the Langhe to the fruit orchards of the Cuneo valley, the region’s capital.

The castle is named after the nets used to catch small birds called “roccoli”. The castle has quite an impressive past having hosted such famous and noble individuals as the famous Italian writer, Silvio Pellico, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. What I enjoy about the castle is it the neo-Gothic style, which was the fashion around Saluzzo in the mid 1800’s as well as favoured by the Savoy court. The exterior of the castle combines Moorish arches, rose windows and many floral features.

Surrounding the castle is a very large, peaceful and lush park, designed in a Romantic style that contains many paths, look out points and peaceful corners.

Tours are available and access many of the rooms in the main building before continuing to the monumental conservatory and then into the gardens.

Although the town of Busca is not on my “must see list” after touring the castle you are only 20mins from Saluzzo or else if you want to cool off in the Alps, one can head into the Upper Maira Valley where one can find woods and walking trails, a paradise for hikers and mountain bikers.

Castello Reale di Carlo Felice di Govone is located 30mins from Barolo in the hilltop town of Govone, which easily can be reached from the autostrada direction Asti.

The castle is mentioned in a bill of sale from 989 when it was likely a very medieval structure typical of the Monferrato fortresses, but the current structure is the result from a major rebuilding effort carried out in the 13^th century by the Solaro counts, including Count Giuseppe Roberto Solaro.

The castle exchange hands many time in the 1800’s to finally be acquired by the Ovazza Segre family who handed it over to the municipal government in 1897.

In 1997, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Sites. A series of careful restoration works are returning the castle to its original splendour, within the splendid setting of its vast park.

The castle is an imposing brick structure with a façade rich in decoration and sculptures. The whole building is bordered to the north and west by a vase English style garden and to the east bygarden of fountains, trees and flowerbeds.

Castello Reale di Racconigi is located 40min north of Barolo, exit the A6 direction Torino at Carmagnola. It is considered “a must see” of the royal Savoy residences.

The castle was originally built as a mighty military fortress at the end of the 12^th century/beginning of the 13^th century by the marquises of Saluzzo. After exchanging hands many times, it was then in the 16th century the Savoys transformed it from a fortress into a residence by Prince Emanuele Filiberto Amedo, then heir to the throne of Savoy.

During the Jacobin revolts of the late 18th century the castle suffered occupation and the confiscation of goods by the French troops, but after a period disuse, it returned to the Savoy family, more specifically, Charles Albert who had the architect Palagi oversee the refurbishment and also was responsible for works on the park, which he designed in English neo-Gothic style.

When the capital of Italy was moved from Turin to Rome, the castle was a favorite residence of the royal family and was used as a summer residence during the mid-1800s. The castle’s last owner was Umberto II, who received it from Victor Emanuel III as a wedding gift.

The castle is noteworthy for its majestic architecture as well as its varied interior which contain different periods and styles of woodwork, painting, stucco etc. It is admired for retaining the atmosphere of a house that documented the lifestyle of 19^th and 20^th century royal family.

The public can visit the first and second floors, the kitchens and the park.

The castle is open from 9-18:30 Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets are €5. The park at the castle is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10-19 and tickets for access to the garden are €2.

There is a cafeteria to enjoy refreshments.

These 3 are part of an initiative called Castelli Aperti (Open Castles) that open to the public from May until October 90 historical residences that otherwise would be hard to access as many are privately owned.

The Castello Del Roccolo di Busca is open April 5th – October 31st, though closed in August. Check this website below for opening hours but generally from 14:30 to 19:00. Entrance is €5.

Castles of Piemonte: here you can find many more beautiful pictures of our favourite castles in Piemonte.

CASTELLO DEL ROCCOLO DI BUSCA
Frazione San Quintino, 17
12022 Busca (CN)
Tel: +39 0171 618260
Email: zelda.beltramo@marcovaldo.it

CASTELLO REALE DI CARLO FELICE DI GOVONE
Piazza Roma, 1
12040 Govone (CN)
Tel: +39 0173 58103
Email: segreteria@comune.govone.cn.it

CASTELLO REALE DI RACCONIGI
Via Morosini, 3
12035 Racconigi (CN)
Tel: +39 0172 84005
Email: comunica@castellodiracconigi.org

Suoni dalle Colline di Langhe e Roero is the title of this year’s Alba Music Festival, summer edition and it opens July 16th in Alba and run through August 1st. The festival is the collaboration between the City of Alba and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, USA. This year marks the fourth edition of the summer program and will showcase artists from Italy as well as the US, Japan, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Argentina, England and Germany.

The program will consist of the Brass Quintet of the National RAI Symphony Orchestra, the famous Arias of Opera and Operetta with the Japanese soprano Miyuki Hayakawa, a performance dedicated to the Argentinean tango with the dancers Nancy Alejandra Micelli and Fernando Oscar Gargaglione, the Romanian State Orchestra performing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the Spanish dancer Monica Sanchez. Also there will be piano recitals with four international soloists paying homage to Chopin and Schumann for the bicentennial of their birth. There will also be Jazz from Barend Middelhoff and his quintet.

This festival provides an occasion to discover the many beautiful places in the area, from the castle of Grinzane Cavour and Magliano Alfieri to the splendid boroughs of Castiglione Falletto, La Morra and Verduno.  Also visitors should take time to visit the striking Tenuta Carretta of Piobesi,  the Confraternita di San Bernardino of Vezza d’Alba and the fascinating Santuario della Madonna di Hal di Murazzano.

Six of the concert venues are part of the Strada Romantica of Langhe and Roero, a driving route that highlights places that through its setting and the stories of the people who live there bring to life this special area of Italy.

See below or download the Calendar of Alba Music Festival 2010:

Friday, July 16, 2010
9,00 PM Alba, Chiesa di San Giuseppe
“Harp and dance”

Saturday, July 17, 2010
9,00 PM Vezza d’Alba, Confraternita di San Bernardino
“Virtuoso trumpet”

Sunday, July 18, 2010
9,00 PM La Morra, Chiesa di San Rocco
“Van li effluvi de le rose…”
Nocturnes, romances and songs

Monday, July 19, 2010
9,00 PM Piobesi d’Alba, Tenuta Carretta
“Music to see”
Magnasco Movie Quartet

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
9,00 PM Alba, Chiesa di San Giuseppe
“Così fan tutte”
Reality and legend in the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte
Music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
9,00 PM Grinzane Cavour, Castello, Sala delle Maschere
“En evening with the Buranello”
The sonnets for two violins of Baldassarre Galuppi

Thursday, July 22, 2010
9,00 PM Verduno, Cortile del Municipio
“Take 5”
Brass Quintet of the National RAI Symphony Orchestra

Friday, July 23, 2010
9,00 PM Treiso, ex Chiesa dei Battuti
“The Harlequin’s Serenade”
Famous Arias of the Opera and Operetta

Saturday, July 24, 2010
9,00 PM Murazzano, Santuario della Madonna di Hal
“Romantic Road”
Homage to Robert Schumann for the bicentennial of his birth

Sunday, July 25, 2010
9,00 PM Castiglione Falletto, Piazza del Municipio
“Nuevo Encuentro y tango”
Music and dance from Argentina

Monday, July 26, 2010
9,00 Piobesi d’Alba, Tenuta Carretta
“Midsummer night’s dream”
Romanian State Symphony Orchestra

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
9,00 PM Annunziata di La Morra, Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata
“The magic flute”
Music of Haydn, Mozart, Stamitz

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
9,00 PM Sinio, Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Frontiniano
“Alborada del gracioso”
Music of Franck, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel

Thursday, July 29, 2010
9,00 PM Trezzo Tinella, Chiesa dei Battuti
“Harmonies du soir”
Music of Liszt, Franck, Brahms, Chopin

Friday, July 30, 2010
9,00 PM Magliano Alfieri, Chiesa Parrocchiale di Sant’Andrea
“Aimez-Vous Chopin?”
Homage to Frédéric Chopin, for the bicentennial of his birth

Saturday, July 31, 2010
9,00 PM La Morra, Casa Vinicola Mascarello
“Jazz Lines”
Special Guest Barend Middelhoff saxaphone

Sunday, August 1, 2010
5,00 PM Sale San Giovanni, Castello dei Marchesi Incisa di Camerana
“Nubes de Buenos Aires”

Our wine guru Gary Chevsky, back in November 2009, experimented with some Barbera wines from Piemonte:

“Unclear why anyone would want to drink aged Barbera, a wine grape that is associated with easy quaffing and everyday meals. In the land where Nebbiolo is firmly the king, why mess with that? Let Barbera and Dolcetto play their lowly part in the food chain. Affordable, refreshing, satisfyingly easy drinking table wines. What would the world do without them, no?

But of course someone is always ready to challenge status quo, try to make an eagle out of a sparrow, a Boeing out of a paper plane. Treat Dolcetto like a more serious grape, and you get Dolcetto di Dogliani, deeper, richer, more ageable. Treat Barbera like that, and what do you get?

On Monday, a small group of enthusiasts got together at a Ross Bott tasting in Los Altos to assess 1999-2001 Barberas by La Spinetta. La Spinetta has a “standard” or lower-end Ca’ Di Pian wine that costs in the teens, and a higher-end wine that costs $40-50. Having tasted Gaja’s 1995 Barbera “Sitorey” earlier this year and having found it a powerful, fresh, and nuanced wine, my expectations were mixed. After all, that was Gaja! Could anyone else approach that effort?

From the mailer by Ross Bott, the organizer:

The varietal is naturally high in acid and low in tannins, and, when vinified in a lighter style to be drunk young, is a fine everyday wine to complement pastas and other northern Italian dishes. However, when yields are kept low and the grapes are harvested at riper levels, the resultant wines can be deep, complex and long aging, and marry particularly well with new medium toasted (or charred) oak barrels. Ironically, this approach is a relatively recent phenomenon in Piedmonte. In fact, some of the earliest examples of this approach were in the Shennandoah Valley in California, where Montevina made some great old Special Selection Barberas in the late 1970s — to my view the most exciting wines ever to come out of the Sierra Foothills.

In 1998, Giuseppe Rivetti began to make a Barbera Superiore under his La Spinetta label, a serious, high-end approach involving old vines, low yields, and aging for 12-18 months in new French oak. Rivetti was born in Argentina, but his family was Piedmontese, and he returned in 1977 to the Asti region, in an area then known for Moscato d’Asti, a fragrant, low alcohol wine made from a varietal in the Muscat family. After producing some landmark examples of this white wine, he ventured into reds in 1985, first with Barbera and later adding Barbarescos and Barolos. He produces three Barberas a year, a Ca’ Di Pian which is richer and riper than most Barberas, but sees less oak, a Gallina from a single vineyard which also provides the grapes for his Barbaresco, and a Superiore, which is a reserve bottling from a selection of his best barrels. Both of the latter get extended barrel treatment and are among the three or four best Barberas produced anywhere.

Tonight, we’ll try six La Spinetta Barberas, a pair from each of 1999, 2000 and 2001. One member of each pair will be the lightly oaked Ca’ Di Pian and the other an example of his highest end Barberas which get extended treatment in new oak.”

While the top 3 wines still “showed” young, it is as if they had artificially been beefed up to last longer, and the age did not give them subtlety, complexity, and secondary flavors that I’ve seen develop in properly aged ageworthy wines. It seemed rather pointless to me to spend $45 a bottle, then cellar it for 10 years, when in that range one finds some wonderful Nebbiolo and Sangiovese options. While obviously we confirmed Barbera’s ageability, I would not call that ageworthiness. It bothered me that the wines lacked finesse and complexity, and the question that firmly stuck in my mind was – “What’s the point!???”

One of my favourite places to go in the Langhe to enjoy a dramatic setting among the rolling hills is the Grinzane Castle in Grinzane Cavour, less than a 10minute drive from TorreBarolo.

The castle is an imposing building erected around a central tower that dates back to the 1^st half of the 11^th century and post a restoration in 1960 it can be admired in all of its original beauty. Moreover, by being set off from the town and surrounded by vineyards on three sides, it has one of the most spectacular settings in the Langhe.

The castle currently is homes to numerous facilities. On the ground floor is the Piedmontese Regional Enoteca, which was the first to be set up in Piedmont back in 1971. This enoteca showcases the very best regional wines and grappas and each wine goes through a strict selection process before being displayed and placed on sale. The enoteca provides tastings as well.

When my wine fanatic friends are visiting me at TorreBarolo, I always bring them here as from my experience it does have the best selection of the regional offerings and offering good one stop shopping. Here you can find a list of all the wineries represented in the Enoteca Regionale. On the 1^st floor is the Hall of the Masks as well as a restaurant and bar. The Hall of the Masks is where the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba as well as the National Association of Cheese tasters celebrates its Chapters. The Restaurant Al Castello offers a unique setting; however, it is the bar that I think is worth making a special stop for as it has a huge window that frames the surrounding vineyards that makes for a breath-taking venue to have a café or aperitif.

Several of the castle’s rooms are dedicated to ethnography and the castle houses a permanent museum which includes truffles, rare articles relating to local food and wine traditions as well as kitchen setting from the 17^th century.

Every November the castle is home to the world famous White Truffle Auction where celebrated chefs from throughout Italy and the world attend to participate in the live worldwide auction for the finest Albese white truffles. It is not unusual for the most select truffles to go for over €100,000.

Opening hours are 09.30 – 19.00 (April to October) and 09.30 – 18.00 in the winter months. The castle is closed on Tuesdays.

Our wine guru Gary Chevsky visited the annual Gambero Rosso “Tre Bicchieri” event in San Francisco, back in February:

“On Feb 24, one of my favorite trade tasting events of the year arrived to San Francisco. For background on Gambero Rosso and their Tre Bicchieri event, see my coverage of the last year’s event. The world of Italian wine is diverse and complicated. And wonderful. Tre Bicchieri really gives you a chance to sample across the whole of Italy, and to celebrate the variety and the quality all in one place. So without further ado, I will jump straight into my impressions:

1. The biggest thing that strikes you at an event like this is just how there is always a great new unfamiliar type of wine showing up. This year, I have to give it to Sparkling. The taste and quality of the Italian sparklers is astounding. And I am not talking about Prosecco (which usually leaves me cold). I am talking about Franciacorta DOCG (in the north of Italy, in Lombardy region) and Trento DOC (in the north of Italy, in Trentino – Alto Adige region). These are serious wines made in the traditional method of Champagne. Price is a big problem for these relatively obscure (in the US) appellations, and one more reason why you don’t see a lot of them in this country. Are you willing to shell out $40-100 on an Italian sparker? (After having tasted them, I am!) Here are two of my faves:

- “Trento Altemasi Graal Brut Riserva 2002” by Cavit – great nose, rich and lush apple syrup;

-  “Trento Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore Brut 2000” by Ferrari – yeasty, bready, drier and more refined than Altemasi.

I noted them last year as well, but at that time Ca’del Bosco Franciacorta (absent this year) stole my heart.

2.  A strong showing for young Amarones this year. Complexity & freshness, rather than an often-seen raisiny fruit. Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Campolongo di Torbe 2004 by Masi (still a year till official release) was ripe, juicy, meaty, spicy and fresh. An honorable mention goes to Guerrieri Rizzardi’s Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Villa Rizzardi 2005 – sweet, slightly herbaceous nose, bitter sweet on the palate.

3. I must say the event seemed “poorer” this year, as most of the cult names were not there. I did see Sassicaia. That’s about it. The food was just cheese, crackers, and fruit. Nor did I see the Tre Bicchieri guides or even cork-screws given away like I’d spotted a year ago.

4. Relatively thin showing by Barolo and Brunello reminded me that there are fewer celebrated wines in the most recent release (2005) than a year ago (2004). Only one Brunello stood out for me – Canalicchio di Sopra 2004 – young, fresh and tasty!  There were some excellent examples of 2005 Barolo. The charming and talented Giuseppe Vaira delivered on his Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2005 – sweet, soft-textured, intensely flavored, plum, tea, with loads of dark berries. Vietti’s Barolo Lazzarito 2005 was a classic – a powerhouse Nebbiolo, full-flavored, jerky, tannin, serious, young, deep, concentrated black cherry. Several other wines were solid though not amazing – Oddero Barolo Mondoca di Bussia Soprana 2004 (blueberry/cherry tea), Elvio Cogno Barolo V. Elena 2004 (soft and charming), Bezza & Figli Barolo Sarmassa 2005 (toothpasty fresh tea), Travaglini Gattinara Riserva 2004 (meaty and gritty), Prunotto Barolo Bussia 2005 (light & tart), and finally Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2005 (herb, spice and blackberry with a unique personality). So long as we are on the subject of Nebbiolo, a notable mention should also go to Ca’del Baio’s Barbaresco Asili 2006 – sweet and tart, slightly spicy, intense and substantive, tannic, with a touch of coffee, poured by the friendly winemaker sisters – Paola and Valentina Grasso.

5.  Bordeaux varietals and super-tuscans (or Toscana) were all the rage. A lot of good quality Cabs, Merlots, and Bordeaux blends some enhanced with Sangiovese, reminiscent of Bordeaux but with zingier acidity that I so love in Italian wine. The 2006 Bolgheri Sassicaia by Tenuta San Guido was expectedly outstanding (97pts Antonio Galloni, $150 retail) – dusty plum, nice tannins, a slight green component that added to the complexity, very good! The first vintage (2006) of Coevo by Cecchi was excellent too – flavor taking me to the right-bank of Bordeaux, great balance and complexity, 50% Sangio / 10% Cab / 20% Merlot / 20% Petit Verdot, dry blackberries, jerky. Galatrona 2007 (98pts Wine Spectator) from Petrolo, made from 100% Merlot, was a powerhouse gorgeous beast of a wine – veggie and spice, fresh, super-concentrated thick dark berry fruit. If Sassicaia were Pierce Brosnan, the Galatrona was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

6. Tre Bicchieri wines (at least all the ones I was drawn to taste) are expensive. Definitely if you want the good stuff, brace yourself — you will pay just as much as for high-end French. I don’t see any obvious “value” categories at the Tre Bicchieri level.

7.  Recioto di Soave was a revelation. La Perlara 2007 by Ca’Rugate – a sweet wine of considerable complexity was perhaps the 2nd best Italian sweet white I’d ever had, bested only by the Vin Santo di Montepulciano Avignonesi 1996 from last year’s event. Being more familiar with Recioto di Valpolicella (a sweet red wine), I learned that “recioto” style of winemaking (where grapes are dried on mats for months, vinified somewhere along the way to raisinhood) is also applied to white wine made in Soave from the Garganega grape (in Veneto, in the northeast of Italy, neighboring with Valpolicella).

8. Some outstanding wines are not imported to California (or the US altogether). The Recioto di Soave above was one of them. Several more that stood out for me were:

a) Franciacorta Saten 2006 sparkler by Il Mosnel - 100% chardonnay, fresh rich lemon custard;

b) Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza 2006 by Tenuta Olim Bauda – rich, fresh, balanced, a fairly substantial Barbera;

c) Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 by Tenuta di Capraia – good balance, fruit, great acid, nice soft texture/tannin.

After 5 tooth-staining hours of pacing myself through the aisles, I was exhausted. The wines I commented on here, I re-tasted 2-3 times throughout the evening, doing my part in delivering diligent assessment to you, my readers. I know, I know – it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it!”

Something that I did last time I was in Barolo, that I would recommend to guests at TorreBarolo or to the Langhe in general is to drive the Strada Romantica delle Langhe e del Roero (the Romantic Road). It is an itinerary to discover some of the regional most beautiful and interesting panoramic points. Each of the 11 stopping points was chosen for its special position and view on the natural landscape of the Langhe and Roero region. Moreover, there are informative panels at each of these stopping points that relate stories about the land. Although many people come to the Langhe because of its world class wines, truffles and local delicacies, the breathtaking landscape that remains intact and unchanged will surely have you understand why the region has been proposed for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Strada Romantica starts off at Vezza D’Alba, which is about 20min by car from TorreBarolo, or Camerana, which is further afield from Barolo. The distances don’t seem far but given the numerous switch back roads, I would ensure you have set aside plenty of time to meander through these landscapes that vary from the lush vineyards of the Langhe to the hazelnut orchids and the hilly forest of the Alta Langa.

You can get here a detailed PDF map of the Strada Romantica 11 stopping points.

The panoramic stopping points consist of:

1. Vezza d’Alba: steep hills, deep gorges and cliffs: these are the famous Rocche of the Roero region, on the left side of the Tanaro River. Vezza d’Alba was built here more than one thousand years ago; the ruins of the castle that belonged to the Roero family until the 17th Century are a vestige of its feudal age. In Vezza we suggest you visit the nice Baroque Church of San Bernardino and two other interesting churches: the Parish church of San Martino and the Shrine of the Madonna dei Boschi, which is located between the hamlets of Valle Sanche and Valle Maggiore.

2. Magliano Alfieri: it used to be the “kingdom” of the Alfieri family, who commissioned the construction of the imposing castle between 1660 and 1680 that dominates the town centre, and which was the residence of one of the most important Italian poets, the young Vittorio Alfieri. The castle, where you can also find the noble chapel of the Santo Crocefisso, is the property of the town hall. 

3. Nieve: worth noting are the Clock Tower, which is the last vestige of the old castle, the Baroque Arch-Confraternity of San Michele with its precious wooden portal, Cotto’s House with beautiful ceilings and fireplaces of the 18th Century. Outside the village, along the Tinella torrent on the way to Mango, in the countryside you will also find a marvellous Romanesque bell tower, which belongs to the fascinating Church of Santa Maria del Piano.

4. Treiso: besides the classical Baroque style Parish Church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, around the town stand numerous rustic chapels and commemorative pillars, among them the War memorial in remembrance of the heroes of the Resistance. In autumn in the hills of Treiso, Neive and Barbaresco, the Nebbiolo grapes are harvested, from which the renowned Barbaresco wine is made.

5. Trezzo Tinella: on the border between the Langhe and Monferrato, Trezzo Tinella, a tiny village set among the woods. Points of interest in the village are the Parish of Sant’ Antonio Abate, a typical Piemontese neoclassic construction with barrel vault, and the Chapel of Sant’Anna ai Fiori.

6. Benevello: it is the first point of the Alta Langa. The historic centre of Benevello has its nucleus in the square, where the castle stands, probably erected around 1100 for surveillance over the road that leads from the Langhe to Alba.

7. Sinio: this village is dominated by the castle, built on the ruins of a previous manner, destroyed by the Sforza family in 1431, it was rebuilt on the wishes of the Del Carretto family, in front of which stands the Chapel of San Sebastiano. The deconsecrated Church of the Madonna Annunziata of the 17th Century is host to the Town Theatre of Sinio.

8. Cissone: this village dominates the small valley hollowed out by the Riavolo torrent. The surrounding woods are crossed by many paths where you can enjoy relaxing walks. The main village square is situated among the Brotherhood church of the Disciplinati (with an original Baroque altar), the Town Hall and the Parish Church, and is dominated by the Church dedicated to Santa Lucia.

9. Murazzano: this village was built in strategic position and it has the most well-kept tower among the many watchtowers which were built on the Higher Langa hills, as the Saracens often plundered this region. The Shrine of the Madonna di Hal with the Buzignano Gate, which marked the boundary of the old town, and the Church of San Lorenzo are worth seeing; I also suggest you also visit the beautiful Tovegni Palace, which was built in an eclectic style and shows two majestic Art Nouveau dormer windows.

10. Mombarcaro: here the view opens out from the Maritime Alps to the perpetual snow of the Monte Rosa. I suggest you visit the historical and ethnographical museum, the Church of San Rocco with the “Cavalcade of the deadly Sins”, the beautiful frescos by Antonio Ocello from Ceva and the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie (in the hamlet of San Luigi). 

11. Camerana: this village is made up of various hamlets extending on to a broad valley along the Bormida River from Bormida valley to the upper Belbo valley. The Baroque Church of S.S. Annunziata with its precious high altar made of fine polychrome marble mosaics and the peculiar leaning bell tower is worth visiting. The nature of the region will surprise you: the Riserva Naturale (Wildlife Sanctuary) Sorgenti del Belbo, which is located among the villages of Montezemolo, Camerana and Saliceto, is a particular, unique and uncontaminated part of the Langhe. The area is perfect for trekking, horse riding and cross-country skiing in the winter.