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

If you are holidaying in the Langhe Valley for a week, you might want to include some sites a bit further afield. I thought it might be helpful to do a series of blogs posts on day trip destinations. I chose Saluzzo as my first destination as the view driving towards Saluzzo with Monviso (3,800 meters/12K feet) in the background is stunning in the winter.  As you drive towards Saluzzo, the rolling terraced hills of the Langhe ebb away and the landscape becomes flat and is covered in fruit orchards of an extensive variety (apples, pears, kiwi, and peaches). 

Local fruit produce is the pride of Saluzzo and dominate the “el mercà d’le fômne” (the women’s market) which is held every Saturday in the quaint setting of Via Volta. Other noteworthy products are the white Saluzzo Hen, which is high acclaimed and promoted by the Slow Food organization, as well as many excellent local cheeses from the nearby valley such as Castelmagno D.O.P and Toma d’Elva.
With a population of 17K, Saluzzo is half the size of Alba, but the many large piazzas and shopping arcades (under the canopy of arches), makes it feel bigger than Alba.

A very pleasant afternoon could be spent walking through the many shopping arcades and streets of this beautiful walled medieval city and when you need a break, the city has many cafes that are perfect for people watching. If you are hungry for some culture, the Saluzzo tourist site (which is also in English) has three excellent walking tours with maps showing the route. For example, the tour titled “Door to Door” walks you past all the noteworthy architectural and historic buildings. The other two tours are “The 19th Century” and “The Walk of the Marquis”.

A day trip wouldn’t be complete without a wonderful lunch and I have just the place. A few years back on my very first visit to Saluzzo, I lunched at La Gargotta del Pellico and I can still remember the meal – Silvio Pellico was a patriot and writer was born in Saluzzo in 1789. The restaurant is hard to find as it is tucked away in the ancient city streets, but don’t let that put you off. When we finally found it, it was 2pm on the dot and I was worried they wouldn’t seat me and my sister for lunch, as typically 2pm is the cut off for any orders to the kitchen.

Thankfully the combination of my attempt to explain in Italian how I was lost, our mini-skirts (it was 85 degrees) and both being blonde may have helped and we were seated in an elegant dining room (with air-conditioning ).

One thing you will realize after staying a few days in the Langhe is that the menus at the restaurants are all very similar, however, just an hour away in Saluzzo you will find a refreshing new selection of Italian delicacies to enjoy. I remember for a starter my sister had a lovely lightly fried stuffed zucchini flower whereas I remember my main was fresh egg pasta with the most delicious duck (or was it boar) ragu I had ever had. For dessert we had fresh peach gelato that actually came stuffed in a frozen peach.

There is much to explore and writing this blog makes me want to be sure to get back on my next visit down to TorreBarolo.

Sites:

• The Cathedral, built in the years 1491-1501 and dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta and San Chiaffredo;
• The church of San Giovanni, hosting the finely sculpted sepulchre of marquis Ludwig II;
• Villa Belvedere, once the hunting residence of the Saluzzo Marquisses;
• Casa Cavassa, a symbol of the Renaissance with its 15 magnificent rooms, hosting the Civic Museum.

Saluzzo is 49km from Barolo and should take a bit under an hour by car. To reach Saluzzo, head back towards the A6 Autostrada and take the exit Bra/Marene.  Head towards Savigliano and the SP662.