A fascinating journey through the Italian winegrowing landscapes, a World Heritage Site
Italy is the country with the highest number of world heritage sites listed by UNESCO. Among these, together with the most dazzling and well-known spots of the peninsula (Venice, the centre of Florence, the Savoy Residences in Piedmont), are some winegrowing landscapes that have become famous for their incredible beauty. The Langhe, Roero and Monferrato areas in Piedmont and the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in Veneto are places where the harmony of the natural landscape, the shape given by the hand of man and the presence of monuments and castles of great historical importance come together and create a breathtaking setting, an ideal place for healing and rest.
This fortunate union is made possible thanks to the presence of some wineries that, as keepers of the landscape and cultural values of their territory, offer unique experiences, as well as the chance to taste some of the greatest wines in the world.
PIEDMONT
Coppo
In the historic town of Canelli, among the rolling hills of Monferrato, Coppo winery was founded in 1892, and is still owned by the family bearing the same name. Coppo winery represents high quality in the Piedmontese production of sparkling wines and its Underground Cathedrals (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) are preserved below the surface: probably built in the 18th century and utilized as small spaces for conserving, the underground cellars have been brought back into use and expanded during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today completely renovated and open to visitors, the majestic cathedrals stretch under Canelli hill for a total of five thousand square meters and up to a depth of forty meters.
Cascina Chicco
Cascina Chicco is located among the steep vine hills of the Roero, a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with those of Langhe and Monferrato. A place of legends, masche (local Piedmontese witches, skilled in disguising and transforming), forests and cliffs, Roero holds the darkest secrets of Piedmont. And it is here that the Faccenda family, founder and owner of the winery for generations, leads operations in their cellar, observing the utmost respect for the uniqueness of the surrounding environment and the hillside biodiversity. Surrounded by vineyards and hazel groves, the cellar is for most part built within the hill, where a spectacular underground space stretches for more than 5,000 square meters; here, guests can enjoy the splendid gypsum crystals emerging from the walls and originating from the numerous gypsum veins that run through the Roero subsoil.
VENETO
Bortolomiol
Bortolomiol is one of the most important Prosecco wineries in the world and it is a winegrowing location that allows a more intense and intimate contact with nature. For years, the winery has been committed to enhancing and maintaining the typical characteristics of the Valdobbiadene territory intact and alive by implementing a sustainable approach with regards to the people, the organic winegrowing practices and the cellar building, designed to reduce energy consumption to the fullest. Bortolomiol’s project of promoting the beauty of the Prosecco hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, a World Heritage Site, includes a series of activities organized within the Parco della Filandetta, designed to bring wine-lovers closer to the production of Prosecco Superiore DOCG: guided walks through the organic vineyard, visits to the winemaking cellar and tastings are at the heart of this experience, a truly green one.
Col Vetoraz
Founded by Francesco Miotto, Paolo De Bortoli and Loris Dall’Acqua in 1993, Col Vetoraz rises on the hills that stretch between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, a place where man has been able to shape a captivating landscape over the centuries. Due to the steep sloping of the hills, cultivation and harvesting are done by hand, earning the name “heroic” viticulture.
This place is rich in history and beauty, and Col Vetoraz enhances and promotes it by producing outstanding wines and opening its doors to visitors who want to immerse themselves in the history, the wild nature and the discovery of Valdobbiadene DOCG while looking out from the large windows of the suggestive room facing Mont Cartizze, which rises against the background of an incredible hilly landscape.
