The Barolo castle and the WiMu
South of Turin, the Langhe are a landscape of gentle hills entirely covered with vineyards, dotted with hilltop villages, castles and towers, which since 2014 have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Roero and Monferrato, as "The Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont". It is the land of the Nebbiolo grape and of one of the greatest red wines in the world, the Barolo, the "king of wines and wine of kings", as it was called at the Savoy court.
The village of Barolo, which gives its name to the wine, is a small cluster of houses at the foot of the Castello Falletti, the castle of the marquises Falletti. It was here, in the nineteenth century, that the Marchesa Juliette Colbert Falletti and Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, with the help of the French oenologist Louis Oudart, transformed the local sweet red wine into a dry, structured wine, suited to long ageing, the Barolo we know today. The castle now houses the WiMu, the Wine Museum, an interactive and multimedia museum, designed by François Confino, that tells the history and culture of wine through the seasons, the senses and art, ending on the terrace with a view over the vineyards. Under the castle the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo offers tastings of wines from the eleven municipalities of the Barolo DOCG area. The village also has the curious Corkscrew Museum.
Tip: the Langhe are best visited in autumn, during the harvest and the white truffle season; many wineries require booking for tastings.
Where it is
More things to see in Piedmont
Where to stay near Barolo
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.