Barolo, Cuneo, Langhe, Piedmont, Italy, Europe
Barolo is an Italian town of 739 inhabitants of the province of Cuneo, in Piedmont. The country is located on a small plateau, in the form of spur, protected by the surrounding mountains, an amphitheater. It is hitting the town the different positioning of its urban core compared to neighboring countries, placed around the top of a hill or along a ridge. There is no precise information on the birth of Barolo, though the area was inhabited in prehistoric times by Celtic-Ligurian tribes, the first actual settlement on the territory of barbarian origin and dating back to the Middle Ages. During the rule Longobardo depended Gastaldo of Diano, step 'then under the County of Alba and later under the March of Turin. The original core of the castle was built in that period by Berenger I, as a defense against Saracen raids. In 1200 the village is mentioned in Rigestum Comunis Albe with the name of Villa Barogly. In 1250 the family Falletti, acquired all the possessions of Barolo by the city of Alba. The Falletti were a powerful family of bankers, representatives of the new bourgeoisie, which marked the fate of Barolo and the surrounding areas. Around 1300 they came to control up to fifty Piedmontese feuds. In 1486 Barolo became part of the State Monferrino, then moved in 1631 to the Savoy the Treaty of Cherasco. Barolo became Marquis in 1730, the first Marquis was Gerolamo IV. After Gerolamo IV, there were only two other Marchesi: Ottavio Alessandro Falletti and Carlo Tancredi, the latter's death ruled his wife the Marquise Juliette Colbert, who was known for his brilliance and for his actions in favor of the weakest. When he died in 1864 in his will there was the establishment of the Opera Pia Barolo which left the entire family fortune. The charming and imposing structure tells a thousand years of history, full of suggestions and tips. Inside the impressive halls, you can visit the Historical Library ordered by Silvio Pellico and the Country Museum. Frequently they are held important art exhibitions. In the ancient cellars hosts the prestigious Enoteca Regionale del Barolo. Since 2007 he is part of the circuit of 8 castles Castelli Doc. The network of castles include the castles of Grinzane Cavour, Barolo, Serralunga d'Alba, Govone, Magliano Alfieri, Roddi, Mango and Benevello. It is also inserted in the circuit of Open Castles Southern Piedmont. The history of the castle is believed to have begun, given the lack of historical documents about his birth, in the tenth century, when Berengar I allowed the local feudal lord to erect an effective defense against the frequent raids of the Hungarians and the Saracens. Of the original structure remains very little: the keep, still visible today, is part of it. The first written record dates back to the '200 in a deed of transfer of property by the Lords of Marcenasco in favor of the town of Alba, who, a few years later, he sold it to the Falletti who renovated it significantly and made it permanent residence of a branch of the house. In 1544, however, it was made by the French governor of plunder neighboring Cherasco, during the long wars of the time. He fell later to Giacomo and Manfredo repair the considerable damage, bringing further modification and improvement. The new, the result of sixteenth-century restorations, remained substantially unchanged until 1864, the year of the death of Juliette Colbert, last Marchioness Falletti. Meanwhile, the castle had become a country residence due to the transfer of the principal residence of the Falletti, which occurred in 1814, at Palazzo Barolo in Turin. Among its illustrious guests during the last era of the Falletti stands undoubtedly Silvio Pellico, presented the Marchioness Cesare Balbo after decades of imprisonment of Spielberg, who later became over the years a close friend, trusted adviser and director of the library Falletti. Pellico and the Marchesa used to spend long days together between the Falletti castle and the castle of Volta, dedicated to reading and conversation. The visit to the Castle Falletti focuses on the first floor, the so-called noble floor, the first room you come across going up the stairs is the Hall of the Four Seasons, spacious and bright room with fine furnishings empire building that owes its name to four paintings surmount many doors and each dedicated to a season of the year. From this room has access to the Hall of coats of arms, whose ceiling is decorated with the emblems of the Falletti is that of the families with whom they are related. Besides the monumental fireplace and its century stucco decoration, this room houses a number of years the meetings of the council.