Castello di Canelli

Perched on a hill overlooking the city, Castello di Canelli features not only an Italian-style garden bordered by ancient ramparts, but also includes the meadows and vineyards that line Via Villa Nuova and the vineyards behind the garden and the adjacent farmhouse.

History of the Castello di Canelli
Built in the 11th century in a dominant position to defend the Belbo Valley and control the trade route linking Asti to the port of Savona, the Castle was donated by Otto I to the Alerami family in 967. Over the years, it expanded significantly due to the prosperity of the Canelli lords.

During the Renaissance period, it came into the possession of the Scarampi family, who enlarged and renovated it into an elegant and sumptuous residence. Dismantled in 1617 by the Spaniards during the War of the Monferrato Succession, it was rebuilt starting from 1676 by the last Scarampi-Crivelli Marquises.

In the early 1900s, Camillo Gancia purchased the castle, entrusting its restoration and recovery project to architect Arturo Midana in 1929.

Services offered
Visits of the Italian garden and wine tasting sessions of Canelli DOCG, a Moscato wine produced from the estate’s neighbouring vineyards.

Wine tasting
Located inside the former 17th-century church of Sant’Antonio, the wine shop features a portico overlooking the piazza leading to the castle entrance. Visitors can taste and purchase the castle’s wines in the shop’s outdoor seating area.

The tasting room, positioned in the farmhouse among the vineyards behind the castle, provides the ideal setting for wine tasting experiences.

The garden of the Castello di Canelli was renowned for its beauty even before its destruction in 1617, as recounted by Ghilini: “… the castle could be compared to any other, both for its beauty and strength, possessing as it does all the qualities and excellences that can make a place remarkable and distinguished: among its many delights, the garden was particularly noted for its outstanding abundance of various fruits and pleasures …”

During the 1676 reconstruction by the Scarampi-Crivelli family, some elements of the garden were preserved, including the majestic Lebanese cedar tree, the well and the underground rainwater cistern. The garden, elevated on a terrace behind the castle, is enclosed by medieval walls. It was restored in 1929 by architect Arturo Midana, who recovered the Italianate garden with boxwood and privet hedges bordered by lime tree avenues, which over the years have replaced the original elm trees. The rose garden, adjacent to the Lebanese cedar dating back to the Scarampi-Crivelli reconstruction, features different varieties of roses, including the Emanuela Gancia, dedicated to the current owner’s mother by the French nursery Meilland Richardier.