BTB - Bar To Bar - Stage 6: Monforte d'Alba - Verduno

We exit Monforte on a paved road in the direction of Barolo as far as the small church of San Pietro, where we take the fork on the right for the homonymous Bricco and we travel, always on a paved road, half a turn around the woody hill, until we find the dirt access road which descends among the rows of vineyards towards Cascina St, to take the provincial road for Barolo to the right for a short distance. After a few metres, we take the fork to the left for the hamlet of Panerole and then, immediately to the right among the first houses, we turn slightly uphill. After the last house the road becomes grassy again, it goes over the ridge of the hill and gradually descends into the valley below Novello. Here we keep to the right at the various forks (all marked) and we enjoy the tranquillity of this basin surrounded by vineyards and dotted with willow trees.

Our main route turns right shortly after ourentrance, to take the ancient local road of Terlo, a well-known vineyard of Barolo that runs onflat ground as far asthe village, with just a few gentle ups and downs to follow the waves of the hill. We also reach Barolo from high up, from via Vittorio Veneto, precisely above the historic Cantina Pira, on the upper square of the village. The road which descends runs between the houses and theLiberty palaces of the 19th century expansion of the village, while at the next junction we enter the medieval fabric of the village which ends on the rock formation with Castle Falletti (today WiMu Wine Museum and Regional Wine shop of Barolo), the parish church and the confraternity to summarisethe essence of each village of Langa.

In Castle Falletti, thanks to Marchesa Giulia Colbert, the modern Barolo was born or, better still, one of the three historic cradles, with Grinzane Cavour thanks to the work of Count Camillo Benso and Verduno with King Carlo Alberto. The Marchesa should also be remembered for the countless charity works to which she dedicated her long widowhood (orphans, unmarried mothers, prisoners, etc.) and for the support (she who was from the Vende) to the ideas and to the motions of the Risorgimento (she welcomed and employed Silvio Pellico as librarian). Giulia Falletti has been beatified by the Church of Rome and she isnow in the odor of sanctity, next to the many social saints of the 19th century (from Don Bosco to Cottolengo, to mention the two best known). The Corkscrew Museum, a private initiative of the collector Paolo Annoni, who has made his incredible collection open to the public. Our route continues from the high square, to which we return after the must-see tour of the village, to exit in the direction of Alba and, having passed the roundabout for Novello (first exit), shortly after take via Bergesia on the left, which descends from the Cannubi (one of the most important crus of Barolo) into thebasin below.

From the Cannubi ridge the glimpse rests on the infinite hill of La Morra, the queen of Barolo, with its 513 metres, protecting it from the cold winds of the Cuneo plain, true artifice of the microclimate of this microzone so unique and unrepeatable. Here, before us, are the crus of Sarmassa, Fossati, Cerequio, La Serra and Brunate, desired by every collectorfor their unmistakable elegance. From the basin, we climb back up immediately on a dirt access road among the vineyards of Sarmassa and Cerequio to reach the small hamlet that is now home to a charming relais immersed in vineyards. The next climb which will take us to La Morra is one of the steepest of all the Langhe, climbing practically straight up to the junction of the Fontanazza (from which if you descend to the right, shortly after you reach the Chapel of Barolo, mad Pop-Art idea by Sol Le Witt and David Tremlett), to then run along the coast of the hill and, finally, enter the village with one last stretch.

La Morra deserves to be travelled in its entirety, starting from the ramparts and then penetrating the grid of chessboard streets that climb as far as the bell tower (like in Monforte, last fragment of the disappeared castle). The square that everyone knows as del Belvedere well justifies its name, opening out to give a birds-eye view of all the vineyards of Barolo. Good mapping allows to identify the villages that dot the hills, while the darker line precisely on the horizon is already the impalpable boundary between Piedmont and Liguria, between hills and sea. The Statue of the Winegrower has just this year revealed a classic langhetti-style secret in the basement: bottles and bottles of Barolo (of the year in which it was erected) left there, secretly hidden, to the delight of the lucky finders and to the greater memory of the producers! From La Morra, we exit towards Verduno. After a few kilometres on paved road, we take the unpaved junction of Loreto on the right, which will take us to the homonymous chapel (to our right) downhill. Continue, until we cross the provincial road again and, after 1 km, on the left take the uphill climb of the aqueduct, which descends again on the village of Verduno.

Monforte dAlba: Horszowski Auditorium, Civic Museum Colonnello Martina, Civic Tower, Oratory of San Agostino and Bonifacio Barolo: Regional Barolo Wine Shop, Castle della Volta La Morra: Bell tower, Church of Saint Martin, Chapel of S. Maria delle Grazie (Chapel of Barolo), Ancient Ramparts, Municipal Winery, Church of Santa Maria, Church of SS. Annunziata, Ratti Museum of Alba Wines, Country Chapel of Madonna di Loreto Verduno: Viewpoint, Sanctuary of Beato Valfr, Municipal Winery, Church of San Michele.