ON 19 JUNE, IN THE PARK OF THE GRINZANE CAVOUR CASTLE, THE CELEBRATION TO MARK THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY SINCE UNESCO RECOGNITION

Seven years after being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour is celebrating the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato wine-growing landscapes with a major event at the Grinzane Cavour Castle, the landmark of these hills.

The event is scheduled on Saturday 19th June, in the evening, for a great UNESCO Celebration that – in respect of the provisions in force for the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic – will see as key protagonist the manor, home to the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, as well as of the Ethnographic Museum and Cavour’s relics, which every year is the setting for the prestigious Alba White Truffle World Auction.

To enhance this 2021 anniversary celebration – promoted by the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour in collaboration with the Piedmont Region, the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Board, the Association for the Heritage of the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato Wine Landscapes and other important territorial organisations – there will be the inauguration of the “IN VIGNA” Museum.An open-air emotional and educational journey through the rows of vines, to discover the vineyard and the production of wine grapes. Immersed in the “Vigna del Conte” (Count’s Vineyard), at the foot of Grinzane Cavour Castle. It will be possible to deepen one’s knowledge of the vegetative cycle of the vine and the work of the vine-dresser, an expression of that rural wisdom – halfway between art and craft – which for centuries has been handed down from generation to generation in these hills.

It was here that, thanks to the acumen of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, and Giulia Colbert Falletti, Marquise of Barolo, the systems of vine cultivation and grape vinification were innovated, giving rise, with the help of the general and oenologist Francesco Staglieno, to the birth of Barolo. It was here, therefore, that the myth of the great wines that this land produces and gives to the world was born.

A dream that has evolved over the years, becoming a key factor in the promotion of the area, which is now a sought-after destination and reference point for international food and wine tourism.

After a preview visit to the IN VIGNA Museum, the heart of the opening ceremony will be a concert in the Castle Park, organised in collaboration with the Alba Music Festival. Under the artistic direction of Maestro Giuseppe Nova, also this year the event called “Suoni dalle Colline di Langhe e Roero” (Sounds from the Hills of Langhe and Roero) – now in its 15th edition – will offer music and emotions interwoven with the local culture, in the unique natural setting of the castle garden, where art is embraced by thought and emotion. Under the guidance of conductor Jeff Silberschlag, the Italy&USA Orchestra – Alba Music Festival Virtuosi will play music ranging from Europe to the United States of America, from Verdi to Gershwin.

To end the celebrations, there is the final toast and the food and wine conviviality, with the tasting of products from the project named “Filiera corta nel Castello UNESCO” (Short supply chain in the UNESCO Castle), aimed at encouraging the development of short supply chains in local markets, promoted by the Piedmont Region and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

A night walk through the lit-up IN VIGNA Museum will be the perfect setting for an exclusive evening finale.

The IN VIGNA museum is a project developed by the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, with the support of the municipalities of Alba and Grinzane Cavour, as part of the ÀMPELO cross-border cooperation project under the Interreg V-A Italy/France ALCOTRA Programme 2014-2020. The project partners are Ente Turismo Langhe Monferrato Roero, Office de Tourisme DLVA and Université Européenne des Saveurs & des Senteurs (UESS).

 “After some very difficult months, we all need normality and a fresh start. And Piedmont is ready to welcome back, among its splendid Unesco hills, visitors eager to discover or return to our marvellous land,” declared Alberto Cirio, President of the Piedmont Region – We are confident that the IN VIGNA Museum will be a new attraction for the area, providing a great boost and added value to the tourist offer for those who come to experience the excellence of the hospitality of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato region”.

“We are delighted to celebrate this seventh Unesco anniversary at Grinzane Cavour Castle,” says Roberto Bodrito, President of the Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour – The IN VIGNA Museum, whose creation was made possible thanks to important synergies with various local partners, is an experiential journey that is an absolute added value for the specific UNESCO site and deserves a special event for its inauguration. IN VIGNA’ is an open-air museum: the vineyard and the landscape are its living collection. It is a journey of observation, from one harvest to the next, phase after phase, of a year of vines, to discover what it takes to produce some of the most sought-after wines in the world”.

Speaking of the tourist offer, Gianfranco Garau, mayor of Grinzane Cavour, adds: “The world of outdoor activities is becoming increasingly complementary to the local traditional food and wine offer, and it is expanding the range of our tourist facilities. The key to continued growth lies in the ability to build a network, working in synergy with all the local players, as we have done for the creation of this splendid Museum, which is an absolute innovation.

“Our hills and the proposals in the countryside are rightfully among the innovative ways in which we can look to the future of tourism in a contemporary key, by offering visitors an increasingly authentic, unique experience, moving towards a deseasonalisation of the tourism flow,” adds Carlo Bo, mayor of Alba. – This innovative and original open-air museum will further contribute to making Grinzane Cavour Castle an increasingly important reference point for the entire Langhe, Roero and Monferrato area.”

 “IN VIGNA is a tangible demonstration of how European contributions can be used to develop the tourist economy of a destination, generating the leverage effect to which such interventions aspire,” sums up Luigi Barbero, President of Ente Turismo Langhe Monferrato Roero – The creation of the path inside the Vigna del Conte (Vineyard of the Count) underlines the tourist value of the UNESCO wine-growing landscape. Once again, the Langhe Monferrato Roero area has demonstrated its capacity for innovation and its vocation for accessibility and hospitality, which have always distinguished it”.

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Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour – Castello di Grinzane Cavour
Via Castello, 5 – 12060 Grinzane Cavour
Tel. +39 0173-262159 – info@castellogrinzane.com

Ufficio Stampa
Pietro Ramunno – Impresso Studio
Tel. + 39 339-5943085 – pietro@impressostudio.it