Canelli's Wine Cathedrals

Published June 24, 2010 at 7:41 a.m.
The 'Wine Cathedrals' of Canelli are hidden masterpieces of engineering and architecture. These underground cellars were dug out from the clay soil in the sixteenth century and extend for many kilometres beneath the town and surrounding hills.

They were then considerably lengthened in the nineteenth century and offer perfect thermal insulation and a constant temperature of 12-14 degrees Celsius, ideal for refining the wine's characteristics. Today they house over a million bottles of wine.

The cellars are open to the public for tastings and tours on the third weekends of May and June, the third and fourth weekends in September, the third weekend in October and the second and third weekends in November.

Top Tip: Look out for the cellars of Gancia, Coppo and Contratto.

How to get there:

Canelli is on the banks of the River Belbo in the Alto Monferrato area close to Asti, and is easily reached from Turin or Genoa.

By Air: The most convenient airports to Canelli are Turin and Genoa. The Aeroporto di Torino (Turin) is about 90 minutes from Canelli whereas Aeroporto di Genova (Genoa) is slightly closer...Both are well served by major airlines as well as budget ones including Easyjet and Ryanair.

By Car: Take the A21Torino - Piacenza and exit at Asti Est or the A26 Genova Voltri - Gravellona Toce and exit at Alessandra Sud.

By Train: Canelli has a mainline train station as well as a rural train service with onward connections to Alba, Alessandria, Acqui Terme and Asti from where major cities can be reached.

By Bus: Buses run from Canelli to Asti every hour and the journey takes about 30 minutes.


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