Saluzzo, authentic beauty at the foot of mount Monviso
One of those places that remain unknown even to experienced Italy lovers is the town Saluzzo. Once this little town at the foot of the high Monviso mountain was the capital of an indepent country, the marchesato del Saluzzo, which covered a huge territory both in the Alps to the west and to the east into the Langhe hills, including Dogliani and its territory where it almost included Barolo. It is a wonderful little town with a well preserved old centre.
Saluzzo once covered a big part of the territories of the provinces of Cuneo and Torino. The Marquesate reached the period of greatest splendor in the 15th century: Marquis Ludovico I contained a policy of neutrality towards the wars in Italy and acted as a mediator between the emperor and the king of France. He also had the first tunnel through the Alps built, the Buco di Viso which connected Saluzzo with the Dauphiné and the Provence. When his children fought about his throne, the King of France profitted to annex Saluzzo to France. But with Treaty of Lyon (1601) the Duke of Savoy managed to join Saluzzo to his possessions and this situation remained until the Unification of Italy.
Photo: the ‘Buco di Viso‘ the first tunnel through the Alps, constructed by Ludovico II of Saluzzo in the 16th century at a height of 2.882 m above sea level.
Under Savoy
When in the 16th century Saluzzo became part of the reign of the counts of Savoie, it lost its importance and remained almost forgotten. The court of Saluzzo had been known for its vivacious artistic life with musicians and intellectuals visiting and there was a medical school, quite revolutionary for the time. When Leonardo da Vinci went to France, his last travel, he stopped several days in Saluzzo receiving much honours by the Marchese di Saluzzo. The old part of the town has remained very authentic and is a real jewel, with little medieval streets, arcades, old palaces and churches.
Between 1475 and 1504 the Marchese di Saluzzo gave this palace to the Cavassa family, one of the highlights of the historical part of the town, high on the hill. Casa Cavassa is one of Piemonte´s highlights of the Renaissance period because of its particular paintings showing a remarkable welfare. Above the entrance there is the family weapon with the motto “Droit quoi qu’il soit”, because the Cavassa family reigned justice for the Marchese di Saluzzo.
Unforgettable are the paintings of Hans Clemer, a Flemish painter who had come into contact with the Renaissance in the Provence. His frescoes in the Cattedrale are quite remarkable as the painting ´La Madonna della Misericordia´ (1499-1500) in Casa Cavassa. Above the town is the old Castello the fortress that for long time became a prison and is now in phase of getting a new destination.
Photo: The ‘La Madonna della Misericordia’ painting by Hans Klemer in Casa Cavassa.
Protestant influence: a particular history
Saluzzo is one of those corners of Italy that remains undiscovered. The area is very mountainous, dominated by Mon Viso. But during the Middle Ages the routes through the mountains were important ways of comunication with the other side of the Alps.
During the period of the Reformation in the 16th century the protestant influence was strong, also because in many bordering territories the Protestant influence was dominant: in the areas near Turin and Pinerolo, Racconigi, Carmagnola and south vs Cuneo. And the fact that in the Provence and the Dauphiné many huguenots were living contributed to the Protestant influence in Saluzzo. It is remarkable to notice that in the Marquisate of Saluzzo the spread of the Reformation did not cause deeply-rooted divisions among the local population, but rather extended and transformed the pre-existing diversity of religious expressions and ritual practices.
Photo: in the old center of Saluzzo: the oldest parts are dating from early Middle Age and are well preserved. This part of Saluzzo is often used by film crews who are looking for an authentic setting.
Is there wine in this rather unknown area of Piemonte?
As you may expect from a capital of a former state, there are wines and they are based on very old traditions. These traditions date at least from early Middle Age but probably there was viticulture before. The Saluzzo area is surrounded by three glacial valleys: the Valle Po, the Val Bronda and Val Varaita. Because of the small Ice Age of the 16th century, when the earth’s temperature dropped, planting vines in the Saluzzo area was so difficult that the grapes obtained a low sugar level and a high level of acidity. For a long period the wines were known for low alcohol but that has changed because of the climate change. Even here, in this cool area at the foot of Monviso, there are now wines that can sometimes reach 14.5 degrees of volume.
Today these wines, and vineyards, lying at the foot of the Alps, are practically unknown to a wider public, even in Italy.
There are hundred hectares of vineyards around Saluzzo: they start just north of Saluzzo and continue south until Costigliole Saluzzo. And, what is very interesting, there are also very unknown, obscure grapes still in production.
The wines from the area of Saluzzo may have the DOC Colline Saluzzesi.
Chateau d’Yquem and Saluzzo
Even less known is that one of the descendents of Marchese Saluzzo married in 1785 Francoise-Joséphine de Sauvage, owner of Château d´Yquem, that is why the late owners were called Conte de Lur-Saluces – a clear link to the history of Saluzzo. Also this story is almost forgotten.
Wineries and grape varieties
There are several typical Piemontese varieties found in this area, among them Nebbiolo, Freisa, Barbera, Neretto and others.
But there are some grape varieties that are typical for the area of Saluzzo:
– Pelaverga (or: Pelaverga di Saluzzo): this is a light aromatic red grape that gives delightful and not so heavy wines and good rosé wines. The alcohol level is low. It is a different variety from Pelaverga di Verduno to which it is not related. It is thought that this variety has been introduced here in the 8th century by the monks.
– Quagliano: a very rare variety, somewhat similar to Brachetto. It gives elegant sweet, red wines with low alcohol and very elegant aromas. It is very aromatic and therefore mostly used as sweet wine – normally it comes with 5% alcohol.
– Chatus: this grape variety is also found in France in the Auvergne. Here in Piemonte it is also called ‘Nebbiolo di Dronero’ but that name is very confusing. It gives a rather light, drinkable red wine with some structure.
– Maero Vini
www.maerovini.com
Leading winemaker Emidio Maero presents eccellent rosato and red wines from the unknown variety Pelaverga and other wines.
– Cascina Melognis is a small family winery, guided by professor Michele Fino and his wife Vanina Carta. They produce several wines that are typical for the area, all based on local, authentic varieties.
Restaurants:
ristorante La Cave
ristorante Monviso
in Cavour: Locanda la Posta
Sleep: Hotel Griselda
Shop: Karver wine shop. Here you can find a fantastic selection of local and Italian wines. This shop is another reason to visit Saluzzo!
Photo: Vanina Carta and here wine, Cascina Melognis.