May 1, 2022

Canelli and the Underground Cathedrals UNESCO heritage

The town of Canelli is the Italian capital of Spumante where Asti Spumante by Carlo Gancia was born in 1865. It’s mainly famous for its underground wineries, real Underground Cathedrals extended under the town, architectural and engineering wine-making masterpieces where millions of bottles are allowed to ferment at a constant temperature of 12-14 degrees taking on the aroma and the typical flavours of spumante and wines.
Canelli is a medieval town that developed around the ancient structure formed by stratifications around the Castle. Its economy is based on the processing of Spumante and Moscato wine, so Canelli is known all over the world for its wines and winemaking traditions.
It is home to many historic wine companies like Bosca, Coppo, Contratto, Gancia and the historic Bocchino distillery.
They create a unique landscape developing along the rolling hills covered by vineyards as far as the eye can see and shaped over the years by man’s work.
The visit to the Underground Cathedrals is a unique experience, the most original and characteristic place you can discover in Canelli but also the least visible.
This is where the project that led to the recognition of the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato Vitivinicoli Landscapes as the 50th UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy started.
A team of highly trained young people will guide you along the way enriching it with historical anecdotes which will make your stay even more attractive. Before or after the visit and the wine tasting into the wineries, a tasting menu of the local typical dishes will make this experience simply unforgettable.

Visita Castello Gancia
Visita Cattedrali Sotterranee Canelli

The Underground Cathedrals

You will enter one of the most fascinating places in the world of wine, welcomed by people that have dedicated their lives to grow and store one of the most famous products in the world:the wine of the Piedmont region.. Entrerai nel sottosuolo di Canelli dove sono state scavate gallerie nel tufo per oltre 20 km e camminerai in silenzio respirando il profumo del legno delle botti, circondato da milioni di bottiglie che stanno invecchiando. Ti racconteremo la storia del genio e della passione di chi ha costruito queste cantine assaggiando i loro vini straordinari.

The Castle of Canelli

The Castle of Canelli was built in the eleventh century to defend and control the commercial route connecting the town of Asti to the port of Savona. The complex grew bigger and bigger through the following years thanks to the fortune of the Signori governing Canelli then inherited by the Scarampi family during the Renaissance, it was enlarged and restored becoming an elegant and somptuous residence. Then dismantelled in 1617 by the Spanish during the Monferrato Succession War, it was rebuilt in 1676 by the last Marquis Scarampi-Crivelli. Carlo Gancia purchased it at the beginning of the XX century and assigned the restoration and renovation project to the architect Arturo Midana in 1929. The gardens of the Castle will be open to the TrEno tourists.

Visita al Castello Gancia
Mangiare bene a Canelli

Food and wine experience

In addition to the wines, these extraordinary lands present an equally rich local gastronomic offer: from meat, also eaten raw, to hand-made pasta and infinite varieties of cheese, tome and robiola, from vegetables to slowly cooked braised meat, to desserts. Their taste accompanied by fine wines will crown your experience.
At the restaurant you will have a rich menu with some local typical dishes: a mixed Piedmontese appetizer, a traditional first course, a second course with a side dish, a typical dessert, a glass of Barbera d’Asti DOCG, and a glass of Canelli Moscato d’Asti DOCG.

Outward journey

09.00 Departure from Torino Porta Nuova
09.10 Departure from Torino Lingotto
11.25 Arrival at Canelli

Return trip

17.30 Departure from Canelli
19.18 Arrival a Torino Lingotto
19.30 Arrival at Torino Porta Nuova

Visita Cattedrali Sotterranee Canelli

Canelli

Restaurant

Grappolo d'Oro

  • Train ticket
  • Welcome Aperitif
  • Guided tour of Canelli with the ‘landscape storymovers®’
  • Visit to the Underground Cathedral
  • Visit to the Gardens of the Castle of Canelli
  • Lunch at the restaurant
    Grappolo d’Oro

160 €

Visita Cattedrali Sotterranee Canelli

Canelli

Restaurant

I Meravigliati

  • Train ticket
  • Welcome Aperitif
  • Guided tour of Canelli with the ‘landscape storymovers®’
  • Visit to the Underground Cathedral
  • Visit to the Gardens of the Castle of Canelli
  • Lunch at the restaurant
    I Meravigliati

165 €

Visita Cattedrali Sotterranee Canelli

Canelli

Restaurant

Civico 15

  • Train ticket
  • Welcome Aperitif
  • Guided tour of Canelli with the ‘landscape storymovers®’
  • Visit to the Underground Cathedral
  • Visit to the Gardens of the Castle of Canelli
  • Lunch at the restaurant
    Civico 15

185 €

Treno a Vapore Monferrato

Canelli

Train ticket

  • Ticket Torino – Canelli – Torino

  • Adult with steam locomotive 75 euro

  • Children (4-12) with steam locomotive 40 euro


75 €