Castle "della Volta"

The magnificent location of the Castello della Volta, easily seen from Barolo, is not matched, unfortunately, by its current state of preservation. It can be reached by following the road from Barolo to La Morra. Manfredo di Saluzzo, a descendant of Boniface del Vasto, built the castle in the twelfth century. Before it fell under Alba’s control, it belonged for some time to the De Braida family.
It passed to the commune of Alba, then became part of the Barolo fiefdom, and finally ended up in the hands of the Falletti. The history of the castle is complex: always the center of possible divestments and attempted demolitions as well as legendary theater events. The collapse of the vault of the central hall at the beginning of XIV (hence the name “Of the Vault”) was interpreted by popular imagination in religious terms; because the men and women of the court of the castle’s lord, dressed and undressed in the throes of a collective orgy, they were buried by the collapse of the ceiling as the devil wanted to take possession of their souls. The final act took place just before and after 1800, when it was fitted out as a noble residence and served as the elected spot for the last Marchesa Falletti to while away tranquil hours in the company of Silvio Pellico, enjoying the shade of the (no longer extant) horse-chestnut trees and the spacious views. With the end of the Falletti family, the Castello fell gradually into disrepair and was further damaged in 1944 by German artillery. It has remained in poor condition up until the present day. Its current perilous state does serve, however, to lend credence to its numerous romantic legends.
It currently belongs to a Barolo winery.