Grinzane Cavour Castle Tours

A dramatic hilltop perch and imposing watchtowers make this 13th-century fortress one of the most remarkable sights in the UNESCO-listed Le Langhe-Roero countryside. Just outside the town of Alba, the castle is home to the Enoteca Regionale, a shop stocked with local specialties, including the region’s prestigious wines.

The Basics
The medieval Grinzane Cavour Castle stands on a hill overlooking Piedmont’s most picturesque wine country and truffle woods. The building displays a combination of architectural styles that span the centuries between the 1200s and 1600s, including a coffered ceiling with 157 painted panels, round turrets, and a square central tower.

Visitors can give themselves a self-guided tour or come with a guided group as part of a multi-day tour of Piedmont. The castle houses the Langhe Museum, which is dedicated to the area’s culture and history, and the Enoteca Regionale, a shop selling local specialties like Piedmont’s famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines and Alba’s precious white truffles.  

Things to Know Before You Go

• This historic castle and its wine shop are a paradise for architecture buffs and oenophiles.
• The rolling Le Langhe landscape surrounding the castle is one of the most picturesque in Piedmont, so bring your camera.
• The ground floor of the castle, including the Enoteca Regionale shop and the first hall of the museum, is accessible to wheelchair users.
• The castle is also home to the Al Castello restaurant, which features local specialties in a fine dining atmosphere.

How to Get There
Many visitors choose to see the castle as part of a tour of Piedmont that includes transportation. By car, take the A33 highway from Alba to Via Castello in Grinzane Cavour. There is no public transportation to the castle.

When to Get There
The castle and enoteca are open Wednesday through Monday, from 10am to 7pm. Last entry to the museum is at 6pm, and the last tasting is at 6:30pm. Both the museum and enoteca are closed on Tuesday. For gourmands, the best time of year to visit is in November, for Alba’s annual white truffle festival. (The castle hosts a famous truffle auction during the festival and is closed to visitors during the bidding.)

The UNESCO-recognized landscapes of Le Langhe-Roero and Monferrato
The countrysides of Le Langhe-Roero and Monferrato in Piedmont were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014. This area includes the pretty hilltowns of Bra, Barolo, Serralunga, La Morra, and Nieve, in addition to five wine growing areas. Locals have been growing wine in hills in Piedmont since the Etruscans lived here in 500 BC, and the area is known for some of the most prestigious and expensive wines in Italy.