The thousand shades of Canelli: in the capital of sparkling wine, a street for lovers in the shadow of baroque jewels.
Landscape.
Canelli is one of the main centers of the Belbo Valley.
More than 70% of the municipal territory is located on the hills: its beauty has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 22, 2014.
Canelli represents with Nizza Monferrato thesecond largest center in population (over 10,000 inhabitants) and importance in the Asti area, after Asti: it is about 28 km from the provincial capital.
Insights
Comune di Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/
History.
The origins of Canelli are very ancient, and this is evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds from the Roman period discovered in the area.
Canelli returned to flourish in the early Middle Ages after being the object of contention between the Alessandrini and Astesi, with the victory of the latter.
Canelli's history is marked by the domination of important noble families including the Asinari, Visconti, and Scarampi.
The territory was involved in bloody battles between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for the succession of the Duchy of Monferrato.
Canelli was placed under siege in 1613 by Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Nevérs: despite continuous attempts to break through, the Monferrato troops were unable to conquer the city, this also thanks to the decisive contribution offered by the population that supported the troops of the Duke of Savoy and forced the enemy to retreat.
The commemoration of the famous siege – suspended today – was staged until 2016.
Insights
Comune di Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/
Administration.
The Municipality of Canelli boasts the title of “City”.
Insights
Comune di Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/
Food and wine and typical products.
Canelli is known worldwide as the capital of sparkling wine (Spumante).
The wine industry began to develop in the eighteenth century and still today, thanks to such outstanding products as Moscato d'Asti (see: Associazione Produttori Moscato Canelli) and Asti Spumante, it remains one of the city's main resources.
An opportunity to taste them is represented by the Canelli Città del Vino review, in the month of June.
Canelli has been and still is home to historic wineries.
Among the secrets that guarantee the absolute quality of Canelli's wines, a fundamental role is represented by their conservation: here were born the famous Underground Cathedrals (also included in the UNESCO Heritage) of the historic spumante houses Bosca, Contratto, Coppo, and Gancia.
The development of oenology has been accompanied by tthe gradual establishment of the oenomechanical sector.
Canelli is not only a land of great wines but also of delicious delicacies for the palate, such as the white truffle: an opportunity to taste it is during the Regional Truffle Fair, hosted in Canelli in November.
Insights
Comune di Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/
- PRODOTTI TIPICI DEL TERRITORIO
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=2180&ID=584&TipoElemento=Categoria - PIATTI TIPICI DEL TERRITORIO
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=2180&ID=707&TipoElemento=Categoria
To be seen.
The city is divided into two distinct areas: Borgo and Villanuova.
The itinerary to discover Canelli starts from Piazza Amedeo d'Aosta, where Casa Scarazzini is located.
It continues in the direction of Piazza San Tommaso where we find the parish chuch of St. Thomas (chiesa parrocchiale di San Tommaso) which preserves a precious baptismal font inside; in front of it the Church of the Annunziata (Chiesa dell'Annunziata) is visible.
On the right side of the Church of St. Thomas begins one of the most characteristic and beloved streets of Canelli: the Sternia, a steep cobbled road (now via Villanuova) that climbs up the Villanuova area to the Gancia Castle.
The route offers striking viewpoints and was further enhanced in September 2018, with the creation of “The Way of the Lovers (La Via degli Innamorati)”.
Continuing along the Sternia we reach Piazza San Leonardo where we find one of the Baroque jewels of the Astigiano: it is the Church of St. Rocco (Chiesa di San Rocco).
The church's lapidarium contains four funeral stelae from the Roman era.
Opposite the Church of St. Rocco stands the Church of St. Leonard (Chiesa di San Leonardo).
Reaching the top of the hill of Villanuova we find the imposing Gancia Castle (Castello Gancia).
Other noteworthy historic buildings are the aforementioned Casa Scarazzini, Casa Cornaro, Palazzo G.B. Giuliani, Palazzo Grasso - Stresia, whose lines recall Palazzo Crova di Vaglio and Palazzo Osasco (formerly Palazzo Scarampi).
In Canelli, the cultural offer is enriched by the presence of interesting museums: the MU.S.A. (Multimedia Museum of Southern Asti), Bocchino Distillery Museum (Museo della Distilleria Bocchino), Vineyard, Wine and Old Habits of Farmers Museum (Museo della Vigna, del Vino e delle Vecchie Abitudini Contadine) and Gancia Museum (Museo Gancia).
Outdoor enthusiasts should note the presence of a giant bench, the Contini Tower (Torre dei Contini), visitable, and a panoramic terrace in via Villanuova.
Suitable places for a selfie are, finally, the monumental plane tree, the giant bottle provided by Cantine Gancia, and the chairs, also giant, in Via Roma, as well as the special rack - Canelli Sparkling Love project – dedicated to lovers and the artistic bench on the UNESCO Belvedere.
Insights
Comune di Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/
- EDIFICI RELIGIOSI
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=462&ID=562&TipoElemento=categoria - EDIFICI STORICI
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=462&ID=563&TipoElemento=categoria - MONUMENTI
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=462&ID=462&TipoElemento=categoria - MUSA museo multimediale del Sud Astigiano
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/Menu/dinamica.aspx?idSezione=222&idArea=2180&idCat=940&ID=942&TipoElemento=categoria
Curiosity.
In 1865, the first Italian sparkling wine was produced in Canelli.
Data source
- Synthesis / reprocessing information taken from the institutional website (current and previous versions) of the Municipality of Canelli - https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/notizie/notizie_homepage.aspx
- Cover image source: Municipality of Canelli - https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/notizie/notizie_homepage.aspx
Insights
Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera.
https://it.wikipedia.org
See also
News from Canelli
- Discover the latest news posted on the website of the Municipality of Canelli
https://www.comune.canelli.at.it/servizi/notizie/notizie_fase01.aspx?categoriaVisualizzata=19
Social network | Municipality of Canelli
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