So, I caught wind of an anomaly in the hills of the Napa Valley not too long ago and decided that it must be checked out. I mean, really.
The anomaly was this: A Castle. A Tuscan Castle. In NAPA. A New Tuscan Castle in Napa.
Say WHA????
For real tho, yo.
It's legit.
Ever heard of V. Sattuti Vineyard? (I hadn't, so don't feel bad if you haven't either.) Apparently it's quite famous. Well. The owner is a generational wine maker, whose roots go back to Italia. Thirty years ago he decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of building a Tuscan Castle in the Napa Valley. He researched and researched and researched the heck out of medeival Tuscan castles in Tuscany (Where else??), then began to build. His attention to detail is phenomenal!! (for instance, you'll notice the poppies that line the vines are red poppies like those found in Italy, rather than the native orange Californian poppies.) He used building techniques all authentic to their original period: The castle walls are mortared with proper mortar, of lime, sand and water. All of the bricks used in the construction of the Castle are over 200 years old, imported from Germany, Italy, etc. There are Roman Vaulted ceilings in the cellars, which no one in America knew how to build, so he imported Italian builders to do it. The whole place is simply astonishing.
Well, in 2005, the place was finished. It is now open for touring, tasting, etc. There are 108 rooms in the Castle over 8 levels. There is even a torture chamber and a pit of despair!! You have got to see this place!
It's called Castello di Amorosa. The Castle of Love. (Yah, sounds cheesy, but I think Amorosa actually translates to more of a "labor of love" than romantic love... but don't hold it against me if I'm wrong. My Italian is non molto bene, not very good).
So head on out to the Napa Valley. Enjoy the gorgeous drive and the amazing scenery stop off at Castello di Amorosa for a wonderfully informative tour of the Castle. Just don't close yourself into the Iron Maiden. Seriously. Oh, if you're a drinker of alcoholic things, the tour includes tastings of the Vineyard's wares. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed the muscat grape juice made on premises.
Photos!
The anomaly was this: A Castle. A Tuscan Castle. In NAPA. A New Tuscan Castle in Napa.
Say WHA????
For real tho, yo.
It's legit.
Ever heard of V. Sattuti Vineyard? (I hadn't, so don't feel bad if you haven't either.) Apparently it's quite famous. Well. The owner is a generational wine maker, whose roots go back to Italia. Thirty years ago he decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of building a Tuscan Castle in the Napa Valley. He researched and researched and researched the heck out of medeival Tuscan castles in Tuscany (Where else??), then began to build. His attention to detail is phenomenal!! (for instance, you'll notice the poppies that line the vines are red poppies like those found in Italy, rather than the native orange Californian poppies.) He used building techniques all authentic to their original period: The castle walls are mortared with proper mortar, of lime, sand and water. All of the bricks used in the construction of the Castle are over 200 years old, imported from Germany, Italy, etc. There are Roman Vaulted ceilings in the cellars, which no one in America knew how to build, so he imported Italian builders to do it. The whole place is simply astonishing.
Well, in 2005, the place was finished. It is now open for touring, tasting, etc. There are 108 rooms in the Castle over 8 levels. There is even a torture chamber and a pit of despair!! You have got to see this place!
It's called Castello di Amorosa. The Castle of Love. (Yah, sounds cheesy, but I think Amorosa actually translates to more of a "labor of love" than romantic love... but don't hold it against me if I'm wrong. My Italian is non molto bene, not very good).
So head on out to the Napa Valley. Enjoy the gorgeous drive and the amazing scenery stop off at Castello di Amorosa for a wonderfully informative tour of the Castle. Just don't close yourself into the Iron Maiden. Seriously. Oh, if you're a drinker of alcoholic things, the tour includes tastings of the Vineyard's wares. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed the muscat grape juice made on premises.
Photos!
No comments:
Post a Comment