In Piemonte, when the Wool Road changes course south of Biella towards Alba, the fiber connects textile traditions to centuries of wine production. The culture of wine and its landscapes resulted in UNESCO’s designation of the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato regions as a World Heritage classification in 2014. Where factory chimneys overlooked Biella, Langhe’s watchtowers and castles that protected the valleys between rolling, tongue-like hills, dominate the  views.

Barbaresco’s tower repurposed into a wine space now celebrates local production with multimedia presentations. The terrace affords panoramic views of the Tanaro River nine-hundred feet below and on a clear day, vistas of the Alpine mountain chain. Vineyards of Nebbiolo grapes, the varietal of Barbaresco DOCG wines, grow in the surrounding terroir: compact limestone clay, rich in fossils, gives great structure to the complex and elegant wines.