A Castle in Every Light: Castello di San Martino Alfieri
Updated: Aug 31
Twenty minutes from Villa Mucci's front door sits one of Piemonte's most renowned estates. The Alfieri family has called Castello di San Martino Alfieri home since 1696. It's truly awe inspiring - the baroque castle, its five-hectare English garden with ancient trees, and the cellars beneath the orangerie look exactly like a place that has had four centuries of stories to tell. We've been fortunate to visit three times now, for three entirely different reasons, at three different hours of the day, all magnificent.
Lidia & Max
It was our first visit to Castello di San Martino Alfieri, chosen venue for the wedding of our young friends in Agliano. We felt instantly at home - before the ceremony, our son Bryce introduced us to Lidia Alfieri and her husband Max Trauttmansdorff, who run this extraordinary estate. The Alfieri family has called this castle home for over 300 years, shaping Piemonte's history, culture, and wine along the way. A new friendship for us, with plans to share more wonderful experiences. This newly discovered treasure has already found a place in our hearts.
A Wedding in the Garden
Our young friends chose the perfect setting for their special day. The afternoon unfolded in the estate's five-hectare English garden. Ancient cedars, linden trees, and an Andalusian fir frame the grounds, but the garden's most commanding presence is a 300-year-old oak, officially catalogued as one of the oldest in Piemonte. We moved into the courtyard for dinner, embraced by the Baroque Orangerie, a curved architectural masterpiece draped in climbing roses. By evening it was bathed in deep red, the ancestral portrait presiding over signature cocktails and dancing well into the night. A perfect Piemontese evening from first toast to last.
Sbarbatelle: The Next Generation Pours
Another brand new experience for us. Sbarbatelle (translation:"saplings") began in Asti roughly a decade ago as a group of young women from winemaking families who wanted to connect. It has since grown to over 110 members all under age 40 - winemakers, viticulturists and wine business owners from nearly every Italian region. Castello di San Martino Alfieri hosted this annual event with dozens of tables spread across the courtyard, garden, and in the orangerie. We enjoyed wandering through these wines from across Italy - sparkling Alta Langa, Soave, Barolo, Barbera - a broad selection. Inside the Sala Carlo Alfieri, the estate poured their own four-bottle lineup. These women are serious, and so are the wines.
A Third Invitation: Opera al Fresco
This one came by personal invitation. Lidia and Max asked if we'd like to join them for an outdoor performance of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville). We purchased our tickets and arrived as the last light was leaving the sky - our first full opera ever. Fully staged with period costumes and an incredibly talented cast, this was a real treat. The orchestra was seated in the courtyard between the audience and the Orangerie facade. No wine service, no distraction. Just Rossini and 300 years of brick and plaster holding the sound. The thing is, even with our moderately conversational Italian, Il Barbiere was comedic, fast, chaotic, and enormously fun. Lidia and Max will be invited soon to our considerably more humble home in Agliano Terme. Until then, we reflect on our three fabulous memories from their slice of Piemonte heaven. Grazie Mille!
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