Castello Di Guarene

The Castle Of Guarene was built in the eighteenth century, a fantastically ambitious project conceived by local nobleman Carlo Giacinto Roero.

He commissioned the building of this splendid new residence to his own personal taste, surrounded it with gardens and oversaw the furnishing work on what was to be a sumptuously decorated interior.

Roero had both the ability and the financial means to see this project through. An accomplished – albeit amateur – architect, he was also a high-profile aristocrat and a landowner of considerable wealth. Today, the palace continues to make people’s dreams come true.

Preserved as it was in its heyday, with all its works of art intact, it is now also home to a top-class hotel. An essential stopping point in any itinerary of the Baroque highlights of Piedmont, it stands out among the very best places to stay in the region.

Sumptuously furnished antique-style bedrooms, haute cuisine, fine wines and the latest modern technology combine with historical heritage to offer the visitor a truly unique experience.

THE HISTORY
In the Medieval era a fortress stood on this site. In the 18th century a new summer residence was designed and built here for the Counts of Roero by Count Carlo Giacinto – the most well-known member of the family lineage and an important figure of the 18th-century Piedmontese aristocracy.

The palace is an impressive three-storey edifice, reaching 25 metres in height and surrounded by extensive and elegant gardens landscaped in the Italian style in the first half of the eighteenth century.

It commands an unequalled panorama of the whole chain of the Langhe hills from Monferrato to Verduno – this landscape, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is covered with renowned vineyards and dotted with castles, towers and villages.

In the other direction, it looks out onto the Roero heights and towards the distant Alps. Across the generations, the palace has been home to the Guarene, La Vezza and Piobesi branches of the Roero family, which occupied a position of high status in the Piedmontese aristocracy.

In 1889 it was inherited by the Provana family from Collegno. Its long history is documented in an extensive archive and displayed in a museum of architecture, painting and decorative arts.

In 2011 Castello di Guarene came under new ownership, and was destined for a new role combining top-level hospitality with continued respect for its value as a unique piece of heritage. Three years of restoration and conversion followed.

A central figure in the palace’s history, Carlo Giacinto Roero di Guarene was an amateur architect who worked alongside court architect Filippo Juvarra, responsible for the design of the façade.

From the laying of the first stone at 8.30 in the evening on 13 September 1726, Carlo Giacinto directed all the construction and interior furnishing work – which would not be completed until after his death in 1749 – either on site or, in the winter months, by means of minutely detailed instructions sent daily by letter from Turin to the master mason in charge.

Castello di Guarene can therefore lay claim to the distinction of being a palace built “via correspondence”.

This grandiose project was finally completed in the second half of the century by Roero’s sons Traiano and Teodoro. King Vittorio Amedeo III of Sardinia and the queen paid a royal visit in 1773, and the palace is full of mementoes of the occasion.

HISTORIC RESIDENCE
In the staterooms on the palace’s piano nobile – these being the interiors of highest artistic value, so also the most strictly protected – improvement work was limited to restoration only. Before any work could go ahead, historical studies and stratigraphic analysis were carried out by the local authority.

The heart of the Castello di Guarene palace-museum consists of the fifteen most highly valued interiors, occupying both sides of the central hall. A guest exploring these fifteen historical interiors on either side of the Salone d’Onore (central hall) will find them just as the royal couple did on their visit in 1773.

The Stanza del Vescovo (Bishop’s Room) is still completely intact, displaying one of the most spectacular examples of Piedmontese baroque bandera – fantastically intricate polychrome designs embroidered in wool on worsted cotton fabric.

Also preserved intact is the Camera Azzurra (Azure Room), where bandera embroidery is used in designs of finely plaited wreaths and floral blooms.

Guests who stop to admire the two Chinese Rooms (Sale Cinesi) – richly decorated in 18th-century Chinese wallpaper – should note that these hand-painted wallpapers made the long journey from the Orient in the second half of the 18th century, travelling via London then by sea as far as Marseilles, from where they were transported by mule to the palace.

They remain perfectly preserved in the Sale Cinesi to this day – a fine compliment to the silk fabrics that grace the four-poster beds with oriental motifs.

On lifting their gaze up to the frescoed vaults of the Dining Hall and Gallery, guests will be drawn to compare them with those at the Palazzina di Caccia in Stupinigi – and, we are sure, will arrive at the conclusion that the ceilings at Guarene closely rival them in beauty.

The nineteenth-century vaulted ceiling of the Sala della Musica (Music Room) will also delight the eye. Viewed as a whole, the paintings that embellish the doorframes and walls of the historic heart of the palace represent a collection of art that is by no means second-rate.

Guests may – perhaps unexpectedly – encounter several well-known canvases, among them the outstanding Madonna della Cappella, and landscapes by Scipione and Vittorio Amedeo Cignaroli.

In addition to all this, the palace is a rich source of interest for the amateur historian – in the region of eighty historical figures, among them princes, kings, bishops, dames and knights – as well as an exceptional museum collection of faces, stories and fascinating mementoes of the past.

For those interested in fashion history, the women’s clothing dating from the palace’s heyday and before that is presented here gives a vivid insight into women’s fashion of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The palace also offers an itinerary of fine antique furniture, ranging from 17th-century carved wooden chests to exquisite examples of Louis XVI.

Last – but not least – among the highlights of Castello di Guarene is the library. A gem for connoisseurs and a fascinating sight for all, it has accumulated hundreds of books over the centuries – all in beautiful leather bindings. Several volumes are unique examples.

THE GARDENS
The gardens were started in 1740 and laid out according to Count Carlo Giacinto Roero di Guarene’s design by the master gardener at Castello di Govone.
The scenic layout of hornbeam espaliers, yew trees shaped into pinnacles, and cypresses makes skilful use of the limited space.

Documents chronicling the palace’s early history mention five peacocks roaming the gardens – which is unusual for this period and location. At a lower level, on the side of the palace overlooking the Tanaro valley and Barbaresco, another formal garden – called “Maneggio” (Intrigue) – is laid out.

Here, low hornbeam hedges mark out flowerbeds of various geometric shapes, arranged symmetrically around the garden’s central axis. The recent restoration and conversion project has returned the garden to its original splendour.

ROOMS & SUITES
Guests are luxuriously accommodated in eight large bedrooms on the third floor, named after prominent figures in the history of the palace. Another four bedrooms are located on the ground floor.

The bedroom ensembles have been converted in keeping with the original floorplan and fresco decoration, and each one has an en-suite bathroom finely decorated in marble. The walls are decorated in the aristocratic tradition with silk or silk velvet tapestries, mounted on felt-lined frames.

The furnishings are entirely in period style – most are original, dating back to when the palace was built, and some are from collections belonging to the new owners, Artusio and Gallo.

Guests are therefore immersed in the same aristocratic ambience as Carlo Giacinto himself intended, but also enjoy the latest in modern comfort and convenience.
Each bedroom is equipped with the latest appliances, a LED television, safe, minibar and wireless internet.

Guests can also make use of an on-site hairdressing, massage and beauty therapist service.

CASTLE SUITE
70 sqm suite (bathroom included) on the first or third floor, with a wide view of the Langhe, Roero and the Alps. The separate lounge and bedroom make this suite cozy and very spacious at the same time. The sizes are original, some walls are frescoed, others covered in silk and silk velvet.

The double exposure allows you to see both the Langhe on the right, and the Roero and the Alps on the left. It is possible to put up to two extra beds (upon availability and with an additional cost).

LUXURY SUITE
160 sqm suite (bathroom included) with period Chinese tapestries, the view includes both the gardens, the Langhe and the Alps. Our jewel. In the bedroom we have period oriental tapestries, historical wallpaper in the living room.

The floors are also original, as is the covering of the long corridor leading to the Suite. More than a bedroom, the Luxury Suite is an experience; it is also the only room facing both the Labyrinth Garden and the Italian Garden. It is possible to put up to two extra beds (upon availability and with an additional cost).

LUXURY ROOM
85 sqm room (bathroom included) on the third floor, depending on the case the view sweeps between the gardens, the Roero and the Langhe. The spacious environment, the four-poster beds, the wooden floors, the three windows make this room absolutely exclusive.

The floor is in terracotta, the walls are in silk and silk velvet. The view is unique: one of the bedrooms is exactly above the central door, the other overlooks the Labyrinth Garden. It is possible to put up to two extra beds (upon availability and with an additional cost).

THE RESTAURANT
The age-old gastronomic tradition of Roero and the Langhe is a natural point of reference for the cuisine created here at Castello di Guarene, as well as the use of carefully selected natural ingredients and sheer creativity.

Every dish, even if it belongs to the most traditional canon of Piedmontese cuisine, is intriguingly different, and is served with true panache.

The restaurant dining hall is a fitting compliment to the fine cuisine – the ceiling is divided into nine sail vaults in fine brickwork, supported by high pillars. On the walls are original paintings of landscapes, flowers and prominent figures from the Houses of Savoy and Roero.

Last but certainly not least, our cellar can boast the entire range of Piedmont’s finest wines – including the very rarest vintages, and also stocks various examples of the best quality wines from renowned Italian winemakers.

THE SPA
Our SPA at Castello di Guarene is ideal for a pleasant stay dedicated to quiet, relaxation and well-being, away from the stresses of everyday life. From 2 pm till 8 pm. You will be surrounded by an intimate and refined environment.

From the indoor swimming pool, entirely excavated in the rocks, you can enjoy a unique landscape in absolute peace and quiet, with panoramic view on Alba, Langhe and Roero.

In our lovely Wellness Center you can try the healthy interaction of heat and cold, water and steam, scents and colors chromotherapeutic. Magic caves, saunas drenched by the scent of wood and hammam reproducing mystical atmosphere of Oriental bath.

Comfortable loungers, relaxing music and soft lights will invite you to relax after a sauna session, to read, and dream… The SPA of Castello di Guarene has emotional shower, Finnish sauna, Steam bath, jacuzzi, Kneipp and salt cave.

The treatments available are customized to individual needs and include different types of massages and body or facial treatments. Inside the hotel is also active a hairdresser service upon reservation.

MASSAGES & TREATMENTS
Welcome to the spa at Castello di Guarene, an exclusive space for oneself, a regenerating pause in the bustle of everyday life, an invitation to the discovery of extraordinary results, the pleasantness of a fascinating and unforgettable multi-sensory journey.

A sublime experience of absolute well-being, an inspiring philosophy, a system of innovative products and treatments, accessories and design elements resulting from the synergy of the wisdom of nature and the intelligence of science to provide extraordinary care for the body and pleasure for the senses.

Our lifestyle is inspired by a deep desire to discover and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, to nourish it and recreate it in our setting, treasuring every moment. Every day.

EVENTS & RECEPTIONS
The privacy and elegance of the reception rooms at Castello di Guarene, combined with the polite and professional service, make it an ideal venue for conferences, special events and international conventions.

Modern communication and visual projection technology has been seamlessly integrated with the antique beauty of the interior space, allowing guests to connect with the outside world in real time.

The romantic surroundings of the palace and gardens, the perfect service, the refined cuisine and the vast selection of wines make a wedding banquet at Castello di Guarene a truly memorable event.

Rooms: 12

Price: from 409 EUR per night

Source: www.castellodiguarene.com