Canelli

Underground Wine Cathedrals

Canelli is the world capital of Moscato d'Asti — and its extraordinary underground wine cathedrals, the Cattedrali Sotterranee, have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage since 2014. The tunnels run beneath the town for kilometres, carved into the hillside over generations by the great sparkling wine houses of the 19th century. They hold hundreds of thousands of bottles at constant temperature, and walking through them — with their vaulted ceilings and the faint smell of yeast and stone — is one of the more memorable things you can do in Piemonte. Several of the historic cellars are open for visits: Contratto, Coppo, Gancia and Bosca among them, each with its own character and its own history to tell.

Above ground, the Castle of Canelli dominates the skyline, and the Moscato vineyards on the surrounding hillsides are among the most beautiful in the territory — best seen in late August and September as the harvest approaches, when the Muscat grapes are fat and golden and the air carries something sweet. Book cellar visits in advance; the most popular houses fill up quickly, particularly on weekends.