From Roddino, border village between Alta Langa and Langa del Barolo, we return to the wine-producing heart of the territory, among the most famous crus of Barolo, stopping for unforgettable visits in villages brimming with history.

From Roddino, we exit the village towards Serralunga and having reached the Chapel of Madonna della Neve we take the grassy lane to the right which runs half-way up the hill before entering the road of the Bricco del Gallo (first on the left and then immediately right).

Shortly after the holiday farm, we go under the road to the left first on unpaved road, then to the right in the grass among the vineyards and, further on, through a hazelnut grove. The road descends gradually, before going into the wood and finding the unpaved road almost at the bottom of the valley. Having reached the provincial road, we cross it to climb back up to the village of Sinio, dominated by the lovely castle and arranged almost vertically over the valley. Not by chance, we will use the stairs to cut the steep lanes of the village and reach from the street of the church to the high square with the town hall and, precisely, the castle (today a hotel). We turn left into the lane of the Castle and, then, at the next motor home parking area, we turn right to start the climb towards Montelupo. After 50 m, we take the first unpaved road to the right and travelling it among the hazelnuts to a house in the village, from where we turn left, uphill for a few kilometres, to briefly re-join the paved road in the area called Protto. Having reached the area of Gabusi (right, left, right in quick succession), on the left take the grassy road which now, having touched the village of Montelupo, descends gently to the entrance of a ravine (which we will leave to the right turning left), then, beyond the bridge, we reach a group of houses. After the last farmhouse, the road becomes steep and becomes a narrow path in the wood, before emerging among vineyards, always very steep and stony, and descends between fields and hazelnuts, keeping to the left every time until we reach Cascina dei Bricchi. From here continue to proceed steeply downhill, keeping to the left and, on two gravel bends, we reach the paved road again a little after Sinio in the direction of the Talloria Valley.

We then cross the provincial road for Talloria Valley and take the unpaved road which descends to the crossing over the Talloria and then climb steeply (take the right hand road) through woods first then vineyards, to reach the residential area of Cerrati, from where, passed the hill, we descend to the provincial road which opens onto one of the most beautiful landscapes of Barolo. Almost all the grand crus of Serralunga are arranged on this slope that looks at the opposite hamlets of Ginestra, Castelletto and Perno of Monforte. Precisely below us is the famous Lazzarito, with Meriame to the right and Garombo, with Marenca and Parafada, to the left. Then we turn left to reach Serralunga, the most medieval of the towns of Langhe, with its towered castle that dominates a single circle of houses. We enter from the arch on piazza Umberto I with the donjon of the Falletti fortress which is now above us. A tour of the castle (museum, national monument, remained intact in its defensive specifications) and in the main street is a must. Finally, we exit the town on piazza Cappellano from whose remarkable lookout point we can admire the vineyards of Vigna Ronda (perhaps the most celebrated cru of the village), to reach on paved road the junction of Collaretto (other well-known vineyard of Barolo) to the right. Passed the village, take the unpaved road in front of us which descends among the truffle plants, to the torrent below. We cross it to find ourselves at a three-way junction from which we take the median that climbs steeply on stony ground. Once passed the wood, it opens onto the vineyards of the Ginestra, to bring us back on a paved road through the village, passed several dry hairpin bends, then the cemetery and finally we reach the longed-for Monforte from above. Monforte is another centre full of charm with the Saracca, the oldest part of the village, which climbs steeply like a pueblo to the Palazzo degli Scarampi and to the Horzowsky Auditorium (for more than thirty years it has been home to the best Jazz music festival which takes place in July in Piedmont). Arriving from above, we travel the Saracca downhill: the streets of the village deserve an in-depth visit, facilitated by the presence of numerous bars and accommodation facilities. The bell tower which stands between the oratory and the confraternity, is the most important trace of the disappeared medieval castle that occupied the entire open space. The Cathars (but in actual fact they were Manicheans) barricaded themselves here in 1080 to resist the militia of the Pope in what remains the first case of persecution of heretics. The poor residents of the village were dragged in chains to Milan where, refusing to renounce their faith, all three hundred were condemned to the stake: the homonymous corso Monforte in Lombardy recalls this. The sad destiny of the Cathars takes us back to the historical reality of these hills that, disputed and fragmented among the local lords, saw infinite invasions even from more distant kingdoms, raids of pirates and epidemics left by mercenary soldiers. The density of votive chapels, country churches and monasteries (often disappeared today) is a clear sign of the fragility of these communities. They eventually find order and a little peace with the rise of the Savoia Family in Piedmont in the late 17th century after an endless war like the Thirty Years.

Roddino: Country Chapel of Santa Margherita, Country Chapel of San Lorenzo Martire - Sinio: Church of San Frontiniano, Oratory of Annunziata (Church of Battuti) - Grinzane Cavour: Piedmont Regional Wine Shop Cavour - Monforte d'Alba: Horszowski Auditorium, Civic Museum Colonnello Martina, Civic Tower, Oratory of San Agostino and Bonifacio.

Itinerary code: BTB
Recommended period: Apr - Nov
Access by public transport: Yes
Classification: Medium and low mountain provincial
Provinces crossed: Langhe Monferrato e Roero