Tenuta di Pollenzo

The creation of a grand farming estate
In the heart of the Langhe and Roero, King Carlo Alberto of Savoy-Carignano recovered the ancient Roman village of Pollenzo, in the hamlet of Bra, in 1833 to establish his own farm with farmsteads, vineyards and cellars. The complex was designed by the architect Ernesto Melano and the multifaceted artist Pelagio Palagi, who indulged the sovereign's neo-Gothic taste by elaborating an evocative ideal city in neo-medieval forms. For the vast English-style park, embellished by an artificial lake fed by the Tanaro river, Carlo Alberto entrusted the renowned landscape architect Xavier Kurten.
The complex organisation included a main structure called the Agency, the seat of the estate's management and characterised on the sides by an imposing crenellated tower and a large farmhouse called the Albertina. This area housed the offices, the stables, the coach house and the Vinaia. The basements were used as cellars and wine cellars for storing wine. A new castle was built on the remains of an old 13th century castle, in which the Savoy court could stay during holiday periods. The decoration of the rooms was carried out by Palagi and his team in an eclectic style in which references to classical antiquity coexist with Gothic revival.
In addition to the estate, Carlo Alberto's neo-medieval dream also involved the village, which was partly rebuilt in function of the farm. Houses were built for the farmers, the market and the central square overlooked by the new parish church: an imposing and austere Gothic building dedicated to San Vittore and built on previous early Christian remains.

The centre of fine food and wine
The original agricultural vocation of the complex is still maintained today: since 2004 the Agenzia and the Albertina farmhouse have been home to the University of Gastronomic Sciences, promoted by Slow Food, the Wine Bank, where the wines of Italy's best producers are stored, and the Albergo dell'Agenzia (four-star hotel with 47 rooms, gourmet restaurant, fitness and gym). In the Agenzia park, three archaeological areas bear witness to the late antique (5th-6th century) and medieval (10th-13th century) phases of Pollentia, founded by the Romans at the end of the 2nd century AD.
The castle, currently privately owned, cannot be visited by the public.