Langhe and Roero World Heritage site
It is official: the vine-covered landscape of Piedmont is part of the world’s cultural and artistic heritage. On 22nd June, UNESCO inscribed the winegrowing area of Langhe–Roero and Monferrato to the World Heritage List – over 100 square kilometres and 29 municipalities in the provinces of Alessandra, Asti and Cuneo – raising the number of Italian sites to fifty on the list. Our country has the highest number of World Heritage Sites in the world, but it is the first time for an Italian winegrowing area.
This is how UNESCO describes the new entry:
“The vine-covered landscape of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato in Piedmont is made up of five distinct wine-growing areas with outstanding landscapes and the Castle of Cavour, an emblematic name both in the development of vineyards and Italian history. It is located in the southern part of Piedmont, between the Po River and the Ligurian Apennines, and encompasses the whole range of technical and economic processes relating to winegrowing and winemaking that has characterized the region for centuries. Vine pollen has been found in the area dating from the 5th century BC, when Piedmont was a place of contact and trade between the Etruscans and the Celts; Etruscan and Celtic words, particularly wine-related terms, are still found in the local dialect. During the Roman Empire, Pliny the Elder mentions the Piedmont region as being one of the most favourable for growing vines in ancient Italy; Strabo (editor’s note: ancient Greek historian)mentions its barrels.”