Piedmont is also the home of gourmet food
and delicacies, most notably it's famous white truffle. There are
the cheeses including Gorgonzola, Grana Padano and Rubiola plus
amaretto biscuits, porcini mushrooms, Martini, Cinzano and one of
the highest concentrations of gourmet restaurants in Italy. Click
here for more information on the area and its specialities. Turismodoc
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Construction of La Villa started in the year 1600 and the house was originally built as a stately home for the Dagna family Although town hall records only go back as far
as 1710, we have been given the entire history (potted version) by the last member of the Dagna family to live here. We have also recently found out that the village of Casalotto was first
mentioned in writing in 1539, when it was known as Casale di Dagna (the hamlet of Dagna). This confirms that the family was prominent in the local area and had deep founded roots.
Interestingly, La Villa used to be called Villa Daina and Dagna in Italian is
pronounced Dania. When the Dagna family went to the town hall to register the property, the functionary mis-spelt the name and it became Villa Daina (instead of Dagna) thereafter.
The first time that Casalotto
appeared on a map was in 1605 and the first photograph that we have found showing La Villa
was published in 1908.
The first-ever member of the Dagna family, according to locals, was a
high-ranking government official. The Dagna family retained the house for over 300 years finally selling in 1948, when Coronel Cavallo became the'squire' landowner
and local benefactor and all of the villagers came to the house to
collect their water from the wells and springs on the grounds -
which still exist today. They would also get fed by the Colonel during hard times. In more recent times the house has been
used for wine production with 100 acres of vineyards, extensive cellars, as a horse
riding stables and as a private home.
The Dagna family, in the 20th century, boasted a number of doctors who practised in Genoa. According to another local legend, the statue in our gardens was named after the wife
of one of the Dagna doctors, who used the house as a weekend retreat! We have named our famous statue at the front of the hotel in her honour (but the Daina version!).
In the 1800's, the cascina was added to house the live-in staff
and, separately, the animals and hayloft. It also provided the garages
and storage for the many tractors and other farm equipment. We have had many, many visitors
from the area ranging in age from 30 to 90 plus, who had all worked, lived or played in La Villa at some time
in their life. From them we have learned that the Honeymoon Suite was the granary, the Moroccan Room was the
estate office and the Master's bedroom is now our Romeo and Juliet bedroom.
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Today, the ground floor of
the cascina has been converted to house the hotel reception, the
guest lounge and bar, the half-underground degustazione (wine tasting) area,
breakfast room and the gym. It has the vaulted ceilings that
are a feature of older Piemontese properties and the hayloft has now been
converted into very spacious accommodation, all with exposed original brick walls.
During our initial 18 month renovation project, we found many strange
old implements and artefacts. Many were to do with the wine trade
and included a spigatrice, which was used to skin the grapes and a
tapatrice, which was used to insert the corks in the wine bottles.
These, together with old cartwheels, grain scoops, chestnut crushers
and other strange devices have been refurbished and add to the decor
of the hotel.
La Villa is also completely surrounded by vineyards which, only 20 years ago,
were part of its own 40 hectare (almost 100 acre) estate. Gradually sold off over the years,
these vineyards now belong to a large number of different producers delivering Barbera, Moscato and Cortese wines.
The hotel is furnished with period and antique furniture from
both Italy and France, dating from as early as the 1700's to as
recently as the 1920's, including the fridge above, which now acts as a bedside table and
occasional champagne cooler!
And, finally, the rooftop terrace provides the most
spectacular views of all. From here, we have watched the local festa
in Bazzana and seen the fireworks and rockets explode beneath us – a
fabulous experience. From this very rare flat roof, on a clear day it is possible to see for
scores of miles in each direction.
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