Page - THE LANGA AND ROERO HILLS
The Langa Hills
The Langa district is an expanse of hills with altitudes of 550 to 950 metres above sea level between the rivers Tanaro and Bormida. Its labyrinth of picturesque valleys is dotted with medieval villages, castles, churches and abbeys. A place of unique smells and colours, of balladeers and tradition, its recipes and great wines are now famous the world over.
The ‘capital’ of the Langa district is Alba, a bustling must-see historical town of Roman and medieval origin. Our Albergo is an ideal point of departure for enjoyable excursions to pretty little local villages such as Barolo, La Morra, Monforte, Cherasco, Serralunga d’Alba, Verduno and Barbaresco, as well as many others still in the wilder and higher Alta Langa hills.
The Roero Hills
About 100,000 years ago, the Langhe and Roero districts were separated by a geological phenomenon known as the ‘Tanaro capture’, which deviated the course of the river of the same name, creating the long deep Tanaro Valley and hollowing out the canyon-like Rocche in the soft Roero sandstone.
Until the 18th century, this rugged area of steep hills and castles was the theatre of battles, plundering and feuds. Then, in the baroque period, stately homes were built whose facades and interiors can still be admired today. In the Langa area, nature has been tamed and the landscape is characterized by neat vine rows, in contrast with the Roero, where the landscape is much wilder. This is a land in which old recipes and natural wines preserve all their original purity.
