The Brenta, the Vines and the Good Wine of Carpeneto

Vines are grown throughout Monferrato, but arriving at Carpeneto, a village a few winding kilometres from the state road that links Alessandria and Ovada, you get the pleasant impression that here they are grown a little more. As far as the human eye can see, you see endless rows of vines running down and back up the gentle slopes of the hills, and it isn't hard to notice how proud the population is of this ancient tradition of theirs: you see old presses and barrels here and there, turned into flower pots, and even the farm stay awaiting us has a name on theme: la Brenta, which indicates a type of basket, that is a basket of wood, wicker or viburnum woven in the shape of an inverted truncated cone, open at the top, and fitted with two straps so it can be carried on the shoulders and used to carry grapes during the harvest.

In Carpeneto there is also the Tenuta Cannona, the Wine-Growing Experimental Centre of the Piedmont Region. This evocative property, which belonged to the Cassone family from the 1600s to 1980, was taken over by the Piedmont Region in 1985. Its land extends for 54 hectares, of which 20 are planted with experimental vineyard. From the 1980s, following land-arrangement works, the vineyards were re-established by planting numerous varieties with different combinations of clones and rootstocks. Thus a wine-growing experimental centre unique in Piedmont was created, where alongside strictly wine-growing and oenological experimentation, research activities such as soil management and plant-health treatments are carried out.

The place is fascinating even for those who are not experts in viticulture and, as far as wine goes, limit themselves to sipping it: the manor building, which also includes a church, still consecrated, is an architectural jewel of remarkable historical and artistic value. The decorations, the wooden friezes and the stuccoes are particularly well preserved. On 11 June the Tenuta Cannona will host a great food-and-wine event that promotes the wine-growing estates of the area run by women: Sulle note di De Andre, Vino in rosa sotto le stelle.

We arrive at Carpeneto passing through the hamlet of Cascina Vecchia, a place where the farmstead still called Peagium still stands, where, in the times of the disputes between the Marquis of Monferrato and the rising Alessandria, a toll was paid to enter Carpeneto. Shortly afterwards we arrive at the hamlet of Madonna della Villa, born in the times of the Saracen raids. Indeed, in 999 the Saracens destroyed the Convent of San Donino, and the peasants who lived near the convent took refuge on the nearest and safest height, sheltered from the raiders. We too take refuge right there, at Madonna della Villa, but only for a short holiday devoted to good food, good wine and rest at the farm stay immersed in the breathtaking landscape of the vineyards. Raising our gaze from the courtyard, in the distance you see the blue mountain ranges that mark the border with Liguria.

At dinner, savouring the excellent game roasts of the Brenta, between a chat and a few glasses of Mr Flavio's excellent wine, we learn that the famous TV news anchor Cristina Parodi was married right here in Carpeneto in 1995; indeed her family comes from this village. Although she is the most prominent figure, she is not the only important name of this municipality, also known for its ability, over the course of a history that has reserved many hardships for it over the centuries, to always maintain its own independence. Carpeneto was also the birthplace of an illustrious folklorist of the second half of the 19th century, Giuseppe Ferraro, who collected in several volumes the customs, the songs, the legends and even the peculiarities of the Monferrato dialect. His work is comparable to that carried out by Giuseppe Pitre in Sicily, of whom Ferraro was also a friend.

The stories he collected are also populated by a considerable host of witches, magical plants and animals, demonstrating the existence of a folk tradition of magical charm, a feature highlighted by the event Notte magica, held in Carpeneto every year in the month of August.

We return home with our imaginary "brenta" overflowing with emotions, with images of vineyards and clear skies, of genuine peasant hospitality and of magical stories of which the most magical seems to us precisely the story of our trip.

Francesca Bertha

For information: Agriturismo La Brenta Fraz. Madonna della Villa Cascina Zunino, 223 0143/876028