Castello dei Marchesi di Busca, Mango
Castello dei Marchesi di Busca in the Mango municipality has dominated the surroundings for more than one hundred years. It survived the wars and other human squabbles, as well as its own destruction and oblivion. And still it continues to stand, beautiful and strict in its simplicity. And today, you can not only feel the history, but also find out more about this provincial locality.
History of the castle
The hill on which the castle is located is a great place to accommodate fortifications. And in the 13th century there were 3 fortified castles – Frave, Vene, Vaglio. In 1274, they were destroyed by the Asti army. And only after 3 centuries a new castle was built on the site of one of them. In 1630 the construction of a Baroque building was completed. This fortress-palace was used by the owners, the Marquises of Busca, as a summer residence. It towered on the foundation of the old fort, and torture cells were still kept in the cellars. The palace was surrounded by a beautiful garden. Later it belonged to the Dukes of Mantova, and from 1714 – to the dynasty of Savoy. During the Second World War, partisan garrison was briefly located in the castle. Already in 1985, the halls of the Enoteca Regionale Colline Del Moscato were placed in the palace by the efforts of the Mayor of the town – Annibale Depiero and the journalist Raoul Molinari. In 2001, in memory of the events of the war, a literary exhibition Il paese del partigiano Johnny was created here.
Present state
A restaurant, a small hotel and other establishments of the province have been situated in the castle since the end of the last century. Nowadays, local wine is stored in the cellars where a prison and torture chambers were situated in the past. You can still taste all of it in the regional enoteca located here. Your tongue will not dare to call this abundance simply a liquor store. Samples of more than 200 sorts of Muscat wines are presented here, which imakes up 90% of the total number of types of this heady drink produced in the province. The institution was opened with the aim of popularizing local wine on the world market. Naturally, regular tastings of various types of wine are held here, after which you can purchase the samples you like. Along with this, visitors are offered a tour of the ancient castle chambers. In some of them, various cultural events are held regularly.
How to get there
The castle is located on Piazza XX Settembre square, 19. It adorns the hill of the town of Mango in the province of Cuneo, 90 kilometers southeast of Turin. Hilly countryside, planted with vineyards is situated around the area. From Turin you need to leave the station Porta Susa, on the train Sfm, and go to the city of Alba. The bus № 178 runs from the last to Mango. From the bus station to the castle it is only a 5 minutes walk. If you are traveling by car from Turin, you should go through the suburbs of Moncalieri and follow the road SR29 to the city of Alba. From it you need to go along the motorways SP3 and SP51 according to signs to Mango.
Opening hours: Friday from 15:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday – from 11:00 to 19:00. For reservation and details please call (+39) 0141 89291.
