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Vigna del Belvedere (“Belvedere Vineyard”) is a historic facility on the hills to the right of the Morainic Amphitheater of Ivrea, among the municipalities of Colleretto Giacosa, Parella, and Loranzè – a few miles from Ivrea (TO).

During the Pliocene Period, between 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago, the Adriatic Sea in the Po River basin (which also stretched to the valleys of Aosta and Orco, in the Canavese area) was gradually filled by sediments of the Alpine mountain range erosion. The Morainic Amphitheater of Ivrea, on the other hand, appeared immediately afterwards, during the Pleistocene Period, a geological phase between 2.5 million and10.000 years ago – back then, a remarkable mass of ice began to accumulate and was eventually carried downstream by large glaciers (due to the decrease of the average temperatures and much greater rainfall in the Alps).

In particular, the valley floor of the current Aosta Valley was often completely covered by the Balteo Glacier. The latter followed a path similar to that of today’s Dora Baltea River, thus it reached the Canavese plain and then widened like a fan reaching Caluso and Agliè during the most more intense periods of glaciation.

The esplanade that houses the Belvedere Vineyard is the result of the last glacial shift and therefore appeared some 10.000-12.000 years ago. It features a soil very poor in organic matter, mostly made of sand (80%), silt and clay, as well as an incredible variety of mineral compounds eroded by the glacier on the walls of Mount Blanc, Gran Paradiso and other alpine peaks on the right side of the Aosta Valley.

For many centuries, this hill has been used for cultivating vines: Vigna del Belvedere was most certainly part of the estate of Loranzè Castle, before passing to the Giacosa family in the second half of the XVIII century. Giuseppe Giacosa is probably the most illustrious member of the family, thanks to his collaboration with Giacomo Puccini, the author of Madame Butterfly, Tosca and La Boheme.

Vigna del Belvedere, now owned by the Tappero Merlo family, has also been registered among the historic parks and gardens of the province of Turin. The vineyard is a modern plant exclusively cultivated with Erbaluce di Caluso, trained with the Guyot technique and with planting spans of 2.20 x 1m (4500 vines/ ha. density). 100% natural viticulture is practised, without the use of systemic products, fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides; on the other hand, only natural substances are inserted in the sowing rows, fertilizing the soil with the right nutrients and without any artificial boosting.

On the side of the cliff overlooked by the vineyard, there are locust trees, hornbeams, chestnuts, brooms, etc. There is also “Castel Rosso” in the background: an ancient structure that used to welcomed quarantined travellers, as well as wondrous yellow-orange roses intertwined with the vines: precious sentries placed to protect the crops while offering a particularly eye-catching view.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)