GRAND TOUR He liked differences: that is probably why he travelled so much. Jorge Luis Borges
When young European aristocrats, especially British and German, set off for Italy in the 1700s to undertake the Grand Tour, they looked forward to admiring ancient monuments and charming landscapes, thus enriching their knowledge of a style of life imbued with beauty, art and poetry through real-life experience. Today the world has changed, but the spirit of the Grand Tour lives on, albeit in a new form. One of the most popular is a tour that embraces vineyards, wineries, farmhouses and country mansions and, taking grapes and wine as its starting point, sets out to explore the traditional folklore, culinary delights, peculiar customs, and the beauty and allure of the landscape. Allegrini is part of this experience and offers tour opportunities to international visitors yearning for a unique and unforgettable experience, with quality and pleasure guaranteed. You can choose to start off in Valpolicella Classica, where you can immerse yourself in the Renaissance ambiance of Villa Della Torre, then move on to Tuscany with its cypress trees and Bolgheri’s Tyrrhenian coast before proceeding to the hills of Montalcino, inspired by the dreams and desires of bygone generations of Grand Tourists. Wherever you go, you will encounter our wines, our hospitality and our impassioned enthusiasm. And it will become clear, as it was to Borges, that to enjoy the differences is to travel and take in wondrous scents and flavours. Intensely different, intensely Italian.
ALLEGRINI HOSPITALITY
The tour starts in Valpolicella, a wine producing area near the beautiful city of Verona. The Allegrini family has been living and making wines here for centuries. The headquarters of Allegrini Hospitality is Villa Della Torre. Villa Della Torre represents one of the most important examples of Italian Renaissance architecture. The monumental complex designed by Giulio Romano and Michele Sanmicheli was inspired by the residential Domus of Ancient Rome, in all its pomp and splendour.
It was only in 2008 that Villa Della Torre became Villa Della Torre Allegrini. The Family’s dream finally came true: that of uniting the Palazzo della Torre vineyard – which produces a wine of the same name – with the beautiful Reinassance Villa. The Villa merges and forms a whole with the surrounding beautiful vineyard.
Below you can see some of the villa’s spectacular architecture: the courtyard or peristyle, created to be the true heart of the Villa, the Fish Pond, representing Water, and the huge, monster-like Fireplaces. The small octagonal chapel and the Bucintoro grotto dedicated to Jupiter Ammon complete the extraordinary scenic effect of the monumental complex and affirm its historical and artistic importance.
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Bucintoro’ grotto and the Palazzo della Torre vineyard The Bucintoro is built on a round floor plan and the top of its vaulted ceiling features a splendid portrayal of Zeus or Jupiter Ammon (representing fire), a tribute to classicism. It looks down on Villa Della Torre and its vineyard. More than a vineyard, Palazzo della Torre is a ‘garden of vines’, terraced with traditional dry stone walls (marogne in the local dialect), an exquisite example of Valpolicella’s typical rural architecture.
The cuisine at Villa Della Torre Our cuisine is a tribute to, and celebration of, the Valpolicella area. Our young chef, Alessandro Marconi, guided and inspired by our local cuisine, prepares traditional dishes featuring various seasonal products paired with Allegrini wines. Here you can have a cooking lesson with Alessandro, or even Marilisa, when she is not travelling the world. And in season you can enjoy the vegetables from our own organic vegetable garden.
Rooms with a view
If you enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the countryside, why not stay in one of our 10 rooms at Villa Della Torre? They have all been designed and created under Marilisa’s own meticulous planning and supervision.
TOUR OPTIONS The Wine Cellar A guided tour of the Allegrini Winery with a unique tasting of wines from our barrels.
Terre di Fumane: the drying facility From September to January, the ideal season, you will have the opportunity to visit our drying facility called Terre di Fumane, where the grapes set aside to make Amarone and Recioto undergo a period of active dormancy known as appassimento.
This is a fascinating place for wine connoisseurs to see because the drying process is unique to the Valpolicella Classica area.
The vineyards For wine lovers, a tour is available of the most important Allegrini vineyards (from left to right: La Grola, La Poja, Villa Cavarena, Fieramonte, Monte dei Galli, Marezzane), set in a truly breath-taking landscape. A description will be given of the characteristic of the terroir, soils, grape varieties and the different types of vine-training systems: a full-immersion in the ampelography of the Valpolicella area.
Bolgheri is a region that witnessed the splendour of the ancient Etruscan civilization. Today it is a favourite destination for lovers of the typical Mediterranean landscape, with its cork oaks, arbutus shrubs, pines, refuges for migratory birds and woods gently sloping towards the sea. You will feel immerse in a sort of natural oasis that also sustains thriving vineyards and olive groves. In a desire to look beyond the confines of its own territory, Allegrini set itself a challenge in this prestigious wine-producing area. In 2001, Marilisa, with her late brother, Walter, purchased land in Bolgheri on which they founded a new winery, Poggio al Tesoro. The outstanding character of Bolgheri is determined by complex factors such as the proximity of the sea, the constant air circulation produced by seaborne breezes and the variety of soil types. Allegrini’s Bolgheri estate, is divided into four parcels, with two located above the famous Strada Bolgherese (Soprastrada) known for the quality of its soil and exceptional terroir.
San Polo is located in Montalcino, an area which, for over 150 years, has represented the pinnacle in Italian oenology: The estate, founded in 1990, was acquired in 2007 by Marilisa Allegrini with the objective of maximizing the potential of the Company, represented primarily by the extraordinary location of the vineyards and the structure of the cellar. The property is located at one of the highest altitudes, on the south-west facing slopes of Montalcino at 450 metres (1476 feet) above sea level. The estate vineyards enjoy a dry and well-aerated microclimate and strong day-to-night and seasonal variations in temperature, creating ideal conditions for the application of organic and sustainable viticulture techniques.
EXTRA SERVICES We can offer the following assistance in arranging your entire itinerary: • Pick up at the airport or railway station • Advance booking of a driver, transfer or taxi according to preference • Advance booking of restaurants and visits to other wineries • Sightseeing tours of the city of Verona with a private, English-speaking guide. • Tours to Lake Garda or nearby cities