The need for brevity in describing these very different landscape settings obviously imposed broad outlines that nevertheless retain all the richness of this natural heritage. The territory in question embraces two MACRO AREAS having very different characteristics: Upper Tanaro Valley and Alta Langa.
OBJECTIVES
++ Understand the quality of these different landscapes as an expression of local values and cultures.
++ Involve local communities in a shared narrative detailing the most significant landscapes.
++ Promote knowledge of landscapes through innovative and sustainable action to rediscover the values of experiential tourism.
UPPER TANARO VALLEY
A mountain landscape, crossed by a deep valley, climbing up to the passes (towards Liguria and the Maritime Alps, or Viola and the Mongia Valley). The upper section has Alpine features (outcropping rock, conifers and pastures, with terraces where Ormeasco grapes were once grown), while the mid-lower part is characterized by deciduous woods, with large chestnut groves even on terraces (Garessina chestnuts).
ALTA LANGA
A complex, hilly landscape, resembling an upside-down world, with a network of paths and crops on the ridges and woods in the drainage basins. Three valleys – Uzzone, Bormida and Belbo – branch out in the opposite direction to the Belvedere Langhe-Montezemolo crest, that forms the main ridge higher up. The ridges are characterized by a mosaic of crops, pastures and traditional cereals, not to mention more recent aromatic herbs. They are also renowned for hazelnuts, cultivated in the central part, and vineyards, to the north, that progressively merge with those in the well-known Langhe wine district.
The need for brevity in describing these very different landscape settings obviously imposed broad outlines that nevertheless retain all the richness of this natural heritage. The territory in question embraces two MACRO AREAS having very different characteristics: Upper Tanaro Valley and Alta Langa.
OBIETTIVI
++ Understand the quality of these different landscapes as an expression of local values and cultures.
++ Involve local communities in a shared narrative detailing the most significant landscapes.
++ Promote knowledge of landscapes through innovative and sustainable action to rediscover the values of experiential tourism.
UPPER TANARO VALLEY
A mountain landscape, crossed by a deep valley, climbing up to the passes (towards Liguria and the Maritime Alps, or Viola and the Mongia Valley). The upper section has Alpine features (outcropping rock, conifers and pastures, with terraces where Ormeasco grapes were once grown), while the mid-lower part is characterized by deciduous woods, with large chestnut groves even on terraces (Garessina chestnuts).
ALTA LANGA
A complex, hilly landscape, resembling an upside-down world, with a network of paths and crops on the ridges and woods in the drainage basins. Three valleys – Uzzone, Bormida and Belbo – branch out in the opposite direction to the Belvedere Langhe-Montezemolo crest, that forms the main ridge higher up. The ridges are characterized by a mosaic of crops, pastures and traditional cereals, not to mention more recent aromatic herbs. They are also renowned for hazelnuts, cultivated in the central part, and vineyards, to the north, that progressively merge with those in the well-known Langhe wine district.
TWO DIFFERENT AREAS, TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
The highest reaches of the catchment area of the River Tanaro are purely mountainous in character and connect with the Ligurian slopes and the French Maritime Alps. In this setting, two distinct areas can be identified, characterized by well-differentiated elevations.
ALPINE VALLEY
The head of the valley is characterized by several mountain ranges with peaks of more than 2,000 m asl, such as Mongioie (2,630 m) and Pizzo d’Ormea (2,746 m), which form a kind of amphitheatre behind Viozene. The landscape is characterized by limestone rocks and mountain pastures, with evergreen coniferous and larch forests at lower altitudes, which then merge with beech trees. We are in the area known as “Terra Brigasca”.
BEECH AND CHESTNUT TREES
The landscape of the middle and lower part of the Upper Tanaro Valley is still marked by sharp mountain profiles, while the slopes have beech woods, with clearings for pastures, and chestnut trees on terraces highlighting the most favourably exposed sites sloping down the hillsides to the valley floor. There are some flat areas along the river that were once home to wool and cotton mills and now have small production centres.
The course of the River Tanaro changes direction to caress the Langhe hills from west to north: this is an uplifted portion of extremely ancient soil, shaped and modelled by the erosive action of climatic agents, resulting in its current morphology. Round hills carved by streams and rivers to create a network of drainage basins and several gullies.
PASTURES AND FIELDS
Road 661 along a ridge in the Langhe district offers views over a landscape of pastures and fields where ancient grains are still grown. Lavender and other aromatic crops are more recent and characteristic of the southernmost, highest area of the Alta Langa – the land of “La Malora” by Beppe Fenoglio – popular today thanks to its character of closer bonds with the traditional and true roots of these places.
HAZELNUT GROVES
The hazelnut groves are located in the central part and especially in Val Belbo. The orderly layout of the plantations clearly distinguishes them from the denser woods in the drainage basins. In winter, the yellow catkins stand out among the bare branches. The entire hazelnut value chain focuses here, where many companies are involved in production, from harvesting to shelling and processing.
VINEYARDS
The hazelnut groves thin out further north and give way to vineyards, which become increasingly numerous and extend into the Langhe wine-growing area. The morphology is emphasized by the regular pattern of vineyard rows and tracks between the various estates, defining a geometric landscape settled on the morphology of the hills and designing their slopes.
The highest reaches of the catchment area of the River Tanaro are purely mountainous in character and connect with the Ligurian slopes and the French Maritime Alps. In this setting, two distinct areas can be identified, characterized by well-differentiated elevations.
ALPINE VALLEY
The head of the valley is characterized by several mountain ranges with peaks of more than 2,000 m asl, such as Mongioie (2,630 m) and Pizzo d’Ormea (2,746 m), which form a kind of amphitheatre behind Viozene. The landscape is characterized by limestone rocks and mountain pastures, with evergreen coniferous and larch forests at lower altitudes, which then merge with beech trees. We are in the area known as “Terra Brigasca”.
BEECH AND CHESTNUT TREES
The landscape of the middle and lower part of the Upper Tanaro Valley is still marked by sharp mountain profiles, while the slopes have beech woods, with clearings for pastures, and chestnut trees on terraces highlighting the most favourably exposed sites sloping down the hillsides to the valley floor. There are some flat areas along the river that were once home to wool and cotton mills and now have small production centres.
The course of the River Tanaro changes direction to caress the Langhe hills from west to north: this is an uplifted portion of extremely ancient soil, shaped and modelled by the erosive action of climatic agents, resulting in its current morphology. Round hills carved by streams and rivers to create a network of drainage basins and several gullies.
PASTURES AND FIELDS
Road 661 along a ridge in the Langhe district offers views over a landscape of pastures and fields where ancient grains are still grown. Lavender and other aromatic crops are more recent and characteristic of the southernmost, highest area of the Alta Langa – the land of “La Malora” by Beppe Fenoglio – popular today thanks to its character of closer bonds with the traditional and true roots of these places.
HAZELNUT GROVES
The hazelnut groves are located in the central part and especially in Val Belbo. The orderly layout of the plantations clearly distinguishes them from the denser woods in the drainage basins. In winter, the yellow catkins stand out among the bare branches. The entire hazelnut value chain focuses here, where many companies are involved in production, from harvesting to shelling and processing.
VINEYARDS
The hazelnut groves thin out further north and give way to vineyards, which become increasingly numerous and extend into the Langhe wine-growing area. The morphology is emphasized by the regular pattern of vineyard rows and tracks between the various estates, defining a geometric landscape settled on the morphology of the hills and designing their slopes.
