Roddi Castle

The first documented traces of the existence of this castle come from the 11th century. However, the certainty that the powerful Falletti family owned property in these parts doesn’t appear until the 1300s. As such, the construction of this castle should probably be attributed to the end of the 1300s.

The property then passes from the Falletti family to the the Counts of Mirandola in 1526 and to the Chiesa family in 1690.

Later at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815), the Savoy family entered into possession of the castle. The castle became the possession of the state and then the property of the Township of Roddi in 2001.

The castle’s structure is that of a central body with three floors, constructed upon a high, steep slope. Two round towers complete its defensive structure, one thin and tall, the other low and the object of numerous additions and rennovations over the centuries. The fortress’s typology is classified as donjon (which is the same as that of Serralunga d’Alba nearby).

As regards to the donjon model, the towers of the Roddi castle are rather more domineering and less integrated into the central structure. However, the construction of this main fortress over the years allowed it to adapt to more modern defensive designs, such as the gratings on the last floor. In addition, the castle was protected by a drawbridge that stretched over what is today an all but extinct moat.

Currently, visitors may enter the castle by an outdoor courtyard, which is constructed on a embankment held up by a high, brick wall.

Inside, decorations and coffered wooden ceilings dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries are preserved, as well as a precious testimony: the castle’s historical kitchens, dating back to the 16th century, now restored.

The castle of Roddi has a historical link with the white truffle of Alba. An almost legendary school has been based at the foot of the castle since 1880: the University of Truffle Dogs created by Antonio Monchiero, a.k.a “Barot”, a story that has always fascinated tourists and visitors from all over the world, and which provides training services for those who wish to teach their dogs to search for truffles.

The tour of the castle includes, in the castle’s outhouses, the exhibition space dedicated to Giacomo Morra, a tribute to the extraordinary character to whom we owe the worldwide fame of the white truffle of Alba, crowned “King of Truffles” by The Times in 1933.

The outhouses also host the Truffle Hub, in which the Ente Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba organises events celebrating this territory’s excellence.