Castello di Amorosa
Encyclopedia
First opening its doors to the public in April 2007, the Castello di Amorosa is located near Calistoga, California
. It is the pet project of 4th generation vintner, Dario Sattui who also owns and operates the V. Sattui Winery named after his great-grandfather who originally established a winery in San Francisco in 1885.
Sattui claims to have spent nearly all his resources during the 14 year process of building this medieval replica castle on the vineyard grounds. The winery sits on property that was once part of an estate owned by Edward Turner Bale
.
The castle interiors, which include 107 rooms on 8 levels above and below ground, cover approximately 121000 square feet (11,241.3 m²). Among many other features it has: a moat; a drawbridge; defensive towers; an interior courtyard; a torture chamber; a chapel/church; a knights' chamber; and a 72 by 30 feet (9.1 m) great hall
with a 22 feet (6.7 m)-high coffer
ed ceiling.
The torture chamber
has an authentic 300-year-old iron maiden
which Sattui states he bought for $13,000 in Pienza
, Italy
, a replica rack, prison chambers and other torture devices.
The great hall features fresco
es painted by two Italian artists who took about a year and a half to complete and showcases a 500 year old fireplace.
The masonry, ironwork and woodwork was fashioned by hand using old world crafting techniques. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, in addition to paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles and some 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. Extending into the hillside adjacent to the castle lies a labyrinth of caves some 900 feet (274.3 m) in length. Beneath the castle are a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) barrel cellar and tasting rooms where visitors can sample the wines-all sold only at the Castle.
Due to Napa County restrictions, the castle and grounds cannot be rented for weddings or receptions, but are available to rent for corporate gatherings and fund raisers.
Calistoga, California
Calistoga is a city in Napa County, California, United States. The population was 5,155 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 99.30% of it land and 0.70% of it water.-Climate:...
. It is the pet project of 4th generation vintner, Dario Sattui who also owns and operates the V. Sattui Winery named after his great-grandfather who originally established a winery in San Francisco in 1885.
Sattui claims to have spent nearly all his resources during the 14 year process of building this medieval replica castle on the vineyard grounds. The winery sits on property that was once part of an estate owned by Edward Turner Bale
Edward Turner Bale
Edward Turner Bale was an English immigrant physician who built the Bale Grist Mill in Napa County, California.-Life:...
.
The castle
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
with a 22 feet (6.7 m)-high coffer
Coffer
A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...
ed ceiling.
The torture chamber
Torture chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.- Methods of coercion :According to Frederick Howard Wines in his book Punishment and Reformation: A Study Of The Penitentiary System there were three main types of coercion employed in the torture chamber: Coercion by the cord, by water and...
has an authentic 300-year-old iron maiden
Iron maiden (torture device)
An iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of an iron cabinet, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects , while...
which Sattui states he bought for $13,000 in Pienza
Pienza
Pienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, a replica rack, prison chambers and other torture devices.
The great hall features fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es painted by two Italian artists who took about a year and a half to complete and showcases a 500 year old fireplace.
The masonry, ironwork and woodwork was fashioned by hand using old world crafting techniques. Building materials included 8,000 tons of locally quarried stone, in addition to paving stones, terra cotta roofing tiles and some 850,000 bricks imported from Europe. Extending into the hillside adjacent to the castle lies a labyrinth of caves some 900 feet (274.3 m) in length. Beneath the castle are a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) barrel cellar and tasting rooms where visitors can sample the wines-all sold only at the Castle.
Due to Napa County restrictions, the castle and grounds cannot be rented for weddings or receptions, but are available to rent for corporate gatherings and fund raisers.
External links
- Webshots Album: Dozens of photos of the grounds and rooms