Holiday apartment in Casa Bianca – wine, history and trails

Casa Bianca is a hamlet of the municipality of Montù Beccaria and is shaped by viticulture, local history passed down through the generations, and several routes. If you are considering a holiday apartment in Casa Bianca or a holiday home as accommodation, you can base your choice on the combination of wine, culture and active days that you would like.

Wine landscape of the Valle Versa

In the municipality of Montù Beccaria, viticulture is the most important activity. The DOC wines produced include Bonarda-Croatina, Barbera, Riesling, Pinot and Moscato. The vineyards of “Le Vigne Tonalini” are located at the entrance to the Valle Versa, on Casa Bianca’s flat ridge at an average altitude of 200 metres, and have been managed directly by the family for five generations.

The wine-growing landscape of Casa Bianca is considered mesothermal-subcontinental, with no arid periods. The vineyard soils are considered to consist of varying combinations of sulphur-bearing formations, marly clays and sandstone. The central area of “Le Vigne Tonalini” includes the site where the Romanesque Pieve di Auliano was already producing the equivalent of 3,150 litres of renowned wine every year in the 9th century.

Holiday apartment in Casa Bianca between history and landscape

Most of the houses in Casa Bianca were built around the manor house of the Counts Negri della Torre. This manor house was a country residence of the counts dating from the 17th century. A family chapel, or family oratory, in Casa Bianca was open to the hamlet’s faithful for religious celebrations. According to local tradition, a statue of the Virgin Mary remained in Casa Bianca; a small chapel was built there, and the Madonna was regarded as the protector of the vineyards.

Until the death of Countess Maddalena Marchiò, widow of Negri, Mass was celebrated in the chapel every Sunday by a priest from the parish. During the episcopal visitation of 1777, the family oratory was considered public; believers from the hamlet and surrounding area attended Mass there. The Oratorio di Casa Bianca was built in 1733 by Abbot Don Gaspare Negri della Torre.

At the foot of Casa Bianca, near the Torrente Versa, the Quaroni family operated a grain mill in the mid-19th century. The “Molino di Casa Bianca” mill belonged to Count Negri della Torre. The road from Casa Bianca to Stradella was formerly known as “strada del Gesso”.

Hiking and cycling around Casa Bianca

Via-Columbani Stage 15, “Stradella a Canevino”, is a difficult 24.4-kilometre stage with a stated duration of 10 hours and 1,015 metres of ascent. Shorter circular routes focus on other aspects: the approximately 6-kilometre Cima–Casa Bianca–Porcarano circular hike passes through rural places such as Casa del Pozzo and Porcarano, and then follows a path directly into the vineyards. The approximately 13-kilometre Tessarole–Casa Bianca circular hike has 100 metres of ascent and returns to Casa Bianca.

The 9-kilometre Casa Massimini–Montù Beccaria circular hike also follows paved paths through Casa Bianca. After Casa Bianca, it enters a cut through the vineyards and then climbs towards Montù Beccaria. For cyclists, the “Pavia to Pometo” stage follows the SP134 through the hamlet of Casa Bianca; after passing through it, the route climbs to the ridge height overlooking the valley of the Torrente Versa. The different distances, climbs and trail surfaces help you adapt your day’s plans to your preferred focus.

More places for planning your trip: Montalto Pavese, Torre Beretti, Stradella, Cornale, Rocca De' Giorgi, Castelletto Di Branduzzo, Santa Cristina and Certosa Di Pavia.

For the higher-level travel overview: Pavia.