Casalotto between local history and distillation culture

Casalotto between history and enjoyment

Casalotto combines ecclesiastical and Roman local history with Berta's distillation culture, paths through vineyards, and a biscuit from Mombaruzzo. If you would like to bring culture, regional products, and activity together in one trip, you will find several clearly distinct themes here to help with your planning. Historical evidence, distillation, landscape, and regional cuisine offer different starting points for planning your trip. Depending on your preferred pace of travel, you can place different emphasis on cultural history, nature trails, or enjoyment-focused experiences.

Historical traces in Casalotto

The Church of San Bernardino was built on the site of an earlier chapel dedicated to the same saint. The feast day of Saint Bernardino falls on 20 May. In Roman times, Casalotto was known as “Casal de' Dagna.” The Pallavicini margraves, feudal lords of Mombaruzzo, held the title of Counts of Casalotto. The Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, located in the municipality of Mombaruzzo, dates from the 14th to the 15th century and is a national monument.

Distillation and insights at Berta

At the Museo delle Distillerie Berta, the original 1947 distillation plant offers a tangible insight into the history of production. For those interested in culture, the original 1947 distillation plant is a specifically dated exhibit at the Berta Museum in Casalotto itself. The same museum houses an original parchment document from 1662, written in Latin, recording the founding act of an ecclesiastical association in Casalotto di Mombaruzzo. The Berta Museum also focuses on distillation machines and mysterious distillation processes, with grappa as the connecting theme.

The Berta Traditional Tour & Tasting takes visitors through the museum of the still and four maturation cellars, providing insights into distillation. During this tour, there is an opportunity to taste three spirits or liqueurs, possibly accompanied by an amaretto. Admission to the Berta Museum is free without reservation. At BertaLab, you can choose a bottle from the Primaneve product line and customize its label with the materials provided. Booking is required for BertaLab; a maximum of four people are permitted per appointment.

Trails, nature, and geology

The Distillerie Berta site in Casalotto includes the Parco Naturalistico with an educational trail. The first section of the CAI trail runs through the Boschi delle Sorti – La Comuna protected area. A variant of the CAI trail leads to a geopaleontological site with sandstone nodules, fossils, and terenids.

Vineyards and the taste of Mombaruzzo

La Strada del Brachetto is a cycling tour through vineyards. It passes through the Casalotto hamlet toward Nizza Monferrato. In Mombaruzzo, the meeting of local and Sicilian traditions, using Armellina—the almond inside the apricot kernel—gave rise to a slightly bitter biscuit.

More destinations for planning your trip to Italy

Villanova d'Asti, Vaglio Serra, Cessole, Stazione Cocconato, Scurzolengo, Mongardino, Ferrere and Serravalle

To the higher-level travel overview: Asti.