Castello Di Amorossa
It never rained like this before in California!! And we really missed the sunny day. A bit drizzling Saturday morning we didn't let waste the weekend and decided visiting Castello Di Amorosa. . We have been longing to visit a castle and almost dream about being in Scotland again. Thanks to the instagram that i find out through my buddy's profile that Sonoma county have it all to sedate our temptation. And when a castle is paired with wineries you can't delay the pleasure.
Barely an hour drive from Walnut Creek we reached Sonoma welcomed with the huge strong steel gates and fog. Ani got the Adrenalin rush and he was now excited with this welcome.
The castle though not built by some warrior kings but it did give us both the feeling of being in a real castle. Beautifully constructed with moat, defense towers, courtyard, drawbridge with Scotland sheeps grazing on grass and mountain fog sending us through chill.
Though not associated with any history this castle with five towers and 30 acres of estate vineyard was a perfect replica of Scotland look. Built by Dario Sattui, a fourth generation winemaker and owner of V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena, California is the most visited wineries as per the Contra Costa times. 30 years in its making all the bricks and materials for the castle were brought over from Italy.
Walking inside you will be greeted with a large dinning room. As royal it seems you shall never mind the tarnished wall.
The Castello include 141,000 square feet, 107 rooms, (of which 95 are used for winemaking or wine storage) 8,000 tons of hand-squared stone, 8 levels (4 above ground, 4 below) 900 linear feet of caves, a great hall with two-story Italian frescoes, defensive fortifications, ramparts, a drawbridge and a moat.The Castello also has a dungeon and torture chamber, secret passage ways, courtyards, loggias, a church, stables- even an outdoor oven for making breads.
Interesting isnt?
Interesting isnt?
Like the corridors always filled with secrets and warmth, love birds are comfy here.
As we dig in more in deep we were just going back in times of legendary and stories. Every section was so warmly decorated i guessed i preferred clicking around and wine tasting can be anytime later.
Just the Saturday he was hoping for!!! You can feel his joy in this pic :)
--Other things to do--
-Take your age proof id with you else you will be charged 30 dollar or something for entrance and end up drinking grape juice only :(
-The castle get closed by 5pm so make sure you check out the website for timing. They sometimes alter the time on basis of weather forecast.
-Have dinner in Passito room. A perfect getaway from the the modern time and indulge in a history long gone by.
-Self tour is fine, i suggest no guide for this trip because castle tour is all about romance.
-Castello wines are sold only in Castello and is not distributed all over. So sip all the limited editions as long your stay lasts.
Walking barefoot on green with stories woven around the air, we really felt better. It has been three years to believe once upon a time we were in J K Rowling's land and discovered a part in a very secret Sonoma county.
Castello Di Amorossa
4045 Helena Highway, Calistoga, CA 94515
Hours: Daily
· 9:30AM–6PM
Phone: (707) 967-6272
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