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La panchina della Ninfa
Big Bench n° 147 – Caluso
Acini E Rose Guest House

It is the Big Bench closest to ACINI E ROSE: ideal for those who, early in the morning, want to start the day waiting for the sun to rise or for those who, in the late afternoon, want to be kissed by the last rays of sunset, before returning to home".

It is perfect in combination with a walk on Lake Candia.

There are two paths to reach it:

- - if you are on a bicycle: you have to go along the Cantina Longo, going a little uphill, continue on the dirt road that passes behind it and after a very short time you will have the bench in front of you;

- if you are on foot: take the dirt road that runs between two vineyards, south of the Longo winery; continuing you come across the chapel of Sant'Antonio, continue among the vineyards and, on the left, near an open gate, climb towards the top of the hill, passing under the "topie" of Erbaluce (this is what the pergolas are called)

And now we'll explain where you are and what you see from up there, once you sit on the Nymph Bench!

Let's start with a small historical note: Erbaluce is a vine bequeathed to us by the Romans, who called it "Alba Lux", or "light of dawn", precisely because of the brightness of its grapes in the sunlight.
This touch of poetry would already be enough... but there's more!

An ancient legend tells of the Nymph Albaluce as follows: “In a remote time the hills formed by the glaciers were inhabited by the nymphs of the springs, lakes and woods, venerated together with Night, Sun, Moon, Winds and Stars. Alba was one of these nymphs and one day, on the bank of the stream, she met Sole. They fell in love with each other, but could not meet. The impossibility of this love caused the Moon to interact and, at dawn, decided not to leave the Sky and to intervene in the path of the Sun in order to allow him to secretly reach the Earth and meet his beloved Alba.

From that eclipse Albaluce was born: eyes the color of the sky, dewy skin and long hair shining like rays of the sun. The locals began to pay homage to her beauty by bringing her gifts of all kinds; soon, however, the lake's resources became insufficient to support them, making it necessary to obtain new land to cultivate.

Thus, a large canal was dug to drain the waters of the lake but, tragically, the waters overwhelmed everything, causing death.
The nymph Albaluce cried for her pain.
Those tears transformed the dry shrubs into vigorous stumps, from which long shoots rose up rich in sweet, golden bunches of white grapes."


This is the birth certificate of the ERBALUCE vine, generated by the tears of a goddess, who has in her heart the rays of her father Sun and the tender sweetness of the Dawn, the one that rises every morning on the "bric" of Caluso.

Here, you are on this "bric".
At your feet is a carpet of "topia" vineyards, as is the Canavese tradition which, depending on the seasons, offers different scenarios and colours. Looking further ahead, the vineyards give way to the plain where cultivated fields, patches of woods and small urban centers alternate.

On the horizon, starting from the east, the Po Hills stretch out which, from Verrua Savoia, reach up to Superga, where the profile of the Savoy basilica can be glimpsed. It is then easy to identify, in Turin, the silhouettes of the Intesa-San Paolo skyscraper designed by Renzo Piano, the Regione skyscraper designed by Massimiliano Fuksas and the Mole Antonelliana with its bold spire. The reliefs then continue towards the west, with the Musiné marking the entrance to the Susa Valley and then the mountains of the Lanzo Valley and the Orco Valley with the Gran Paradiso. If the day is really clear, you can also see the Maritime Alps to the south.

Bring a book to read, something to munch on and, remember: you are guests of the Gnavi Carlo winery which, from this vineyard, produces some of the finest bottles of Erbaluce di Caluso Passito and Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG Classic method sparkling wine.

... think ... all this on a Big Bench!

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