Castello di Camino, located in the Monferrato region of Piedmont, Italy, is a historic castle dating back to the 11th century. Originally constructed for defensive purposes, it features a crenellated main structure and a prominent tower offering panoramic views of the surrounding hills and the Po Valley. The castle underwent significant restoration in the 19th century, including the addition of a Neo-Gothic dining room, a library, and a theater adorned with frescoes depicting scenes from Don Quixote. Notable guests have included members of the Savoy family and Benito Mussolini. Today, the castle hosts cultural events and ceremonies, and its cellars preserve fine wines from the Monferrato vineyards.

Castello di Camino History

The Castle of Camino stands on the hill overlooking the town and represents one of the most scenic castles in the Monferrato.
Founded by the Aleramic, it has walls and crenellated towers. The first nucleus, built for defensive purposes, dates back to the 11th century. Passed into the properties of the Marquis of Monferrato, it was administered for a long time by a Gastaldo, until in the thirteenth century, the Marquis Teodoro Paleologo, in need of money, granted the Asti brothers Tommaso and Francesco Scarampi the investiture of the castle and the place of Camino, already with its own statutes. Becoming definitively owned by the Asti family, who lived there until 1952, it was sold by Valentina and Paola, Ferdinando’s daughters, to the Somaschi fathers and then to the current owners.

The restoration of the 19th century according to the dictates of the French school of Viollet Le Duc, consisting in the construction of the dining room in neo-style, is due to Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinando, the last heir of the Scarampi to reside in the castle and expert of medieval and architectural studies. Gothic, the library, and the theater frescoed with episodes of Don Quixote. In the same period, a spacious courtyard and a small chapel were created.

Many illustrious personalities were guests of the Monferrato castle, including Don Bosco, King Vittorio Emanuele III during the great maneuvers of 1911 and Benito Mussolini in 1928, the year in which he ordered to build the Monferrato Aqueduct.
Today the frescoed halls, the courtyards and the park of the castle host ceremonies and cultural events, while the cellars preserve the fine wine of the Monferrato vineyards, such as Barbera, Grignolino, Chardonnay, Monferrato Rosso, Grappa and also the Amaro del Castello, prepared according to an ancient and secret recipe