ALBERGO DELL'AGENZIA
The Albergo dell’Agenzia is found in the ancient village built on the ruins of Pollenzia, a flourishing Roman city found in southern Piemonte halfway between Bra and Alba. This hotel is at the centre of a monumental complex of great historical and artistic interest as well as being in the nucleus of the renowned Langhe wine region – both of which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites In this context, between the hills of Langa and Roero, you will find the Albergo dell’Agenzia: an elegant location where you can celebrate special occasions or plan corporate events, short or long stays as well as food and wine weekends.
HISTORY
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100 BC circa
ROMAN POLLENZO
Founded in Roman times, the community of Pollentia reached the peak of its economic development between the first and third centuries AD. It was endowed with monumental buildings such as a theater and an amphitheater—traces of which can be seen walking round the village—as well as temples and an aqueduct. In the parkland outside the hotel, it’s also possible to see a triumphal tower and a section of an old Roman road, while the remains of a funeral monument are visible inside the Wine Bank.
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1762
THE HOUSE OF SAVOY
Pollenzo was purchased by the Savoy royal family who, in the following half century, redeveloped the area substantially, converting most of the Roman ruins and the medieval street plan.
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1832
THE ORIGINS OF THE PROJECT
Carlo Alberto of Savoy bought Pollenzo Castle and surrounds, and developed a ferme modèl to experiment with techniques for cereal and wine production and cattle breeding.
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1835 - 1850
THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT
The Savoy family’s futuristic project took shape. The estate underwent deep transformation with, among other things, the redirecting of the course of the River Tanaro and the building of 14 farms, the Agenzia, the tower and the neo-Gothic church of San Vittore, which now houses the fine 16-century wood choir stalls from Staffarda Abbey.
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1838 - 1844
THE FOUNDATIONS OF PIEDMONTESE WINEMAKING
Paolo Francesco Staglieno, the royal enologist, laid the bases for the modern-style vinification of Piedmontese red wines in the cellars of the Agenzia.
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1997 - 2004
RESTORATION
After decades of neglect and in the wake of the flood of 1994, the whole Agenzia complex was restored and a hub created for the development of the culture of food and wine quality. Confirmation of the estate’s historical and artistic value came in 1997, when it and Pollenzo Castle were included among the Savoy residences recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
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2014
LANDSCAPES UNDER PROTECTION
The hills of the Langhe and Roero districts that embrace the Agenzia of Pollenzo are also recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for the exceptional universal value of Piedmont’s “’scenic’ rural and wine landscape’.