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00 Gattinara
Stemma di Gattinara

Piedmont · Vercelli

Gattinara

The Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo town on volcanic soil between the Sesia and Monte Rosa, DOCG since 1990, with a tenth-century watchtower above the vines.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 17 min from Milan
By train
Station in the comune
Population
7,502

Known for

  • GATTINARA DOCG

    Italy's twentieth DOCG since 1990, Nebbiolo on volcanic soil, aged at least three years in wood for the riserva.

  • VOLCANIC SOIL

    Surface gravel from a Permian super-volcano lifted to the slopes by the Alpine collision, the geology behind the wine.

  • MERCURINO ARBORIO

    Sixteenth-century Grand Chancellor to Charles V, born here, who served Gattinara wine at the imperial diplomatic table.

  • RISO DI BARAGGIA BIELLESE E VERCELLESE

    The commune also lies inside the Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP production zone.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J8°
  • F12°
  • M14°
  • A18°
  • M21°
  • J26°
  • J29°
  • A29°
  • S23°
  • O18°
  • N12°
  • D8°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Pietro, 29 June

Why come

Gattinara sits on the right bank of the Sesia, north of Vercelli, in the Alto Piemonte wine zone where Nebbiolo is called Spanna. The hills behind the town are volcanic, the surface gravel pushed up when Africa met Europe and built Monte Rosa sixty million years ago. Romans planted vineyards here in the second century BC.

In 1242, the commune of Vercelli established a borgofranco that became the modern town. In the early sixteenth century Cardinal Mercurino Arborio di Gattinara, Grand Chancellor to Emperor Charles V, served the local wine at his diplomatic dinners in Spain and Flanders; it stayed a court favorite for decades. The Torre delle Castelle, tenth-century watchtower above the vineyards, still stands on the ridge.

Gattinara became Italy's twentieth DOCG in 1990. The wine is at least ninety percent Nebbiolo, aged three years in wood for the riserva, and the bottles age longer than most Barolo because the volcanic minerality slows everything down.

The Sunday letter

Gattinara is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Gattinara comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Gattinara in our articles

How to get there

From Turin (TRN), about 1h 22m by car.

Milan (BGY) is about 1h 44m away.

By car from the centre of Genoa 2 hours.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Milan, Turin or Genoa?

Coming by train into Milano Centrale? Gattinara is about 1h 18m away by road.

Every town within reach of Turin airport.

Gattinara, photo 1
Gattinara, photo 2

What to see

  • Torre delle Castelle

    Tenth-century watchtower on the ridge above the vineyards, part of a fortified system that guarded the wine hills.

  • Castello di San Lorenzo

    Medieval fortress on the hill, paired with the Torre delle Castelle as the upper defensive line.

  • Chiesa di San Pietro

    Parish church in the historic center, the religious anchor of the borgofranco founded in 1242.

  • Riserva Naturale Monte Fenera

    Regional park on the Sesia side of the commune, mixed beech and chestnut woods on the volcanic substrate.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Gattinara fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Cucine NerviRistorante

    Cucine Nervi holds two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Osteria ContemporaneaRistorante

    Osteria Contemporanea has one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100) to its name.

Living here

  • Population 7,502
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Turin, 1 h 22 min drive
  • Regional capital Torino, 1 h 21 min drive

Common questions

What is Gattinara known for?
Gattinara is the Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo town on volcanic soil between the Sesia and Monte Rosa, DOCG since 1990, with a tenth-century watchtower above the vines.
Where is Gattinara?
Gattinara is a comune in the province of Vercelli, in Piedmont, at 265 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Gattinara?
Turin (TRN), about 1h 22m by car.
Can you get to Gattinara without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Genoa to Gattinara?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Gattinara?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Gattinara?
The town keeps its patron saint's day: Pietro, 29 June.
Which other towns are like Gattinara?
Susa, Pontremoli and Castelnuovo di Porto.
How many people live in Gattinara?
7,502 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 265 m
  • Population: 7,502
  • Surface area: 33.67 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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