Montecalvo Versiggia, the coffer of Pinot Noir

A medieval village in the Oltrepò Pavese …

Montecalvo Versiggia owes its name to the Versiggia stream. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa assigned it to the city of Pavia on 8 August 1164. Monscalvus was the name given in medieval documents of the time, but the first settlements may date back to Ligurian tribes.

Cover image taken from the Montecalvo Versiggia Municipality Facebook page

…a place of wine tradition

🍇The Borgo, located in the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese, stretches between the Scuropasso and Versa streams over numerous hamlets, offering an enchanting landscape to the eye: 2000 hectares embroidered with many rows of vines.
It is one of the Italian capitals of pinot noir. With its 28,000 quintals of pinot noir grapes, it is the largest producer of this variety in Oltrepò Pavese.
In addition to wines made from pinot noir grapes, other Oltrepò Pavese wines produced here are Pinot Grigio, Bonarda, Croatina and Riesling.

🍾The local wineries include:

• Calatroni Farm
• Peter Torti
• Taia Winery
• Dezza 1890
• Az. Agr. Torti ‘L’Eleganza Del Vino’ di Torti Patrizia

What to see in Montecalvo Versiggia

• Montecalvo Castle: owned by the Pisani Dossi family from the early 19th century, it previously belonged to the Beccaria family. The building dates back to the 12th century, was rebuilt in the 13th and remodelled in the 15th century. It was part of the defence system of the Versa stream valley.
• Pieve della Madonna dell’Uva: built in the 12th century, it is an important place of worship that was restored in the 1980s.
  Inside there is a fresco depicting the Madonna dell’Uva, by the painter Delfitto. It replaced an earlier painting attributed to the great painter of the Scapigliatura movement, Cremona (1837-1878), which depicted a Madonna and Child with grapes but which was unfortunately stolen.
• Corkscrew Museum in Montecalvo Versiggia (PV): opened in 2006, it houses more than 200 historical pieces from all over the world, including English and French examples from the 18th century, as well as more recent Italian models. This museum shows the link between wine and the territory.

Events and traditions

The municipality of Montecalvo Versiggia hosts numerous events.

• Feast of St Alexander (last Sunday in August)
• August Concert (symphonic music in the village)
• Marian Festival (end of May, religious celebrations)
• Thanksgiving Day (October, at the Pieve della Madonna dell’Uva)
• Egg throwing (challenging each other to throw eggs without breaking them)

Useful information for those who appreciate good food

• Restaurant Prato Gaio – Frazione Versa 16, Tel. 0385 99726
• Agriturismo Poggiacolle – Frazione Poggiolo, 1, Tel. 339.5732947

Montecalvo Versiggia is that place where wine tradition meets the beauty of the hilly landscape. Not to be missed!