Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuscan Medieval Castle
in Napa California ????
The
ANNOTICO Report
Daryl
Sattui, has
been building a
But it's not just
big. It's monumentally eccentric, rivaling the late William Randolph Hearst's
rambling residence five hours down the coast in San Simeon. And like
Sattui, a self-confessed
medieval architecture fanatic also owns a former monastery and a Medici palace
in
San Francisco
Italian winemaker Vittorio Sattui
arrived in
Vittorio continued to make wine, serving it to his
patrons at the boarding house. By 1885, the reputation of Vittorio's
wines allowed him to quit the bakery and devote himself full-time to his real
passion, winemaking. Vittorio quickly established a
thriving commercial venture (located at 722
But in 1920, Prohibition sounded the death knell for Vittorio
Sattui's family business. "I'll do nothing
against the law." Vittorio said, and V. Sattui Wine Company lay dormant for the next sixty years, a
dream deferred and half-forgotten.
In 1972, after
two years in Europe beyond college, Daryl began his apprenticeship at various
In 1975,
Daryl borrowed money and lived out of a van
while re-starting up V. Sattui Winery Today, it
attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year.
CALIFORNIA | NAPA VALLEY
A castle is
rising south of this small resort town that promises to be
Or
a vintner's fortune-busting folly.
In April, Daryl Sattui, whose winery and deli a few miles away in
But it's not just
big. It's monumentally eccentric, rivaling the late William Randolph Hearst's
rambling residence five hours down the coast in San Simeon. And like
Sattui, a self-confessed
medieval architecture fanatic who also owns a former monastery and a Medici
palace in
"Honestly,
I've spent everything I have except my pension plan," said Sattui, 65. "But I don't care. I just hope I don't go
broke."
Castello di Amorosa
is a meticulous, if not always authentic, vision of a Tuscan castle. It sports
a dry moat, drawbridge, iron-gated entrance, five towers with battlements, a
church, a great hall, gargoyles and wrought-iron sconces.
More wondrous
stuff lies below, in four underground levels.
A dungeon is
outfitted with torture equipment, including a reproduction of a rack and an
antique iron maiden, which Sattui said he bought for
$13,000 in
A labyrinth of
cellars, housing thousands of wine bottles and barrels, showcases centuries of
architectural elements. The largest underground chamber is the main barrel
cellar, 135 feet long, with 40 cross vaults.
The most
impressive room above is the great hall, 72 by 30 feet, with a 22-foot-high
coffered ceiling. Frescoes decorative but perhaps not museum-worthy cover the walls, inspired by such
classics as Ambrogio Lorenzetti's "Good and Bad
Government," at the Palazzo Pubblico in
Throughout the
castle, details attest to Sattui's passion for
vintage buildings. Iron gates, fashioned five years ago, have been aged with
acid to appear ancient. Double doors outside the great hall contain 2,000
nails, all handmade in
The project, at
first overseen by a Danish naval architect and now by Italian
Down in
Calistoga, known for
"A lot of
people don't know it's there," said Kendall Heck, a longtime bartender in
town.
When bricklayers
gave him a tour, he was impressed with the "fairy-tale thing." But he
added, "It looks like [Sattui's] got more money
than sense."
Sattui agreed that no rational
businessperson would have built his castle. But this son of a
"I have a
philosophy," he said. "Average people can do great things if they
don't know they're average."
THE ROYAL TOUR
Castello di Amorosa
is at
The project has
missed many target dates, but owner Daryl Sattui
hopes the castle will open April 1. He expects to charge $10 per person for
wine tasting and $10 more for the castle tour; you won't be able to take the
tour without the tasting.
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