At the beginning of the second millennium, the town of Alba Pompeia began
to till its surrounding hills: it was then that the village of Murra was
born on the crest of a hill (Murra means sheepfold).
In 1296, by then a separate commune with its own castle, La Morra was
enfeoffed to Sordello da Goito, a knight of Carlo d'Angiò and a
minstrel cited in Purgatory of the Divine Comedy by Dante. In 1340 it
came under the dominion of the Falletti family: in 1402 it drew up its
own statutes in which Nebbiolo (Nebiolium) grape variety is mentioned
for the first time in this area, the variety used in the production of
Barolo wine. Also mentioned in the statutes is the Pignolo (pignolium)
grape variety, now vanished from the La Morra region. In 1435 the town
was handed over to the Duke of Milan, after alternate periods under the
rule of France and Spain, in 1631 it eventually passed under the control
of the Savoy Kings.
The torre campanaria (1710), built from the remains of the castle that
was destroyed in 1544, stands in “Piazza Castello” (i.e. Castello
Square), a few steps away from the bronze statue dedicated to the “Vignaiolo
d’Italia” (i.e.vinedressers of Italy), (Antonio Munciguerra,
1972) and the marble bust of Giuseppe Gabetti, the nineteenth-century
composer of the “Marcia Reale”, the first Italian national
anthem.
The elementary school building (1914) closes off one side of the square,
nearby one can find the Municipal Wine Cellar founded in1973 by the wine
producers of La Morra and housed in the eighteenth-century rooms of the
“Palazzo dei Marchesi di Barolo”. A few steps away one finds
the parish church (Michelangelo Garove, 1699), an imposing Baroque church
dedicated to Saint Martin: inside is a finely executed main altarpiece
depicting the Madonna and Child with Saint Martin and Saint Crispin (Giovanni
Carlo Aliberti, 1715). Closing off the small square with its horse-chestnut
trees is the Church of the “Confraternita di San Rocco” (1749,
with an altarpiece by an anonymous artist from Mondovì and a dome
decorated with frescoes by Pietro Paolo Operti) and the Town Hall (with
a façade dating from1765). Halfway down Via Umberto stands the
Church of the “Confraternita di San Sebastiano” (1700) with
its airy terracotta belltower (1766); in Via Ospedale the former Hospital
Building (1829) and Casa Boffa (15th century); in Via XX Settembre the
Palazzo Falletti-Cordero; on the south side of the village you can find
the the medieval enclosing walls. Also in the vicinity is the little church
of St. Brigida with 15th century absidal frescoes. At the end of Via Richieri
one finds a chapel dedicated to Saint Lucy with a nineteenth century altarpiece.
In the Annunziata hamlet one can visit the Romanesque-Baroque complex
of the former Benidictine convent of St. Martino di Marcenasco, now the
local church: with a 15th century cellar and apse, and a façade
executed by Michelangelo Garove in1684; the inside is decorated with frescoes
dating back to different periods and houses some roman archaeological
finds. In the cellars of the ex-convent one finds the Ratti Museum of
local wines.
In the hamlet of Santa Maria one finds the 19th century parish church
of St. Maria in Plaustra.
The “Masche” of the Langhe. Fenoglio’s Langhe and the
“Masche”.
Superstitions and legends connected with the traditional peasant culture
of the Langhe area.
A peculiarity of the folk stories of the Langhe is the recurring theme
of the “Masche”: spiteful peasant sorceresses that would generally
appear in the guise of an old woman but, could take on different likeness
depending on circumstances. So in a moment they could change into a black
cat, a goat, a hare, a grass snake, even a hedgerow or a leaf, so as to
hide themselves from prying eyes.
The peasant superstition about the Masche must be interpreted as closely
connected to the cultural context of those times. The Masche would appear
in places typical of the rural society of the past (farmhouses, cattlesheds,
forests, country roads, vineyards, etc); they would cast their spells
mostly in the evening or at night, that is when the intended victim had
little defense since all villagers were sleeping in their houses. This
condition of inferiority in which a person found himself at night, as
well as the need for an explanation of facts that were traumatic and mysterious,
led the victim to suspect someone within the community itself. For these
reasons the accusation of being a Masca was levelled at people like mothers-in-law,
daughters-in-law or, in general, relatives and next-door neighbours; in
short all people with whom the victim might had some quarrel.
Good full red. Subtle aromas of cherry, raspberry,
rose petal, mocha and brown spices, with hints of tar and eucalyptus.
Juicy, bright and sharply delineated, with a powerful underlying
spine. Very fresh, classy Barolo with lovely restrained sweetness;
not at all dominated by its new oak. Less forthcoming today than
the 2000 example, but this is distinctly more primary. Finishes
with firm but rather suave tannins and very good grip. 91(+?) points
2001 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco
(the 2001 Barolos were bottled in July of 2004)
Good medium red. Raspberry, mint, spices, eucalyptus and a hint
of tomato on the nose. Fruit-driven, supple and fairly dense, in
a distinctly approachable style. Good red fruit flavors complicated
by herbs and spices. More intensely flavored than the 2000. There's
still a hint of greenness here, but the wine finishes with sweeter
tannins and very good length. 88 points
