Bra (Cuneo) |
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Napoleon chose
Villa Mamoli in Bra as his temporary residence when he was on his way to consolidate his
victory over the Austrians. And it is the kind of residence, more French chateau than
Italian Villa, where one can easily imagine the Emperor standing in front of the ornate
mirrors and adjusting his epaulettes, making the chandeliers tingle as he marched through
the stately reception rooms in his spurs. Perhaps he planned future campaigns in the
garden, a mixture of formal Italian clipped box hedges and the haphazard English style
with huge, randomly planted trees and romantic stone balustrades.
The oldest part of Villa Mamoli dates back to 1780. After many vicissitudes, the house was
falling into decay until in 1979 the present owner, and your hostess, undertook the major
reconstruction work required to restore Villa Mamoli to its former splendour. With its
frescoed ceilings, inlaid parquet floors, scintillating chandeliers and majestic damask
four poster beds, Villa Mamoli is again ready to receive an emperor.
Bra was originally Brayda, a stronghold of the powerful Longobards, and has given its name
to an excellent local cheese. This part of Piedmont is after all Italy’s most gourmet
of regions, 10 km from Alba, home of the elusive and exclusive white truffle.
Villa Mamoli is a few minutes walk from the centre of the little town, with its XVI
century Palazzo Traversa and numerous Baroque and Rococo facades.
In the summer months guests may use the pool which is also everything one would expect of
a chateau with its elegant pavilion smothered in flowering shrubs.
In September the area is crowded with people who come from everywhere for the Cheese Fair
in Bra and the Truffle Fair and the Italian Wines Fair in Alba, during the months of
October and April.
Rooms: three double rooms all with private bath. Minimum stay 3 nights.
Options: English and French are spoken. Dinner can be served on request.
Children under the age of two are free of charge. Parking on the grounds. The Cherasco
golf course is a few kilometres from Villa Mamoli.
Where: the Turin airport is at about 60 km, while the Bra railway station
is about 1 km away.
Prices: 