The History of Alfieri

The name of the Marquis Alfieri family, Lords of San Martino, is closely linked with the history of Piedmont in northwestern Italy. Listing all the illustrious personalities of the Alfieri family would be impossible, so we shall just mention a few.

The Marquis Cesare Alfieri, a politician and activist who inspired the Albertine Statues of 1848, contributed to the liberal transformation of the monarchy during Italy’s unification and became President of the Senate.


Vittorio Alfieri was a famous “freedom poet” and playwright. Carlo Alfieri married the niece of Camillo Cavour, a great statesman and promoter of modern agricultural practices. Luisa Alfieri married in 1876 the Marquis Emilio Visconti Venosta, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs many times.

The castle itself was built by a well known military engineer of the time, Antonio Bertola, who was in the service of King Vittorio Amedeo II. In 1760 the architect Benedetto Alfieri was summoned to San Martino to build a new and elegant building named the “citroniera”.

Today we can still admire the Alfieri Palace, a baroque castle and national historic monument, surrounded by beautiful farms and vineyards spread across the surrounding hillsides.

The property was inherited in 1982 by the Marquis Casimiro San Martino di San Germano. Throughout his lifetime, with the help of his three daughters, he safeguarded and preserved the historic and viticultural traditions of the Marchesi Alfieri.

Read more on Marchesi Alfieri, Italy

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ALFIERA – Wine Tasting Notes

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