Ferrarotti and the surrounding area

The house is about 200 years old and built in traditional Langhe style. Originally the property was a farm where the family lived on second floor on the far left, while rest of the building was used as a barn. The building was abandoned a long time ago and was nearly in ruins when a Swiss couple decided to renovate it. You can find more about this on the history page.

Ferrarotti is located in southern part of Piedmont, in the Langhe district. The area is famous for its beautiful landscape, the cheeses, truffles, the food and wines. The house is peacefully positioned on a hill-top surrounded by vineyards and we have our own small vineyard with Dolcetto grapes. The many charming towns and excellent wine producers in the area are well worth a visit - and the world famous Barolo and Barbaresco are produced just a short drive away.

The view from Ferrarotti is magnificent. On clear days we can see the alps in the distance and the rolling hills of Langhe on all sides. The property is large and there is ample space to relax and enjoy the scenery. All rooms and apartments have their own entrance and the guests can have privacy both indoors and outdoors.

Piedmont has distinct seasons with spring, summer, autumn and winter - but the temperature is on average significantly higher than further north. In summer, in July, the average daytime temperature is about 25 degrees. Hot hot days when the temperature rise above 30 degrees celsius or more, Ferrarotti has the advantage of being on the top of a hill where the wind cools the air.

Although secluded in a peaceful location, opportunities for activities is not far away. One hour by car to Turin or to the Mediterranean Sea, 45 minutes to the mountains (with ski resorts in the winter), a short ride by cycle or car to many charming towns and at the edge of the beautiful Alta Langa - the “Upper Langhe”.

Our pizza oven and barbecue equipment is available for guests who would like to prepare meals outdoors.

We very much welcome tips and good ideas for activities and arrangements for our guests!

Ferrarotti 20 years ago

The building is more than 200 years old and was originally a farm with livestock. The family lived on second floor on the far left
side. The rest of the building was used to keep cows and other animals. For this family like many other Piedmont farmers, it was a hard life.

We do not yet know exactly when this farm was abandoned, but our best guess is in the 1950s and 1960s when agriculture in the area went through a crisis. An icy winter ravaged northern Italy starting in 1957 and lasted for seven long years where heavy hail destroyed the crops. In 1956, before the crisis, approximately 75% of the Italian population made their living working in agriculture. Less than 10 years later this was reduced to only 14%. Many saw no future in agriculture and youths moved to the cities for a better life, abandoning their family farms.

In 1998, Ferrarotti was purchased from the Ferrua family by the Swiss couple Marlis Müller and Jörg Affolter. The farm had been empty for a long time and the farmhouse was about ready to collapse. The location and the view made Marlis and Jörg fell in love with the place and they decided to restore it. It turned out to be a big project with a lot of work over several years.

Cascina Ferrarotti was originally built in a style typical of the Langhe region. They wanted to restore and preserve this traditional facade, while at the same time modernising the inside. The building had to be taken down almost completely due to its poor condition and then rebuilt. It took two masons two whole years to complete the restoration.

twenty years and a lot of work later

After two years of hard work in collaboration with craftsmen and the architect, despite delays and higher costs than were expected, the project finally got to a stage where the house was habitable. Marlis and Jörg lived at Cascina Ferrarotti for almost twenty years and gradually built up a wonderful property. We have a great respect for all the work that they have put down. It really is a gem of a building and property they have created: a traditional Italian farmhouse restored with a modern Swiss sensibility and eye for details. For us who took over, this is a very good foundation to build on!

Our contribution to the property has been the infinity pool ready in July 2021. It has been a huge success from day 1. We have really enjoyed the work with the garden and the pool area, and we frequently get feedback (and WOW´s) from new guests arriving. We have bought a heat pump to heat the pool when the warmest season is over. We have also converted the two double rooms to two small studio apartments. So now all units are self-catering.

The projects for 2022 and 2023 are related to energy efficiency. The property already had solar catchers for hot water, also used for the water borne heating system for the apartments when that is necessary. A heat-pump are used to heat water when it is not enough sun for the solar catchers to produce enough. In 2022 we have installed solar panels on the garage roof and 2 electric chargers has been installed for our guests who arrive in electric cars.

We make more energy than we use for a lot of the time of year - also with all apartments occupied!

who are “we”?

“We” are Anne Leren and Geir Kristian Pedersen. We are Norwegian and have lived and worked in Stavanger and Sandnes, Norway for almost 30 years. Occasionally we discussed if we maybe should do something completely different when the kids moved out. We discussed many different options but not seriously until a couple of incidents showed us how quickly life can change. We have always been interested in other cultures and have travelled a lot - maybe we should try to live in a different culture? We started to look at properties abroad and the plans started to get more real.

Following a “tour d’Piedmont” during spring 2019 we resigned from work, put the house out for sale, bought a small caravan and went camping in Europe. We went from a large house to a 10 square meter mini-house on wheels. For the first time since university, we had no idea where we would end up next.

After three months on the road, including a long stop in Piedmont, we completely fell in love with Cascina Ferrarotti. The beautifully restored house, the views, the quietness and the central location between the sea, the mountains, many very nice Italian cities and - not to forget - the wine and food in Piedmont made the decision simple :-).

We want to offer our guests some relaxing days in the same feeling of tranquility that we experience - but at the same time with access to all the pleasures and experiences Piedmont can offer. We hope you will find Cascina Ferrarotti and the surroundings interesting and look forward to meeting you at the gate!