Notte di Stelle e Ruché
An August-night walk along the Via del Ruchè — vineyard road lit by tasting stops, live music and a lantern release, timed to the shooting stars of San Lorenzo.
Why it's special
You walk the vineyard road in the dark, glass in hand, from tasting station to tasting station, and end the night watching lanterns go up as the Perseids come down. Ruchè, on the one night the sky puts on a show.
Programme · 2026
From 20:00, organised by the Pro Loco di Castagnole Monferrato. A walk (passeggiata) along the Via del Ruchè, setting out from Tenuta La Mercantile, with along the route:
- It starts at 8pm from Tenuta La Mercantile and follows the Via del Ruchè on foot — wear shoes you can walk the hill in, and bring a little cash for the tasting stops.
- The lantern release depends on the regional fire-risk rules that summer, so it's not guaranteed.
- Info on 351 6023379.
It's the night of San Lorenzo, when Italians tip their heads back for the shooting stars, and Castagnole spends it walking. The Pro Loco sets out the Via del Ruchè — the vineyard road — with food and wine stops, and from eight o'clock people set off on foot from Tenuta La Mercantile, glass in hand, into the rows.
You don't rush it. There's a stop for something to eat, a stop for a pour of Ruchè, a band playing somewhere in the dark, and near the end a release of paper lanterns that drift up while the Perseids fall. It's the summer answer to the Festa del Ruchè: the same wine, the same estate, but at night and outdoors, with the whole village strolling the hill.
Wear shoes for the walk and carry a bit of cash for the stops. The lanterns only go up if the regional fire rules allow it that year — a dry August can ground them — but the stars turn up regardless.