We are a sunset over the hills and a glass of a truly special wine.
We are the moment you will never want to forget.
We are Castello di Spessa, and romance is in our nature.
A thousand-year-old castle. Vineyards carved into the horizon. Hospitality born from the very soul of Collio.
Castello di Spessa is more than a destination — it is where Friuli reveals its most precious secrets.
The Manifesto
Castello di Spessa Manifesto
Places like this do not exist by chance.
They exist because someone before us chose to preserve time rather than consume it.
Nestled among these border hills, where Mitteleuropean heritage meets the Italian soul, Castello di Spessa was not born as a hotel, a winery, or a resort.
It was born as a living home.
A place where history continues to inhabit the present.
Here, wine is not merely a product.
It is liquid memory.
It is the narrative of the land, the seasons, the quiet of the vineyards at dawn, and the hands that every day transform nature into an experience.
We believe in a different kind of luxury.
A luxury that feels no need for ostentation.
A luxury defined by time, space, mindfulness, and authenticity.
We believe in unhurried awakenings.
In tables set with respect.
In the value of a meaningful glance, a heartfelt welcome, and a glass shared at just the right moment.
We do not chase mass tourism.
We do not craft artificial experiences.
We refuse to become a place like any other.
We safeguard the soul of the Collio.
We champion the beauty of things done well.
We honor our history, shaping it daily into contemporary hospitality.
For us, welcoming guests means opening the doors of a home, not a facility.
Every guest enters a world shaped by rituals, culture, well-being, and landscape.
A world where time slows down and regains its true meaning.
Castello di Spessa is an invitation to live differently.
To drink mindfully.
To pause.
To breathe.
To remember that today’s true privilege is not possessing more, but feeling more.
We do not wish to be merely a destination.
We wish to become a place that stays within people long after they depart.
Because some places are visited.
Others are lived.
And a rare few become part of your own story.
Our Vision
“To be internationally recognized as the ultimate expression of Italian romance and hedonism, where noble history, winemaking excellence, and the natural beauty of the Collio seamlessly weave into a timeless luxury experience.”
Our Mission
“To safeguard and elevate the historical heritage of Castello di Spessa, transforming it into a microcosm of hospitality excellence. We are committed to offering our guests an exclusive sensory retreat through signature wines, land-inspired wellness, elite sport, and fine dining—celebrating the art of Italian saper vivere in every single detail.”
Don’t just choose an experience.
Live them all.
Wine tours, Fine dining, Golf, SPA & Wellness,
nature retreats, and an unforgettable stay
inside a thousand-year-old castle
in the heart of Collio Friulano.
Castello di Spessa is all this — and so much more.
Not all wines are born in the cellar. Ours are born at dawn.
In 2014, Loretto Pali set a clear vision:
wines that speak the language of international elegance, while holding fast to the soul of Collio.
The Collio and Castello di Spessa: A Story Written in Stone and Vine
A Land Born from the Sea
Long before there was a story to tell, the Collio was an ancient seabed. Millions of years ago, within a primeval basin, alternating layers of marl and sandstone settled—a unique soil local Friulians today call ponca. Rich in minerals and beautifully fragile, it crumbles effortlessly between your fingers to reveal small marine fossils. It was the uplifting of those very depths that shaped the gentle rolling hills stretching from Capriva del Friuli to the Slovenian border, and it is this signature ponca that infuses the wines of the Collio with the striking minerality and distinct salinity revered worldwide.
Nature’s masterpiece is completed by an exceptional geographic location. The Julian Prealps shield the vineyards from biting north-easterly winds, while the Adriatic Sea, just a short distance away, tempers the climate with gentle Sirocco breezes. Meanwhile, the Bora wind sweeping down from the north-east ensures constant air circulation—keeping the grapes dry, healthy, and naturally minimizing the need for vineyard treatments. It is this flawless harmony between earth and climate that has eternally consecrated the Collio as one of Italy’s most prestigious winegrowing regions.
A Borderland, Guardian of History
The winemaking vocation of these hills roots itself deeply in the Roman era, passed down through the centuries through Venetian and Habsburg rule to the present day. The Collio has always been a borderland—geographically, culturally, and politically. So much so that after the Second World War, this historical territory was divided between Italy and Yugoslavia, giving rise to the Italian Collio and the Slovenian Brda: two expressions of a single identity, separated by a border line yet bound by the very same soil and the same devotion to wine. In 1968, the Collio Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) was established, officially certifying the excellence of these vineyards.
In this landscape woven with history and vines, atop a gentle hill, the Castello di Spessa has proudly stood for centuries.
The Origins of the Castle: from Roman Sentinels to the Lords of the Collio
The earliest traces of the site on which the castle stands likely date back to an ancient lookout post, built during the Roman era and later repurposed by the Lombards—a testament to the strategic importance of this corner of the Collio. Between the 13th and 17th centuries, the structure gradually took on the features of a true manor: a fortified building is documented as early as the 14th century, while between the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle became the heart of an agricultural estate already renowned for its winemaking.
Over the centuries, the fief passed through noble hands: from the Rassauer family to the House of Della Torre Valsassina—descendants, according to tradition, of Charlemagne—who held ownership of the castle for over three hundred years. It was during this era that Spessa stepped into grand history and legend. In 1773, the castle welcomed Giacomo Casanova, and around the same period hosted Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart’s famed librettist, at a time when noble circles gathered within these grand halls to indulge in social life and hunting traditions.
From the 20th Century to Today: Wine as the Common Thread
Between 1879 and 1880, the castle was acquired by Rodolfo Voelkl, a wealthy merchant of Oriental spices, who entrusted the Trieste architect Ruggero Berlam with a complete Neo-Gothic renovation, completed in 1901. It is to him that we owe the crenellated tower, the polychrome stone bifora windows, and the distinctive silhouette that still characterizes the castle today. Passing through the ownership of the Roeckerath and Economo families—the latter responsible for designing the historic park that still encircles the estate—the castle guarded a secret buried for decades: a subterranean bunker excavated during the Second World War. Rediscovered only in 1987 during restoration works, eighteen meters underground at a constant temperature of fourteen degrees Celsius, it is within these deep galleries, alongside the medieval cellars, that the estate’s fine wines mature today.
The year 1987 marked the beginning of Castello di Spessa’s modern era, when Friulian entrepreneur Loretto Pali acquired the property, having previously purchased the La Boatina winery in Cormòns. Since then, the estate has harmonized the ancient winemaking heritage of the Collio with refined wine production, expanding its vineyards across the surrounding rolling hills and transforming the manor into an elegant boutique resort—always maintaining its profound connection to the land.
Thus, within walls that have witnessed the passage of Romans and Lombards, noble dynasties, and illustrious adventurers, Castello di Spessa continues to tell a story that belongs to a family of stone and to an entire region: the Collio, where wine is never merely a product, but the living memory of a landscape born from the sea and sculpted by time.
Collio gave us its land, its climate, its very soul. From Casanova to the present day, Castello di Spessa has passionately safeguarded this legacy, turning it into fine wine. Discover how this story lives on — today more than ever.
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