WiMu, the wine museum in Barolo Castle

The WiMu is an interactive wine museum spread over the floors of the Falletti castle, in the centre of the village of Barolo. It is not a museum of winemaking technique: it tells the story of wine through history, art and myth, as an interactive journey. Entry costs €9, and for €3 more you can have a glass of Barolo at the Regional Enoteca, in the cellars of the same castle.

What you see and why it matters

The Falletti castle was the home of the marquises who ruled Barolo and whom village tradition links to the birth of the wine that bears its name. Today it houses two things: upstairs, the WiMu, an interactive journey through the culture and tradition of wine; downstairs, in the cellars, the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo, where you can taste and buy Barolo from different producers in the area.

Opening hours

• General hours: every day from 10:30 to 19:00, last entry at 18:00.
• From 16 November: 10:30 to 18:00, last entry at 17:00.
• Closed on 24 and 25 December.

Tickets

• Adults: €9; with the Wine Experience, a 25 ml tasting of a Barolo DOCG at the Regional Enoteca, €12.
• Over-65s: €7, plus €3 if you want the tasting.
• Ages 6 to 14: €1 for the first child accompanying an adult paying full price; €3 from the second child.
• Up to age 5: free.
• Families, on the second Sunday of each month: €18 for two adults and one child, or €21 for two adults and two children, with the Giocamuseo included.

Tickets are bought at the castle's ticket office. For groups or questions, the museum can be reached on +39 0173 38 66 97 and at [email protected].

How long it takes

Allow an hour and a half for the museum at a relaxed pace, and a little longer if you go down to the enoteca to taste or buy.

Getting there and parking

The castle is at piazza Falletti 1, at the top of the old part of Barolo, a few minutes' walk from anywhere in the village. Barolo lies south-west of Alba, among vine-covered hills; the practical way is to arrive by car and leave it outside the old centre, which has narrow streets. If you are going to taste, let someone else drive.

With children

It works for families: the museum is interactive and children aged 6 to 14 pay €1 for the first one. On the second Sunday of each month there is a family rate with the Giocamuseo. The tasting, of course, is for adults only. If you have a pushchair or wheelchair, ask at the ticket office about access to the floors.

How it fits into your day

Right opposite the castle are the Marchesi di Barolo cellars: do the museum first and then the cellar visit. On the way from Alba you can stop at Grinzane Cavour Castle, with its regional enoteca, or at the Fontanafredda cellars, in Serralunga d'Alba. In October and November, the white truffle fair fills Alba and the villages around it at weekends.