48 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {due west} PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF ROCCO CESELIN / COURTESY OF CASTELLO DI AMOROSA - JIM SULLIVAN ABOVE: Dario Sattui in Castello di Amorosa’s Great Hall with his dog Lupo in January 2012. central Italy, this castle wasn’t designed to thwart invaders. Instead, it entices visitors who appreciate history, architecture and Italian-style wines. And above all, it’s the manifestation of one man’s dream—or allconsuming obsession. “I have a disease and I know I have it,” confesses Dario. “I just can’t resist beautiful architecture.” DARIO SATTUI’S ROYAL DREAM As an emigrant from Italy, Dario’s great-grandfather, Vittorio Sattui, established St. Helena Wine Cellars back in 1885 but Prohibition shut the winery down. After earning his MBA from Cal and traveling around Europe, Dario became determined to carry on the family’s legacy and successfully reopened V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena in 1975. Always fascinated by architecture, Dario broke away to live in Italy in the late 1980s and spent his time exploring abandoned castles, churches and farmhouses in Tuscany and {due west} Just short of downtown Calistoga on Highway 128, you’ll spot the turnoff for Castello di Amorosa. Everything strikes the eye as familiar Napa Valley scenery: a private driveway winding up a grapevine-terraced hillside. Only with a reservation can you proceed up the road to the astonishing sight that lies just beyond view. “People come up over the crest of the hill and often just stop their cars,” notes winery owner Dario Sattui. “Sometimes they even get out and take videos or photos. They’re in awe before they even get closer or inside the castle.” That’s right. Castle. An authentically-built 14th-century medieval Tuscan-style castle to be precise. At three acres in size, the castle winery consists of 107 distinctive rooms spanning eight levels (including four underground) and five defensive towers with battlements. But unlike the centuries-old fortresses that once protected
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