Langhe Etymology and Historical Outline of the Barolo Region

For millennia, the hill system that runs from southern Piedmont towards the Po River Valley has been known as the Langhe.

The Langhe describes the geographic area whose roughly 200-kilometer perimeter forms an irregular polygon. Its topography can be subdivided three distinct hill chains: the first bordered by the Bormida di Spigno and the Bormida di Millesimo in the east, the second by the Bormida di Millesimo and the Belbo in the region’s center, and the last by the Belbo and the Tanaro in the west. The Barolo area refers to the last hill chain, with Alba as its capital.

Historically, the area’s inhabitants were known as “Langenses” and came from a Ligurian tribe residing on the northern hillsides of the Apennines, north of Genoa. In 117 BC, the Genuates and the Langenses constructed the celebrated Bronze Table of Genova, which was, according to ancient texts, where pasture boundaries between the two tribes were officially delineated.

The Langhe region can also be divided into two distinct altimetrical or altitudinal zones: the Alta Langa, whose hills to the southeast rise 900 meters above sea level, and the more fertile Bassa Langa, with its celebrated Barolo vineyards sloping down to the Tanaro.

The form of the three chains of hills, with its dozens of spurs fanning out like tongues, probably gave the region its name (“Langhe” derives from the Latin root for tongue, “lang” or “lungo”.). This etymological hypothesis is confirmed by the expression “to go by Langa” still used by the area’s inhabitants to indicate a route that follows the ridge of the hills. This fact can be explained by the geological composition of the territory; as its valleys are often subject to erosion, all roads and town centers in the Langhe were constructed on the crests of the hills. This overall design contributes to the spectacular landscape of the Langhe, dotted with castles, towers, towns and chapel-refuges.

The harshness of the Langhan Massif’s terrain has ensured its relative isolation from the surrounding area. Circumvented almost entirely by train lines and large roads, the area largely relies on the Roman and medieval road network, which naturally follows the longitudinal course of the three chains of hills.