City: Asti
Country: Italy
Architectural Design: Ermanno SaraccoThe underground “cathedrals” of Gancia, historical cellars where the famous Italian “sparkling wine” is produced, extend under the town of Canelli in the province of Asti, excavated in the tufa hillside. Today they are a unique historic architectural heritage dedicated to wine-making, and recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site due to their beauty and uniqueness. The project to upgrade and renovate the wineries was coordinated by Ermanno Saracco in collaboration with Piergiorgio Cane, who was responsible for the lighting-design solutions.

The project team used Targetti products and, more specifically, the PHENIX in-ground projectors and Q-BO wall-mounted light fixtures for side-lighting effects. A careful study of the surfaces combined with special attention placed on finding the right position for each fixture resulted in an extremely harmonious and balanced design, where light is the real star, bringing out the best of the architecture through a subtle game of contrasts. Decisive strokes of light “colour” the arches of the vaults with warm tones, while the light coming from the ground beautifully sets off the columns. Strokes of light softly “bathe” the surfaces of the perimeter walls, enhancing the exposed brick finish and allowing to easily perceive the space in its entirety. The barrels in prized wood are not directly illuminated, which nevertheless allows enhancing their beauty.