Infernot di Cella Monte

The infernot of Cella Monte are underground wine chambers carved by hand into pietra da cantoni, a marly sandstone characteristic of the Monferrato. They form part of the UNESCO-listed Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont and connect the village’s architecture with its history of viticulture.

Why it matters

UNESCO recognized the Monferrato degli Infernot in 2014 as one component of the Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. Farming families carved these chambers into the local pietra da cantoni, whose stable underground conditions made it suitable for storing bottled wine. Cella Monte is home to the Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni, which documents this distinctive relationship between geology, viticulture and rural life.

What to notice

The hand-cut chambers vary in shape and preserve the tool marks of their makers. Some include carved niches for bottles and demijohns. The local pietra da cantoni ranges from cream and yellow to blue-grey and contains shells and microfossils, evidence of its marine origin. Infernot are generally dark and unventilated, relying on the underground environment to maintain stable conditions.

Context and history

Cella Monte developed as a stone-built farming village, using pietra da cantoni for houses, churches and underground wine chambers. Infernot were carved from the nineteenth century onward; some may reuse earlier quarries, according to local tradition. The 2014 UNESCO inscription includes the Monferrato degli Infernot across fourteen municipalities. Since 2003, the Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni has surveyed and interpreted this network of private underground chambers as part of the region’s cultural landscape.