Borgo di Vho

frazione Vho - 15057 Tortona (AL)
https://www.facebook.com/vhotortona
https://www.vho.it/

Ranked as one of the "Most beautiful Villages in Italy" only very recently, Vho is a hamlet of Tortona. From its 210 m above sea level, Vho enjoys a spectacular view over cultivated fields and vineyards which design the slopes of the surrounding hills, outlining the territory of Tortona. The first historical references are in the "Statuta Civtatis Dertonae". Other references are found in the 9th century when the Lady of the village, Teberga, donated her goods in Vho (written Vau) to the Mjaor Church of Tortona. The Castle, at the centre of the village, was surrounded by a moat which ran along its perimeter and availed of a drawbridge which gave access to the entrance arch. The ownership of the castle of Vho passed to the Zenone, already Lords of Castel Ceriolo as an inscription shows which is still visible today and establishes their property and which textually cites "Castel Zenone". Over the years, the moat that surrounded the castle was partly buried and gave life to a pool: this pool that gathered rain water was used by the women of the village to do the laundry and water the animals, in popular story it became "the sea of Vho". This is still said today to indicate that place which, after the definitive burial in 1930, has become a particularly delightful area in which to stop and admire the landscape. The beauty and uniqueness of the village of Vho lie in the position and landscape that surround it: the particular type of soil and exposure to the sun makes this an area which produces excellent whites and reds. The prominent vine variety is the Timorasso: in the cellars present in the village it is possible to taste this gold coloured wine called Derthona, a priceless treasure of the tradition and history of the place. In Vho, where the SOMS (Societa Mutuo Soccorso) is very active, every year at summer's end it organises a food festival dedicated to the typical dish: agnolotto Tortonese (anlot). The "Vhoese Carnival", the oldest of the Tortona area, is part of the village tradition. It is celebrated on Fat Tuesday and its first historical hints date back to the early 8th century.