California’s Top Fairytale Castles

As Valentine’s Day approaches, romance takes center stage. For some people, romance comes in the form of candy and roses. But just ask any “princess” what really defines romance and her answer would be a hilltop castle to share with her Prince Charming. Even though we tend to associate fairytale castles with medieval Europe, California has its own share of charming castles, from over-the-top extravagance to whimsical.  Although fascinating to view these two palatial masterpieces, you and your Valentine may find the surrounding scenery just as inspirational.

Sattui’s Tuscan castle

High in the hills above Calistoga and saved from recent devastating fires, is this family-owned vineyard submerged in acres of lush vineyards in a slice of Napa’s most beautiful countryside. It also holds the most authentic medieval castle you will find in this part of the world. Winemaker and owner Dario Sattui opened the doors to Castello di Amorosa in 2007, offering the pinnacle of romantic notions, all rolled into one glorious destination: hand-crafted Italian wines produced in an authentically styled 13^th century Tuscan castle. Visitors to the winery/castle are able to taste the wines that are only available here, as well as tour the magnificent rooms.

“As a hobby, I had spent years visiting and studying medieval architecture, collecting thousands of detailed photos and measurements,” said Sattui on his blog. “I obtained building plans of Italian castles; I even pretended to be an interested buyer, dressing in suits to get realtors to show me through castles I would have never seen otherwise. I was determined to bring a slice of Italy I loved to the Napa Valley.”

And he did, although It took 15 years to create the masterpiece, using both medieval designs and construction methods, from the 1,000-pound, hand-hewn doors from Italy to a Great Hall featuring a 22-foot-high coffered ceiling featuring hand-painted frescoes inspired by Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Buon Governo” in Siena, Italy as well a 500- year-old fireplace.  The 136,000-square-foot castle and winery on eight levels (four underground) has 107 rooms with 95 devoted to winemaking. Over 170 containers of handmade antique bricks were brought over from Europe for the construction, and all ironwork was hand-forged by Italian artisans over an open flame.

The castle complex also includes five defensive towers with battlements, a 12,000-square-foot Grand Barrel Room featuring 40 Roman cross-vaulted brick ceilings, a church, drawbridge and watch tower. The fairytale castle remains authentic right down to some secret passage ways.  The Castello has a torture chamber, although being forced to taste wine is seldom considered torture these days.

Reserve your tour and tasting

The winery offers various tour and tasting options, but opt for the nearly two-hour experience that includes tasting five of the winery’s premium releases and a guided tour of the castle. Reservations are highly recommended.

Hearst’s enchanted castle

California is blessed with many fascinating museums and a few “castles,” but one castle museum stands out from the rest—not just for its history and treasures, but also for the magnificent coastal journey that leads to its hilltop splendor.

Scenic, two-lane Highway 1 leisurely twists up the rocky Pacific coast above Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo County, allowing you stops along the way to linger over a romantic sunset or watch otters at play. It is an area rich in quaint towns abundant in surf-crashing scenery, small inns and petite bistros.  And, the tiny town of San Simeon, at the northern point of the county, boasts what was once the magnificent home of William Randolph Hearst, now Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, holding court high above the frolicking seals on the pristine ocean bluffs below.

The state historic monument, known more casually as Hearst Castle, attracts more than 750,000 visitors annually offering a wide array of day tours, all worth experiencing.  The larger day tours impart interesting history and facts in and around the museum and grounds—and great vistas from the hilltop perch. However, the Evening Tour that is only offered a few select months during the year in the spring and fall places you in the center of living history, going back to the opulent days of Hollywood’s elite.

Go behind the walls after dark

The Evening Tour which typically begins in March starts at the visitor center at the bottom of the “Enchanted Hill.” Guests are told to pretend they have received an invitation to Hearst’s “ranch,” the same as famous guests of the past like Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Winston Churchill. Next, museum- goers board the Hearst Castle bus that makes the 5-mile ascent to the top of the Enchanted Hill. (The return bus route takes a different route—this one past the vestiges of the “bear pits” that were built for Hearst’s private zoo.)

The Evening Tour takes in highlights of the day tours, but, in addition, is a realistic step back into the romance of the glamorous 1930s. Visitors actually experience firsthand the opulent lifestyles of the castle’s celebrated guests and occupants, as sort of party “voyeurs” as they travel throughout the indoor and outdoor swimming pools areas, the largest of the guest houses, living areas, kitchen and even Hearst’s private quarters.

While visitors tour the softly lit grounds and environs of the estate, docents in authentic 1930’s period dress assume a variety of guest and staff roles. Castle “guests” in satin cocktail gowns and suits stroll the rose-filled gardens; “butlers” serve appetizers to “guests” playing cards in the Assembly Room; and a “starlet” lounges near the 400-year-old bed in La Casa del Mar. The evening is not over until you’ve viewed a movie in the castle’s theater, a Hearst Metrotone newsreel recounting some of the important events of 1932.

A little trivia

The tour offers an incredible amount of insight into the lifestyle of the era and its famous occupants, publisher Hearst and his long-time companion, actress Marion Davies. Along the way, you’ll glean some trivia that is a little hard to believe, but true nonetheless. For instance, while Hearst Castle has 165 rooms, it has only 16 bathtubs. You can still catch glimpses of cattle, zebra and horses on your way to and from the castle, but the zoo that Hearst maintained also included llamas, lions and bears that Hearst had brought into the area beginning in the 1920s.

Reserve your tour

The one-hour and 40-minute Hearst Castle Evening Tour begins in March with reservations for the popular tour accepted up to nearly two months ahead.  Reservations are strongly encouraged.

Featured photo courtesy of Castello di Amorosa, Jim Sullivan photographer