Built as a fortification in the 11th century to defend the trade route between Savona and Asti, Castello di Canelli passed first into the hands of the Asinari family and subsequently to the Scarampi family, whose members transformed it into a residence between the 15th and 16th centuries, introducing various improvements and modernisations. It was severely damaged in 1617 by the Spanish during the War of the Mantuan Succession and its compromised sections were rebuilt in 1676 by the last descendants of the Scarampi Crivelli family. In 1706, upon the extinction of the family, the Castle was enfeoffed to the Galleani family and in 1803 was purchased by the Alfieri family. Between the 19th century and the beginning of the next, several owners followed one another, leaving the Castle in a state of increasing abandonment.

In addition to the Castle, in 1927 Camillo also purchased the farmhouse and the vineyards behind it, intending to make it a place dedicated to his oenological experiments. After Camillo, the farmhouse went through years of disuse, before being subsequently restored in 1975 by his nephew Lorenzo, who transformed it into a modern agricultural estate. Alongside the cultivation of vineyards, a herd of Piedmontese Fassone cattle was introduced, as well as a private riding stable for polo horses, a passion of Lorenzo, who had already co-founded the Polo Club of Turin. In the 1990s, the cattle breeding and the riding stable were closed down and only vine cultivation continued, with the grapes being supplied to the Gancia house for the production of its most prestigious labels.