Whereas you can easily take a high-speed train for a nice weekend away to reach the capital city of Torino, the countryside of Piemonte is best experienced by car. Think wine country in California, or closer yet, wine country in Tuscany; however, think about a place with fewer American tourists than in both aforementioned places. Like many recommended spots on this website, the entire area is a Unesco World Heritage recognized, specifically for “the winegrowing and winemaking that has characterized the region for centuries.”

Driving in through La Langhe with vines upon vines

I visited the region during the fall season, and there was foliage on the vines making for a most pleasant driving experience. In fact, I would argue this really IS the experience: cruising through the UNESCO recognized landscape between truffle eating and red wine drinking.

Here are a few of my personal recommendations for a delightful trip in the countryside of Piemonte…

Stay at La Villa Hotel. We found this charming 4 star via Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a collection of luxury hotels with discounts and benefits offered if you book through them. It fit our purposes perfectly. Located in the Monferrato area with quick access to Roero and Le Langhe, the views are superb and there is a breakfast to match. You will experience one of those particularly good hotel breakfasts with fresh, local products. I am still dreaming about it. If you want to rent a car from a bigger city, it is located about 1 hour 15 minutes from both capital cities of Torino (Piemonte) and Genova (Liguria). Also, if you are driving up from the south of Italy, this is a good access point to the whole area as you can do day trips to…

Vintage bottles of Barolo wine on display at Barale

Visit Barolo. From La Villa Hotel, the drive to Barolo is under an hour, and this is probably the furthest I would recommend going. However, if you came to the region for the wine, you will want to make the pilgrimage. While here, you can visit the WiMu (Museum of Wine) for a taste literally. However, I would also recommend contacting at least one ‘cantina’ (winery) well ahead of time to book in a tour and tasting. We visited Barale Fratelli, a well-established winery, founded in 1870, with the tasting room in the center of the town area. They were accommodating despite being in the midst of some renovations post harvest.

Other established ‘cantine’ (wineries) you might contact for Barolo tasting purposes are Giacomo Fenocchio, Ferdinando Principiano, and Giuseppe Rinaldi. If you would like to do a tasting the earlier you contact the better, and even better if you have a personal connection in the wine world to help you, especially for Rinaldi, considered one of the best producers of Barolo in both the natural and conventional wine-making worlds. As I have mentioned at different points throughout this website, I am not a big red wine drinker (or drinker of big, bold reds, hehe). But ‘when in Barolo’, I would be remiss not to mention some of the big names in the game.

Although I did not find the Langhe area to be overrun with tourism, Barolo did feel a bit more like a destination catering to visitors with the wine museum. Thus, you should also…

Views from atop of the tower in Barbaresco

Visit Barbaresco, as the feel is a bit different from Barolo, in my opinion. Hence, I would recommend visiting both the ‘king’ and ‘queen’ of the region (See the Food and Wine post for a full explanation). Perhaps it was the time of day, but Barbaresco felt a bit quieter, subdued. The ‘cantina’ Gaja, most famous for the namesake (Barbaresco) wine, is here, although we were unable to visit. They recommend booking 2-3 months ahead of time. I strongly recommend climbing the tower (Torre di Barbaresco) for splendid views all around.

Standing outside of the Osteria Boccondivino, headquarters of the Slow Food Movement in Italy

Visit Bra and eat at L'Osteria del Boccondivino, which is the restaurant connected to the headquarters and the home of the Slow Food Movement. Bra itself is not altogether worth a stop, in my opinion, if you have not opted to come for a meal and booked a table here or at another recommended restaurant in this food mecca. We were also pleasantly surprised with the reasonable prices to accompany the (as expected) high quality of the food.

A Butcher shop (*Macelleria*) advertising the famous ‘Bra Sausage’

Be sure to try the salsiccia di Bra (Bra Sausage) which is produced exclusively in this area.

One of many viewpoints asking to be photographed in Monforte d’Alba

Stop by Monforte d’Alba. You can decide the itinerary and order of stops as Monforte is only a 9 minute drive from Barolo mentioned above. Walk up to the top of the town for beautiful views, especially around sunset. There are also some great wine shops in this town, Enoteca 2 Calici, for example, where you can pick up quality bottles of regional wine at reasonable prices.

The famous white truffle for sale in the town of Alba

*Vitello Tonnato* at Osteria il Cortile (Veal served with a tuna sauce and capers) a classic in Piemontese cuisine

Visit Alba, home of the Truffle Festival which lasts for months during the fall. You can find more information and the program of events linked here. If you visit around a mealtime, you could eat at Museum (winner of the Quattro Ristorante episode in this area). We opted to ‘get out of town’ and eat at the ‘runner up’ restaurant that host Alessandro Borghese awarded with the best ‘Vitello Tonnato’ (one of the region’s most loved dishes which you can read more about in the Food and Wine post.) Osteria il Cortile is situated in the beautiful hills of Le Langhe. We went for dinner and indulged in the region’s classics prepared with care and precision.

The vitello tonnato, indeed, was the best I have tried, and the classic regional pastas, namely, ravioli del plin and tajarin with veal ragu did not disappoint. The owner, named Simone, was kind and gracious as we wanted a picture after watching his moment of fame with Alessandro Borghese.

Tajarin “40 tuorli” with butter and white truffle

The *tartufo bianco (*white truffle) menu at Osteria Boccondivino

At all of these restaurants I have recommended in the vicinity of Alba will feature the famed white truffle especially during the festival time.

I found that most places had a ‘truffle menu’ insert in which you had the option for the white gold on a myriad of dishes from antipasti to secondi, and, of course, on pasta, which I recommend.

The recommendations above are mostly concentrated in the ‘Langhe’ hills and so- called part of the region. Slightly further to the east, you can explore more of the Monferrato hills. This could be another day in which you…

Enoteca Malia in Asti. The selection is of natural wines here, and the staff was very accommodating and happy to find the right wine for your fancy.

Explore Asti. The name of this town might be familiar for the association with the famously sweeter sparkling wine (spumante). It is, of course, produced in these parts with the Moscato grape. The town itself is worth a little ramble around, and if you would like to stop for a light lunch or a glass, I recommend the Enoteca Malia. They have all natural wines, and the staff will find the one to suit your tastes. In my experience, these smaller, independent enoteche (wine bars) provide better ‘customer service’ in the sense that Americans often look for and more tailored dining experiences. This is why many of my recommendations feature natural wines and I also often turn to Raisin for ideas.
Visit Viv Winery, especially if (as mentioned above) you are looking for a very intimate and tailored experience. Viv is a relatively young, family run winery, located in the beautiful hills of Monferrato. The father-daughter team will make you feel at home while introducing you to their story, the area, and offering some delicious and surprising wines to taste.

Here are some of the wines at Viv on display

The labels, you will notice, are works of art that ‘pair’ perfectly and rather poetically with the wines they represent. I am partial to the ‘universi paralleli’ (parallel universes) a fresh sparkling rose.

You didn’t think I could end this post without a literary connection, did you?

From atop the town of Canelli, nearby the birthplace of important Italian writer Cesare Pavese.

Visit Santo Stefano Belbo as it is the birthplace (and now interesting house museum) dedicated to the important 20th century Italian writer Cesare Pavese. If you are interested in finding out more about Pavese, here is a trailer for La Bella Estate (‘the beautiful summer’) a film that was adapted from one of his more popular works, fully set in this region, namely, Torino and the rolling hills of Piemonte. After paying homage to the writer’s birthplace, you might stop by Canelli, another charming town in which the hike up is worth the views along the way and from the top.

This was a delicious ravioli with ricotta, mint and saffron butter.

Eat at Terre Russe in the area, after you have worked up an appetite from exploring the towns tucked into the Monferrato hills. This restaurant is a part of an organic farm as well (agriturismo biologico). Indeed, the menu has unique and tasty offerings all of which comes from local producers and is homemade. This restaurant is only an 8 minute drive from La Villa Hotel.

To end, I would like to ruminate on one of my favorite things in the world, that is, is waking up in a ‘room with a view’. This is a special experience on vacation, of course, and you might notice that it has become a motif across this website.

One of the most memorable ‘views’ was experienced here in the countryside of Piemonte. The combination of mist topping valleys, yet dissipating in the span of an hour, specifically that the lazy hour of a pre-breakfast holiday routine in which the only obligation is to rouse slowly, look out of the window, and get prepared for an lazy, long breakfast. After the mist retreats to the hills in the background, the view reveals more autumn colors and vine-laced hills.

Some Italian regions are best experienced in certain seasons. Summer in Sardinia and the ‘Settimana Bianca’ (White Week or Ski Week) in the Alpine regions up north, Valle d’Aosta or Trentino-Alto Adige, for example. Piemonte, I must say, pairs well with autumn.

Le Langhe-Roero and Monferrato Regional Features Update

Introduction to the region: Piemonte