• CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.

Northern Italy Going to Piemonte this summer

David

10+ Posts
Hello everyone! I've been reading this thread as well as Beerman's other one - it's great to get some ideas for our upcoming trip to Piemonte this summer.


I'll be in Emilia-Romagna for 5 weeks prior to meeting Bruce, my husband, and our friend Mary. They'll fly into Milan from the US, I'll train up to Milan, get a rental car and pick them up, and then we'll have 13 nights in the region. Before we head to Piemonte, we're going to spend a few nights at Lake Como or Maggiore (suggestions welcome - I loved seeing your pics, Beerman, of your Como trip). Then we'll want to be in Langhe for 6 or 7 nights (we are major food and wine people and, even if it's more touristy than, say, Alta Langa, I still think we want to be somewhere not too far from Alba or Asti or Bra) and we'll have 2 or 3 nights left over for... something else?

One idea is to hang out in Torino for a couple of days. Another idea is to go up to the mountains - Val d'Aosta - for just a couple of days. I do understand that would be a bit of a drive.

We'll fly back to the US from Milan.

Pauline, are you guys in Piemonte right now? Or are you back?

Anyway, any and all advice welcome. BTW, hi Ian! Your recommendations are terrific.

Thanks much,

David
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi David
Torino indeed a superb city, so is always a decent option. Not an ideal city to have a car in, especially as the tramlines complicate the driving experience, plus the ztl is large. Perhaps a smart non-central location might allow you to better utilise the car, be that heading out to Stupinigi, Superga, La Mandria or even something as mundane as a visit to Grandi Bottiglie (wine shop) in the western suburbs. Public transport is very good and can get you in/out of the city easily.

I'll throw two other places in as more convenient for Milano Malpensa:
- Novara, which is very much under-touristed, and has a lovely centre to walk around, some good architecture, and for 2-3 nights might be just the right size.
- Gattinara/Ghemme/Fara etc. Which add to the wine interest, with the wines starting to get wider recognition. Gattinara is the more appealing centre to look at / walk around, and with more wineries. That said, when in the region we stay at Il Cavenago agriturismo in Ghemme, and we rather enjoy Ghemme's low key feel. The food is very good indeed, though typically it's serving food only on Friday, Saturday nights and sunday lunch. Their risotto is very special, but the whole setting and experience is great. The rooms combine big old oak historic style, with modern bathrooms. One option might be to stay in Gattinara, but head over to Il Cavenago just for a meal.

One other thought would be Lakes Orta, but maybe after Maggiore, this might feel repetitious?

Which Langhe village appeals? We've stayed on the edges of Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra and Treiso (though never in the centre of them), as well as nearby in Corneliano d'Alba and Santa Vittoria d'Alba. If in summer, Agriturismo val di Spinso in the latter might appeal, as it has modern and spacious apartments, but also with a pool/patio/bbq area facing lovely gardens and with a view of the castle. It's a short (~10 mins) drive to Verduno, then another 5 mins to La Morra etc.
 
Hello everyone! I've been reading this thread as well as Beerman's other one - it's great to get some ideas for our upcoming trip to Piemonte this summer.

I'll be in Emilia-Romagna for 5 weeks prior to meeting Bruce, my husband, and our friend Mary. They'll fly into Milan from the US, I'll train up to Milan, get a rental car and pick them up, and then we'll have 13 nights in the region. Before we head to Piemonte, we're going to spend a few nights at Lake Como or Maggiore (suggestions welcome - I loved seeing your pics, Beerman, of your Como trip). Then we'll want to be in Langhe for 6 or 7 nights (we are major food and wine people and, even if it's more touristy than, say, Alta Langa, I still think we want to be somewhere not too far from Alba or Asti or Bra) and we'll have 2 or 3 nights left over for... something else?

One idea is to hang out in Torino for a couple of days. Another idea is to go up to the mountains - Val d'Aosta - for just a couple of days. I do understand that would be a bit of a drive.

We'll fly back to the US from Milan.

Pauline, are you guys in Piemonte right now? Or are you back?

Anyway, any and all advice welcome. BTW, hi Ian! Your recommendations are terrific.

Thanks much,

David
Hey David, thanks for reading my reports! Nesso/Como was outstanding! we stayed in Stresa one night a few years ago and really liked it. Hard to compare lakes having stayed only one night, but we took a boat trip and checked out Isola Bella, very cool.

What we found and liked with Milan is that everything we wanted to do was within a 2 hour drive or train. We’ll be back in a couple weeks and haven’t decided on our last 2 nights, Aosta and Lake Orta perhaps, if Aosta it’s just under 2 hours to Malpensa and San Giulio is close to an hour, for us either is doable with a 1pm flight out.

All of Ian’s Piemonte recommendations would be perfect. The driving from hill town to hill town was easy. I am interested in walking Alba this trip and my wife wants to poke into Bra…..looking at options for longer stays!

Happy planning!
 
I'm sure you're right, Pauline. I thought about opening a new thread, but my questions were kind of a propos to the earlier thread. But this is great. Thanks.

Ian, as far as where we'll stay in Langhe, I'm looking at Airbnb and VRBO. We're pretty particular - need a three bedroom place and VIEW is very important. We'll most probably end up in a freestanding house (not necessarily in the middle of a town), and happily pay for it. So where we end up depends upon where we can find a place that works for us. I'm starting to scout some out and will post some links when I've got a short list. Thanks again.
 
Cool - we'll generally go for 1 or 2 bedroom places and often agriturismo in wine regions. 3 bedroom definitely pushes it more towards apartment / house rental. It also means you'll likely have laundry facilities, which very much helps to lighten the weight of luggage required.
 
Hi again. I booked this place in Diano d'Alba for 8 nights. It's a bit of a splurge, but... you only live once. It's in a town, which wasn't my original idea, but I think this will work nicely. Not in a busy center, but a 5 minute walk to some shops. So if we need something at the grocery store or hang out at a cafe, we won't have to get into the car and drive. I've corresponded with the host and she seems lovely - also, there are 99 really positive reviews, so it feels right! As I mentioned, I kind of wanted to finish our trip with a few days staying in Torino, but Bruce really wants to be out in the country the whole time. So, from Diano d'Alba, we'll probably go into Torino on a day trip - maybe drive to Alba or Bra and take the train - seems easily doable.

Next - Ian, I love your suggestion of Lake Orta - thanks! I'm going to compare lodging possibilities there to, say, Stresa. Either way, Orta and Maggiore are pretty close to each other, so we stay there for 5 nights and do a bunch of lake-related things, as well as take a drive up into the mountains.

And then we'll head down to Piemonte.

If you have a feeling of Orta vs. Maggiore, I'd love to hear it. Orta looks charming and beautiful.

Thanks again.
 
Hi David,

I spent 6 nights in Stresa in 2009. I thought the town of Stresa itself was ok. There are a lot of interesting places to visit from there though so it's a good central location. I did a few blog posts about my time in Stresa that might interest you. After the tragic Mottarone cable car accident, the cable car is no longer running. I think you can still drive up to the Botanic Garden Alpinia at the midway point though.

While staying in Stresa, took the bus from Stresa to Orta for a day trip. Wild bus ride! I absolutely love Orta. I crammed in as much as I could during my one day there. Here are my blog posts about my day trip to Orta.

I was only in Orta for a day so I can't compare staying there vs staying in Stresa but if I was to plan another trip and I had a car, I would stay in Orta.

Jan just spent a few days in Orta and blogged about her time there starting with her arrival blog post here.
 
Looks a very nice place.

Sobrino an option for a winery visit you might be able to walk to (albeit it sounds a little modernist with the oak treatment for my tastes), and I also see a hazelnut farm which might be interesting to visit (the local hazelnuts are stunningly good). Never a bad thing to be in a quieter / less touristy village. Whilst some of the other wineries in the village are unknown to me, it's always worth a look on their website to see if they're serious about what they do, and there are always under the radar gems to be found.

It's good to see there's a regular Alba-Torino train service - that wasn't always the case. There's a modern multi-story car park next to Alba's train station, so ideal for such a trip (and thus more practical than Bra). You'll want the Porta Susa stazione if wanting to see the central area, and it's a modest walk east from there, though my suggestion would be to go north a little to hit Piazza Statuto (which is pleasant) and then across eastwards to the centre from there, but there's no obvious good/bad roads in the centre, so follow what interests you.

It's also nice to know that if the big Eataly at the Lingotto appeals, that once down there, it's on the train route back to Alba. I have mixed emotions about the place. It isn't IMO the 'food temple' some assume it to be, but instead probably one of the very best supermarkets in the world. The range of produce under one roof is remarkable, but it also commercially savvy (you'll see how they give their own brands e.g. Fontanafredda and their coffee brand whose name escapes me, great prominance). You will find equal or better quality for less (and with a more sociable experience) in the specialist shops around Torino, but for the convenience (especially on a day trip) it may be ideal and a massive draw. I've posted the google map I made up: 'Torino food explorer' on these pages, but give me a shout if it doesn't come up in a search. Nothing is ever definitive, and this is no different, but hopefully gives some useful pointers if grazing the food shops of Torino appeals.
 
Hi David,

I spent 6 nights in Stresa in 2009. I thought the town of Stresa itself was ok. There are a lot of interesting places to visit from there though so it's a good central location. I did a few blog posts about my time in Stresa that might interest you. After the tragic Mottarone cable car accident, the cable car is no longer running. I think you can still drive up to the Botanic Garden Alpinia at the midway point though.

While staying in Stresa, took the bus from Stresa to Orta for a day trip. Wild bus ride! I absolutely love Orta. I crammed in as much as I could during my one day there. Here are my blog posts about my day trip to Orta.

I was only in Orta for a day so I can't compare staying there vs staying in Stresa but if I was to plan another trip and I had a car, I would stay in Orta.

Jan just spent a few days in Orta and blogged about her time there starting with her arrival blog post here.
This is great! Thank you so much, Susan! And Ian. Wonderful info all around. Cheers.
 
We’ve stared in Baveno, just up the road from Stresa several times for a few days to get over jet lag. Drove over to Orta on our first trip to just look around. I’d stay there over Stresa in a heartbeat. Just my two cents.
 
Diano d'alba will be a great location, the villa looks awesome! We will be back in that area next month, perhaps we'll see Diano d'alba this trip, if so I'll post a teaser photo for you guys! If you like hiking i'd suspect there's a trail to Serralunga from there, a walk through the vinyards of Dolcetto would be nice.

We haven't decided on our final 2 nights yet, torn between Aosta and San Giulio.......lately people are talking up Lake Orta....we have a 1pm flight out of Malpensa so I think either is ok, but Aosta is close to 2 hour drive...San Giulio less than an hour? You wrote that a drive into the mountains was on your wish list, got me thinking about a day trip to Aosta (and above) instead of staying there, a shorter drive on departure day would probably make better sense. If you or anyone has more lodging recommendations around Lake Orta we'd appreciate seeing!
 
We’ve stared in Baveno, just up the road from Stresa several times for a few days to get over jet lag. Drove over to Orta on our first trip to just look around. I’d stay there over Stresa in a heartbeat. Just my two cents.
Thanks ncp. I'm curious to know why you'd prefer Orta.
 
Diano d'alba will be a great location, the villa looks awesome! We will be back in that area next month, perhaps we'll see Diano d'alba this trip, if so I'll post a teaser photo for you guys! If you like hiking i'd suspect there's a trail to Serralunga from there, a walk through the vinyards of Dolcetto would be nice.

We haven't decided on our final 2 nights yet, torn between Aosta and San Giulio.......lately people are talking up Lake Orta....we have a 1pm flight out of Malpensa so I think either is ok, but Aosta is close to 2 hour drive...San Giulio less than an hour? You wrote that a drive into the mountains was on your wish list, got me thinking about a day trip to Aosta (and above) instead of staying there, a shorter drive on departure day would probably make better sense. If you or anyone has more lodging recommendations around Lake Orta we'd appreciate seeing!
I'm looking right now. Found this on VRBO. The only thing that puts me off are reports of late night noise... Otherwise, it sounds kind of cool - if you're looking for 2 bedrooms.
 
You have to go and eat at Osteria Da Gemma. It is a fantastic expeierience... the food is delicious. You need to make a reservation
osteriadagemma.it
 
I'm looking right now. Found this on VRBO. The only thing that puts me off are reports of late night noise... Otherwise, it sounds kind of cool - if you're looking for 2 bedrooms.
I just showed this to my wife, looks and sounds pretty great to us, we like its style and location. Private garage 350 meters away a huge plus. The one comment about the restaurant workers in the evening doesn't bother me, I think we would simply try to join in with them!! We stayed on the main drag in Santa Margherita and reviews mentioned "the noise", but honestly with the windows closed it was quiet inside. We had a/c for sleeping so we could close out the street noise. Are you going in summer? *EDITED to say that's a silly question based on thread title ;-) It looks like this rental does not have a/c?

btw your choice in Diano reminds me a little of the one we stayed at in Guarene, I think the ancient cellar will be your go to place for drinks!

Thanks for sharing this rental!
 
Last edited:
Hey David, thanks for reading my reports! Nesso/Como was outstanding! we stayed in Stresa one night a few years ago and really liked it. Hard to compare lakes having stayed only one night, but we took a boat trip and checked out Isola Bella, very cool.

What we found and liked with Milan is that everything we wanted to do was within a 2 hour drive or train. We’ll be back in a couple weeks and haven’t decided on our last 2 nights, Aosta and Lake Orta perhaps, if Aosta it’s just under 2 hours to Malpensa and San Giulio is close to an hour, for us either is doable with a 1pm flight out.

All of Ian’s Piemonte recommendations would be perfect. The driving from hill town to hill town was easy. I am interested in walking Alba this trip and my wife wants to poke into Bra…..looking at options for longer stays!

Happy planning!
Beerman, jumping in here so as not to resurrect other threads.
We had booked a place in Alba in 2020 then had to cancel and finally going to make it to Piedmont.
I reread your trip story and OMG we booked Louisa's Smile a few days ago and had completely forgotten your posts about Guarene, etc., Now I am really stoked to stay there and day trip from Guarene for 5 days. and after that 5 nights in Bellagio.
 
Last edited:
Beerman, jumping in here so as not to resurrect other threads.
We had booked a place in Alba in 2020 then had to cancel and finally going to make it to Piedmont.
I reread your trip story and OMG we booked Louisa's Smile a few days ago and had completely forgotten your posts about Guarene, etc., Now I am really stoked to stay there and day trip from Guarene for 5 days. and after that 5 nights in Bellagio.
That's pretty cool! You will really like Louisa's Smile. Please message me if you have any questions.
 

How to Find Information

Search using the search button in the upper right. Search all forums or current forum by keyword or member. Advanced search gives you more options.

Filter forum threads using the filter pulldown above the threads. Filter by prefix, member, date. Or click on a thread title prefix to see all threads with that prefix.

Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina

Share this page

Back
Top