Recommendations for Lodgings in Lake Como and Langhe areas

[patricia c.]

We are planning 10 days in Piemonte/Lombardia in late October. We are planning several days in Torino and want to spend 3 days in the Langhe area to see wineries, Asti and Alba, and 2 days in the Lake Como area.

We will have a car.

What inns, B&B's or small hotels would you suggest for Langhe and Como?

Thanks so much.

Patricia C

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Patricia
I've no experience in Como, but have stayed in a few place in the Langhe (Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga d'Alba, Treiso, La Morra), plus nearby (Corneliano d'Alba, Santa Vittoria d'Alba).

of those I'd very much recommend Val di spinsa (Santa vittoria d'Alba), Boasso (Serralunga d'alba), but all have had charm. The former perhaps ideal if wanting to see Alba and Asti as well, but villages near Barbaresco should also be very convenient.

The tourist office are very good indeed and have a big list / happy to book for tourists, but I also like agriturismo e.g. agriturismo.it

 

[joe]

What inns, B&B's or small hotels would you suggest for Langhe and Como?

Hello Patricia and welcome here.

If you are leaning towards a small accommodation, then I would second Ian's mention of staying at an agriturismo while in the Langhe. This is the only type of accommodation we use when in the countryside.
I'm not saying that inns and B&Bs can't offer a similar experience - but you might want to give this alternative a try on your upcoming trip, if you've never stayed on one before.

We have fallen in love with the fine hospitality, the lovely settings and the personal connections usually forged during a stay like this. But of course this a matter of personal preferences.
If you decide to consider a stay at an agriturismo, I can point out a thread or two here that might be useful to you. Finding an agriturismo is easy - choosing one out of the many enticing options is the hard part.

We have stayed at quite a few in Piemonte, but none located optimally for you if your interest is in Asti and Alba. I've never been to the Como area.

 

[Ian Sutton]

p.s. if food is a hobby, the google map I created 'Torino food explorer' may be of interest. https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/zurers-in-italy-2022-finally.6332/#post-40831

It's now about 4 years since we've been, so a few may have closed, but others opened.

Are you planning to drop the car off in Torino (or picking it up there)? Despite it being a city of cars from the FIAT HQ, like many Italian cities, it's not a great place to drive and has a huge ZTL (effectively the whole of the central rectangle that defines the city centre).

The drive from Torino to the Langhe isn't a bad one at all, likely to be busy, but straightforward if driving out of Torino, then pretty steady on the Autostrada. The only 'funky' junction I recall is the one outside of Alba on the junction of the Bra road with the one heading down into the heart of the Langhe. Worth looking that one up on Google maps beforehand.

In terms of booking wineries, we tend to email direct to arrange. Many have English speakers, but writing in Italian probably gets a faster response. Alternatively the excellent tourist office did set up a booking service. They also have a good listing of contact details for wineries.

Visits used to average out at 90 mins each, so for instance it's ideal to have 2 in the morning (say 9 or 9:30am for the first). It's usually very easy to find two places of interest that are neighbours.

 

[Kportgrl]

I have a recommendation for a Bellagio. We absolutely loved our Airbnb that we stayed at this past spring. It was beautiful and the hostess was just lovely. It was not an expensive. But we had terrible weather when we were there and it was a comfort to be staying at a bright place with a beautiful kitchen when we made our Meals https://abnb.me/f9RB7K3jgCb.

 

[Kportgrl]

I have a recommendation for a Bellagio. We absolutely loved our Airbnb that we stayed at this past spring. It was beautiful and the hostess was just lovely. It was not an expensive. But we had terrible weather when we were there and it was a comfort to be staying at a bright place with a beautiful kitchen when we made our Meals https://abnb.me/f9RB7K3jgCb.

I meant to say it was not inexpensive.