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Talk to me about the Piedmont
- Thread starter Pauline
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- italy monferrato piedmont
Ann
100+ Posts
Jan, we agree completely about Osteria Veglio. Our other favorite is La Coccinella, in Serravalle Langhe. Here is the latest report on Chowhound by Allende, the Piedmont expert: https://www.chowhound.com/post/piemonte-2017-1058548
Phyllis
10+ Posts
Hi, would this be a good location to see the Piemonte area?Perfect! But booked for the week I want!
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Hi Phyllis
To see all of Piemonte - no, it's a big region with decent variation - we've been to the region maybe 12-13 times and still have huge gaps in our experience.
To visit the Barolo wine villages; enjoy a wonderful network of paths directly through the vineyards; enjoy wonderful views over rolling hills, enjoy easy stress-free driving, enjoy great food from traditional & solid, to fancy and ambitious; plus more.... then yes a great location.
It's from memory a 30 minute drive from here to Alba, a charming historical large town/small city with a large central ZTL area meaning mostly pedestrianised streets with some very good food shops. If you really prefer to be in a town, but with the opportunity to get out to explore much the same that appeals with Barolo, then Alba and Barbaresco (Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso) are very close together - a cheap taxi between the two, but even walkable for the energetic. This would allow you one base but two different experiences.
English is reasonably widely understood, due to the many wine tourists that have come to see where the wine is made, and to meet the people who make it.
Regards
Ian
p.s. with your direct flight options - Milano Malpensa will be the best option and the driving won't be too bad once you're South of Milano.
To see all of Piemonte - no, it's a big region with decent variation - we've been to the region maybe 12-13 times and still have huge gaps in our experience.
To visit the Barolo wine villages; enjoy a wonderful network of paths directly through the vineyards; enjoy wonderful views over rolling hills, enjoy easy stress-free driving, enjoy great food from traditional & solid, to fancy and ambitious; plus more.... then yes a great location.
It's from memory a 30 minute drive from here to Alba, a charming historical large town/small city with a large central ZTL area meaning mostly pedestrianised streets with some very good food shops. If you really prefer to be in a town, but with the opportunity to get out to explore much the same that appeals with Barolo, then Alba and Barbaresco (Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso) are very close together - a cheap taxi between the two, but even walkable for the energetic. This would allow you one base but two different experiences.
English is reasonably widely understood, due to the many wine tourists that have come to see where the wine is made, and to meet the people who make it.
Regards
Ian
p.s. with your direct flight options - Milano Malpensa will be the best option and the driving won't be too bad once you're South of Milano.
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Agree with Ian - you need to go through the whole province to be able to appreciate its variation, and thus possibly develop a preference for this area or that. The triangle of Torino-Asti-Cuneo would be a good region to explore for starts. Follow-up trips could expand this to the north and east.
Our first trips there were made up of two-three nights in various bases, moving between them in a car - that way we got to "taste" a bit of every sub-region, and enjoy the scenic countryside. Now we have about four lovely agriturismi that we have become attached to for accommodation, spread out through the whole province, and we try to go to all of them when we make a trip there.
Phyllis
10+ Posts
Thank you, should I be posting on my original thread? If we have seven total nights, starting on a Saturday how best to divide between Torino-Asti-Cuneo? We are very interested in seeing the Casale Monferrato Synagogue, open Sunday. As I have said we are coming from (not Zurich) Basel Switzerland. How best to get to this area? There is a 279.00 US oneway flight from Zurich to Turin or should we look into a train.
We have always landed at Malpensa, and then either rented a car from there (if not heading directly for Torino), or taken the bus from the airport to Torino. After two or three days in Torino, we'd rent a car and head out for the rest of the province (no real need for a car in Torino). Sorry, I have no experience with the trains, or the Turin airport, and have no idea what a reasonable flight price would be for you from Zurich.
If you're interested in dividing seven nights between these three cities, then you'd have to decide what type of accommodation you'd prefer.
On a similar trip, we stayed in an AirBnB apt. in Torino, and then went to agriturismi just outside of Asti and Cuneo. We'd go by car from the agriturismi to the cities, spend 4-5 hours in each, and then continue to explore smaller towns/villages/the countryside, returning to the agriturismo in the evening. The hospitality in the agriturismi is wonderful, and quite a nice experience. If needed, I can recommend a lovely agriturismo about 30 min. from Casale.
La Quercia Rossa, just outside of Moncalvo :
http://querciarossa.eu/en/
Just posted a photo of the restaurant on the premises on the Photo Hunt thread.
http://querciarossa.eu/en/
Just posted a photo of the restaurant on the premises on the Photo Hunt thread.
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I searched www.trainline.eu for trains: on a random date I find Basel-Torino with one change taking 5-6 hours and costing around €50.
Tery
10+ Posts
We just recently booked this apartment on AirBnB for 3 days in early October. It's on an agriturismo estate, in the back of the property and the owner's mother lives in the house above. It's US$70 a night, 2 bedrooms and the owner's mum provides you with a homebaked hazelnut cake on arrival plus lots of other food (fridge stocked with milk, yoghurt, cheese, salumi, etc.). Not close to Alba though, which is what we wanted - we wanted Langhe countryside. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/135340...6928486&role=wishlist_owner&guests=3&adults=3
We also found a great apartment for 3 nights in Torino via AirBnB - US$85 a night for 2 bedrooms. Not in the center of town but walkable to Parco Valentino and a bus stop is very nearby for easy public transportation.
We also found a great apartment for 3 nights in Torino via AirBnB - US$85 a night for 2 bedrooms. Not in the center of town but walkable to Parco Valentino and a bus stop is very nearby for easy public transportation.
Roz
500+ Posts
We stayed at this B&B just outside Alba several years ago: Villa La Favorita. We had a wonderful stay there, although I noticed when I checked the website just now that Roberta, the owner when we visited, has sadly died. The place still looks much the same though, from the photos.
We stayed there in fall, and had the fabulous experience of going on a truffle hunt organized by Roberta for her guests. I don't know if they still do that, but I'd highly recommend it. Just as a sidelight, we stayed there soon before we moved to Napa, and actually met a couple on the truffle hunt who live in Napa and are now among our best friends.
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Worth looking at agriturismi in somewhere like Pertinace, on the edge of the Barbaresco vineyards, but only 50 mins walk from the centre of Alba. There are a number, though we've not stayed at any. Plenty more in Treiso, Barbaresco and Neive, plus there is the option of the bus (remarkably rare beasts in this area). See link below http://www.buscompany.it/sites/default/files/orari/62.pdf
Otherwise there are plenty of hotels / B&B in Alba itself, but given the time of year, it should be rewarding to be a little out of town. Tre Stelle restaurant is good, as are all of them in Treiso (the most expensive oddly the most variable, but many drool over their cellar)
Otherwise there are plenty of hotels / B&B in Alba itself, but given the time of year, it should be rewarding to be a little out of town. Tre Stelle restaurant is good, as are all of them in Treiso (the most expensive oddly the most variable, but many drool over their cellar)
Phyllis
10+ Posts
We have booked 3 nights in Torino and Thee nights in Alba at the Palazzo Finati. I’d love to hear about wineries I should book with the possibility of walks. Also a few towns to stop in would be great. Thank you