Hi Pauline
So much to recommend in Piemonte, I could go on for far too long.
Valle d'Aosta is lovely, and May a good time of year to go. If we go again we'd use the car more and stay out in the countryside and visit the smaller towns/villages, as Aosta (the city) despite being characterful, histotic, friendly and charming, is a little crowded into the little flat land available. That said, seeing the light aircraft and gliders swooping into this narrow valley was enthralling. The food with the French and mountain influence is richer than Southern Italy. The wines are interesting, with some great moscato passito (e.g. Chambave) and a wonderful red called Fumin (a relative of Nebbiolo, but also hints of Pinot Noir). Access without a car, by train from Torino.
Langhe wine region is popular, but only the villages of Barolo (especially) and Barbaresco show signs of becoming destinations on those 'see Italy in 2 weeks' coach tours. The other villages are used to tourists, but not spoiled by too many of them. Reasons for mentioning this area are:
- Wonderful walking through the great vineyards (woo-hoo for shared ownership!) is one of the great unsung highlights of the area, and a picnic, plus a bottle of wine from that vineyard is a cool thing to do on the walk.
- There are enough tourists that there are some very good agriturismi / apartments, plus loads of very good restaurants, neither of which need break even a modest piggy bank.
Whilst in that area, Alba has great history / historic buildings and some exceptional food. Transport without a car is difficult, but with a car is easy.
If Aosta is on the cards, and flying into Milano Malpensa or Torino (Caselle), then I'll put in a word for some unsung destinations to the north. Gattinara is nice and compact (albeit a little flat). Nearby Ghemme is nothing much to look at, but it has a great agriturismo (Il Cavenago) and some great walking / cycling trails (moderate hills - nothing too steep). We're thinking of heading back towards the end of the year. If you are there at the start of May they have a festival there, ostensibly to celebrate the good local wines. We've been once and thoroughly enjoyed it. The closest thing I've seen to Italians getting properly drunk, yet even somewhat under the influence, they remained friendly and polite. We could learn a thing or two from them. Nearby Novara is a fine city, barely noticed by tourists, yet with a lovely centre, some striking historic architecture and a lovely spacious feel to it. If you like Risotto, this region will be something special (Il Cavenago put an inane grin on my face when they served Basil Risotto - intense and enthralling).
A little closer to Aosta is Ivrea (and ultra-convenient for that connection), somewhat famous for an Orange throwing festival in February, but pretty much unnoticed outside of that. A compact centre, easy to walk, and in the foothills of the Alps to undoubtedly some good walking around there (plus some nearby lakes we're keen to explore). We visited in March and despite the clean/fresh mountain air, the place STUNK of dog mess (despite not being much visible). I have a theory the local dogs keep eating the leftover oranges that don't get cleaned up, and that gives their mess an added 'piquancy', so if correct, the normal fresh mountain air should return unadulterated by this well before May.
If you fancy a city, then Torino is long a favourite of ours, and I can give you a long list of food shops, restaurants, wine bars etc. It fits the bill perfectly for the history angle, with much to see, which 10 trips later we're still discovering. It's a very practical option as well, as Caselle is a nice modest sized airport, which makes arrivals/departure slicker than many. The city is immensely easy to navigate as it's a rare grid design (even including the old town), with an extensive transport network with trams at the heart, supported by buses and a single metro line. Walking in San Valentino park is easy and convenient. The Basilica di Superga has some good walking around it, plus a rack railway to get up there from the nearby village. Then there is the option of heading out to the old royal hunting lodge / palace. The food in the city is exceptionally good - I would say on a par with Bologna, though my personal preference would be the food of Torino. The big Piazza Della Repubblica market to the north of the city is very good, though it's the only place I feel slightly on my guard.... it looks a little shady around the market, but I've never seen any issues in what must be 20-25 visits.
There are other great places not mentioned, including Asti, Acqui Terme, Cuneo over in the west and Pinerolo/Saluzzo/Susa further up in the mountains.
I hope this helps, but happy to ramble on more if any of these take your fancy.
Regards
Ian
