When my brother-in-law asked me to plan a trip for him and my sister to go to the Piedmont region of Italy, I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I’ve never personally been to Piedmont and I really didn’t know much about it. BUT, I’ve always liked a challenge, so I started doing my research.
This is my first co-posting. By co-posting I mean that I planned the trip, but since I didn’t go myself, the majority of this page is written by my brother-in-law, Mike.
BAROLO WINE REGION
The towns in the Barolo region, have a different look and feel than the old medieval towns in Tuscany or the Trulli-filled towns in Puglia. They are still a mix of old and new but they’re smaller with fewer very old and very famous buildings. The largest city is Alba but you can get around the main part of town in an hour or two.
The Barolo region is about the wineries and the spectacular views. From many places in the region, you can actually see almost the entire region. The vineyards that span these hills are truly beautiful.
WINERIES
While you don’t have to have a wine tour guide to find your way around Barolo, I’d highly recommend working with one for at least a day. Barolo is filled with high-quality wineries and you almost can’t go wrong visiting any of them, but if you spend a day with a tour guide you learn a lot more and are much better prepared for the rest of your trip where you may want to explore and make reservations on your own. It is important to note that reservations are required at most wineries.
Pio Cesare: Via Cesare Balbo, 6, 12051 Alba CN, Italy https://www.piocesare.it/en/
On our first day we had prebooked a tour/tasting at Pio Cesare, a favorite of ours and of our friends so we wanted to make sure to go there while we were all together. Pio is in the town of Alba, not on the outskirts, but in the actual town. So when google maps tells you to turn down a small street and then enter at a set of small nondescript doors where people are unloading toilet paper trust the GPS – you really are there.
Pio’s story is really interesting, the cellar is fascinating and the old, incredibly long vine that emanates from the cellar is very cool. Davide from Pio treated us to an amazing tasting that lasted far longer and included more wine than any of us expected. We even got to taste an incredible 2010 reserva.
In addition to Pio, they also visited these wineries and said that they liked all of them for different reasons.
Cordero Di Montezemolo: Regione Annunziata, 67, 12064 La Morra CN, Italy Cordero Di Montezemolo
Villadoria: Località Cappallotto, 4, 12050 Serralunga D’alba CN, Italy Villadoria.it/contact/
Marchesi di Barolo: Via Roma, 1, 12060 Barolo CN, Italy https://www.marchesibarolo.com/
WINE TOUR
We decided to also do a full day of tastings scheduled with Silvia, the owner of TastingTours (http://www.tastingtours.it/tours/piedmont/food-wine-tours/) A friend of mine had recommended Tasting Tours and we were very glad we followed his advice. Silvia and Fabio picked the 6 of us up in a very nice van and off we went. The three wineries we went to (Conterno Fantino, Luigi Pira, and Marcarini) were chosen so that we could see different styles of winemakers in different sections of Barolo. We got history, learned about how Barolo is made, and tasted some other wines varietals that we knew little about and were pleasantly surprised. Silvia picked out a restaurant in the town of Barolo (Winebar Barolofriends) that we liked so much we went back again later in our stay.
RESTAURANTS
We ate at restaurants all across the Barolo region. The tajarin with a sausage ragù was a favorite as was the carne crudo, a simple dish of diced or ground veal often with cheese shavings and a touch of olive oil.
- L’Ostaria del Vignailo: Frazione S. Maria, 12, 12064 Santa Maria CN, Italy. This restaurant had our absolute favorite of the tajarin and they also had delicious crudo!
- La Duca Bianco: Via Umberto I, 25, 12064 La Morra CN, Italy. They had fabulous risotto with truffles.
- Bar La Terraza: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 9, 12060 Castiglione Falletto CN, Italy. This restaurant has a great view and wonderful hospitality! Alessio at Bar La Terrazza gave us a great table, a nice Barolo, carne crudo, and a meat and cheese plate that made for one of our favorite afternoons. Castiglione Falletto is tiny but Bar La Terrazza is well worth a visit.
HOUSING
Arborina Relais Hotel: 27 Frazione Annunziata La Morra, 12064 La Morra CN, Italy Arborina Relais Hotel
The Arborina was a great location for us. Really, if you want to go to wineries in Barolo, almost anywhere in Barolo is a perfect location as the entire region is only 7 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point! There are several things we really liked about Alborina and a few things we would do differently, but overall if you want to be in wine country it’s a great location and a nice hotel. Being right outside of La Morra was also a plus as it’s a nice midsize town with enough restaurants and some excellent views. Staying at Arborina for 3 or 4 nights would be perfect.
ASTI WINE REGION
In addition to the delicious Asti wineries, the region is known for its beauty. Asti is filled with gorgeous tiny towns and never-ending vineyards. We spent time in Mombaruzzo, Bazzana, and Nizza Monferrato, which provides several dining options plus a cute walking/shopping/dining street to stroll on before or after dinner.
HOUSING
La Villa Hotel: Via Torino, 7, 14046 Mombaruzzo AT, Italy La Villa Hotel
By the time we got to Asti we were pretty much wined out and traveled out. All we wanted was a few days of R&R and La Villa in Mombaruzzo is perfect for just that. It’s a remote hotel on the hillside with a beautiful pool area. You still need to claim a lounge chair early if you want the best seats but the pool area is spacious, with large umbrellas if you want them and a sizable pool. They have a nice breakfast with food to order as well as a small buffet. Dinner is at 8 pm every night with the food being set by the chef in the morning. If you like the menu sign up for dinner and if it’s not what you want there are plenty of places nearby that the hotel can help you with.
RESTAURANT
Mistral Vineria Osteria Pizzeria: Via Alessandria, 19, 14046 Bazzana AT, Italy
This became our favorite place! Mistral doesn’t look like much – it’s next to the main road and the outside is not beautiful. But go there. The staff was super nice and the arrabbiata pasta was the best pasta we had over our two months in Italy. The beef tagliata (sliced rare steak with cheese shavings and salad) was really tender and delicious. I also liked that there was no English whatsoever spoken – very fun for our last night in Italy.
WINERIES
Like, the Barolo Region, Asti also has a variety of wineries to visit. Since my sister and brother-in-law don’t prefer sparkly white wine, we didn’t bother researching them, but there are tons of them out there.
It’s important to note that due to the Italian holiday of Assumption Day that is technically celebrated on August 15th but is actually celebrated the weeks before and after, many of the wineries are closed. Be sure to check with the wineries’ availability before you book an August vacation.