A Guide to Visiting the wine region of Piedmont, Italy
Neive
If you’re a fan of Barolo wines, you’re probably familiar with the Piedmont region of Italy - home to the Nebbiolo grape. We recently spent a week touring this gorgeous region and can’t wait to return and explore more. Here are a few key things to know if you plan to visit the area. .
Illustration by me
Facts about Piedmont
The Piedmont region is located in the northwest area of Italy, bordering Switzerland and France and on most clear days you can see the Alps in the distance.
The capital of Piedmont is Turin (It was also at one time the capital of all of Italy)
The region is home to Nutella, Fiat, Vermouth, Truffles, and Lavazza coffee
It’s still relatively unknown to tourists- which makes it the perfect place to visit!
Getting there
The easiest way to get the region is to fly into the city of Turin. Surrounding the city are rolling hills, winding roads, and hilltop villages that will take your breath away. I highly recommend renting a car. But, if like us, you don’t rent a car, you’ll need to plan on taking the train and/or bus to get to your destination. And then once at your destination, you’ll need to organize travel ahead of time as cabs are not really a thing across the small villages. We used the travel service Love Langhe Tours and they were wonderful and organized two days of activities for us.
Cà Alfieri B&B, Govone
Where to stay
We stayed in the village of Govone at Cà Alfieri 30, a B&B that we loved. The village is a bit removed from all the areas we visited, but we enjoyed coming back here each day to relax and enjoy the peacefulness. We also enjoyed a day of just laying by the pool in the hot summer sun.
If you’re looking for a bit more action where you stay, I would recommend staying in the City of Alba or the villages of Neive or La Morra.
Grapes at Pelissaro Pasquale Vineyard
What to do in the region
Wine. Seriously good wine. I recommend booking some wine stops in advance as most places aren’t set up for walk ins to try their wines. Another great way to try the wines of the region is in any of the villages - they all serve the local wine at the bars and restaurants.
Vermouth. Did you know vermouth originated here? If you haven’t done a vermouth tasting, you should.
Food. If you’re a foodie, this is the place for you. Whether you spend 4 euro or 40 euro on your meal, I guarantee it will be good. Alba is the truffle capital so if you’re into truffles this is the place for you.
Bike. We saw lots of cyclers in the area and if you’re up for the hills, it’s one of the most scenic ways to get around.
Vespa. We rented a vespa for a day and it was a blast. Easiest way to get from village to village, enjoy the scenery, and be outside.
Relax. There are so many great places to stay with views that have your pinching yourself. We even planned a wine pairing at our B&B and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip.
Cook. Take a cooking class. Immerse yourself in the culinary world of Italy and learn how to make their simple, yet utterly delicious food. Many of the B&Bs will organize a cooking class for you or your can arrange one through a tour guide.
Wine bar in Neive
Top Tips
Plan your trip for the fall or spring if you can. Summers are VERY hot and when we were there the temp each day was around 100. Not ideal conditions if you want to drink red wine.
The annual Truffle Festival in Alba runs from October thru November. Yet another reason to visit in the fall.
Bring cash (Euros). Coming from Sweden, where cash is basically nonexistent, this was a shock. While most places do take credit cards, if you need to take a taxi in the city or go into small villages, you will need cash.
Rent a car or book a driver. Unless you plan to just stay in Alba, it’s really the only way to get around (unless you have a bike or Vespa - also good options)
Don’t overbook yourself. Make sure to give yourself time to explore the area. We did two vineyard tastings a day and that felt about right. In between tastings we explored villages, popped into cafes and wine bars and tried local fare.
For our first time here, we tried to hit a bit of everything so that the next time we visit, we can dive deeper into the areas we really liked. There is a lot to do here, so focus on what’s most important for you to do/see.
I hope you found this helpful! I’ll be sharing another post with the specifics of our trip, including the vineyards we visited, where we ate, and our 48 hours in Turin.
XO Erin