Piedmont
3
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Piedmont is northern Italy's greatest secret. Tucked between the Alps and the Po valley, it contains the most extraordinary wine landscape in Italy, the world's most prized food ingredient in the white truffle of Alba, a capital city with extraordinary Baroque architecture that most visitors overlook entirely, and a series of medieval hilltop villages surrounded by UNESCO-listed vineyards that look exactly like a painting of paradise. This 3-day route covers the hidden Piedmont. Turin beyond the Mole Antonelliana , its extraordinary Egyptian museum, the finest aperitivo culture in Italy and the Savoy royal palaces. The Langhe wine hills of Barolo and Barbaresco, UNESCO World Heritage landscape. And the extraordinary truffle culture of Alba, where a single white truffle can sell for more than a car.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to November
Getting There
Fly into Turin (TRN) or Milan then drive 1 hour
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 90 to 150 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
HIDDEN TURIN
MORNING
THE MUSEO EGIZIO, THE FINEST EGYPTIAN COLLECTION OUTSIDE CAIRO
The Museo Egizio in Turin contains the largest and most important collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts outside Egypt, including the extraordinary Papyrus of Ani, an intact New Kingdom tomb complex, and thousands of objects from the Drovetti collection acquired in the 1820s. It is visited by a fraction of the people who queue at the Vatican Museums despite being one of the most important museum collections in Europe. Entry approx 15 euros. Drive: 15 min walk to Quadrilatero
MIDDAY
THE QUADRILATERO ROMANO AND HIDDEN TURIN
The Quadrilatero Romano is Turin's most extraordinary neighbourhood, a dense grid of streets on the Roman city grid where the covered market of Porta Palazzo, the largest open-air market in Europe, fills an entire piazza from dawn to 2pm. The extraordinary layers of Turin are visible in the neighbourhood: Roman columns embedded in medieval walls, Baroque facades above medieval arches, Art Nouveau cafes beside 19th-century arcades. Drive: 15 min walk to royal palaces
AFTERNOON
THE SAVOY ROYAL PALACES AND THE TURIN SHROUD
The Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama in the Piazza Castello form the most extraordinary royal palace complex in northern Italy. The Palazzo Reale was the home of the House of Savoy for 300 years. The adjacent Cathedral of Turin contains the Shroud of Turin in a specially designed reliquary. The Shroud is not normally on display but the chapel is extraordinary regardless.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Piazza San Carlo is the finest Baroque square in northern Italy, two identical 17th-century church facades flanking a central equestrian statue, entirely arcaded and lined with the most beautiful cafes in Turin. The aperitivo tradition here is extraordinary: from 6pm the bars offer free food with every drink, a tradition as generous as anywhere in Italy.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Torino, Piazza San Carlo The most beautiful cafe in Turin on the most beautiful square. Order a Bicerin, the local hot chocolate with coffee. | Lunch: Mercato di Porta Palazzo Eat at the market stalls. Local vegetables, cheese, salumi and wine from the Langhe for almost nothing. | Dinner: Ristorante Del Cambio, Turin The most historic restaurant in Turin, open since 1757. Count Cavour dined here. Extraordinary Piemontese cuisine.
DAY 2
LANGHE WINE HILLS
MORNING
THE LANGHE, UNESCO WINE LANDSCAPE OF THE WORLD
The Langhe hills around Alba are UNESCO World Heritage listed as a cultural landscape of extraordinary beauty. Rolling vineyard-covered hills with medieval hilltop villages at every summit, the Alps visible on clear days beyond, and Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera grapes producing the finest wines in Italy. The drive from Alba through La Morra, Barolo and Castiglione Falletto in the morning light is extraordinary. Drive: 20 min drive to Barolo village
MIDDAY
BAROLO, THE VILLAGE THAT GAVE ITS NAME TO THE KING OF WINES
The village of Barolo sits on a hilltop surrounded by the finest Nebbiolo vineyards in the world, the source of Barolo wine. The WiMu wine museum in the Castello Falletti is one of the most extraordinary wine museums in Italy, a theatrical journey through the history and culture of Barolo. Entry approx 12 euros. Several small bodegas in the village offer tastings from the producer. Drive: 30 min drive to Barbaresco
AFTERNOON
BARBARESCO AND THE HIDDEN LANGHE VILLAGES
Barbaresco produces Barolo's great rival from the same Nebbiolo grape in a village of extraordinary beauty. The Produttori del Barbaresco cooperative is one of the finest wine producers in Italy and the most democratic: 50 small growers pooling their grapes. Tastings by appointment. The drive along the ridge roads between Neive, Treiso and Santo Stefano Belbo passes through the most beautiful vineyard landscape in Italy.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Castello di Grinzane Cavour is a medieval castle above the Langhe belonging to Count Cavour, the architect of Italian unification. The annual white truffle auction is held here in November. The castle restaurant serves one of the finest Piemontese menus in the Langhe. Entry to the castle approx 7 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in La Morra Coffee in the highest village of the Langhe with extraordinary views over the wine landscape. | Lunch: Ristorante Bovio, La Morra Outstanding traditional Piemontese restaurant with extraordinary Langhe views. Tajarin pasta and Barolo. | Dinner: Osteria dell'Arco, Alba Most beloved trattoria in Alba. Local tajarin with white truffle, agnolotti del plin and Barolo. Book ahead.
DAY 3
ALBA AND THE WHITE TRUFFLE
MORNING
ALBA, THE WHITE TRUFFLE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
Alba is a beautifully preserved medieval city of extraordinary towers and Baroque churches, but its true fame is the Tuber magnatum Pico, the white truffle found in the hazlenut and oak forests of the surrounding hills from October to December. The world's most prized food ingredient: a single large truffle can sell at auction for 50,000 euros. The annual truffle fair in October and November draws buyers from across the world. Walk the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and find the truffle shops selling the fresh funghi direct. Drive: 45 min drive to Asti
MIDDAY
ASTI, THE EXTRAORDINARY HIDDEN BAROQUE CITY
Asti is one of the most overlooked cities in northern Italy. The medieval towers (14 survive of the original 120) dominate a beautiful old town of Romanesque churches, Gothic palaces and extraordinary Baroque buildings. The Duomo di Asti is one of the finest late Gothic cathedrals in northern Italy. The city is also famous for Asti Spumante, a sparkling wine that is far more sophisticated than its international reputation suggests. Drive: 30 min drive to Monferrato
AFTERNOON
MONFERRATO, THE HIDDEN WINE LANDSCAPE
The Monferrato hills between Asti and Alessandria are a second UNESCO wine landscape, less famous than the Langhe but equally beautiful. The hilltop village of Moncalvo is one of the smallest cities in Italy (a city by virtue of its cathedral). The village of Grazzano Visconti is one of the most extraordinary neo-medieval villages in Italy, built entirely in 1908 by the Visconti di Modrone family as a recreation of a medieval village.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Ferrero Rocher chocolate factory in Alba is the birthplace of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates. The extraordinary Langhe hazelnut, the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe, is considered the finest in the world and is the key ingredient. The Ferrero factory tour is not publicly offered but the local hazelnut culture is extraordinary.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Calissano, Alba The most beloved traditional cafe in Alba. Coffee and the finest hazelnut pastries in Piedmont. | Lunch: Ristorante Lalibera, Alba Outstanding modern Piemontese restaurant. White truffle dishes in season, tajarin and excellent Barolo. | Dinner: Osteria del Castello, Costigliole d'Asti Outstanding traditional restaurant in a medieval village. Local agnolotti, bagna cauda and Barbera wine.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Turin, Night 1 Hotel Principi di Piemonte, the finest historic hotel in Turin. Approx 150 to 250 euros per night. Langhe, Nights 2 and 3 Agriturismo in the UNESCO wine hills or hotel in Alba. Approx 100 to 180 euros per night. Budget Option Turin: Hotel Victoria from approx 80 euros. Alba: Hotel Savona from approx 70 euros.
Top Tips
1. Turin aperitivo from 6pm: every bar serves extraordinary free food with drinks. Best in Quadrilatero.
2. Bicerin is Turin's own hot drink: layered espresso, chocolate and cream. Order it at Caffe Al Bicerin.
3. White truffle season is October to December. Book restaurants in Alba months ahead during this period.
4. Barolo requires at least 3 years ageing. Buy current releases directly from small Langhe producers.
5. The Langhe vineyard road from La Morra to Castiglione is best driven at sunrise or sunset.
6. Piemontese cuisine: always order tajarin (thin egg pasta), agnolotti del plin and bagna cauda.
Total Budget
85 to 140 euros/day