Piedmont in November - Itinerary Help Please!

The most comprehensive, overall guide to the region is the Cadogan Guide to the Italian Riviera and Piemonte.

I think you will be very limited in Piemonte relying on public transportation and taxis (and the latter can be quite expenisve). The terrain and infrastructure of the region really favors touring by car, not by train or bus. The roads in Piemonte are quite good, so driving is simple.

Torino is a fantastic food, wine and drink capital, with a wonderfully lively cafe and apertivi scene. It also has such a wide range of attractions -- from Egyptian museums to modern art, movie museums and car museums, plus shopping -- that unless you simply don't want to be in a city for much of your honeymoon -- which would understandably be the choice of many couples -- you might enjoy 3 or more nights there. It is possible to take day trips into the mountains if the weather is nice. Torino is likely to be noticeably cold in November.

Piemonte is one of the best regions in Italy to enjoy the high-end relais or agriturismo experience where a great chef creates great meals, matched with food and wine, in the midst of beautiful surroundings. Some wonderful historic buildings have become these relais, and they are big-time destinations for foodies. Even if it wasn't a honeymoon, you might not want to leave Piemonte without experiencing this special kind of stay.

In November, the mountains or the lakes aren't good weather bets. If you can leave your plans open and you luck out with sunny weather, you might have fun on the Italian and French Rivieras, using a car to get around to some of the smaller inland hill towns on both sides of the border. If the weather isn't great, Ihead to Parma and Modena, beautiful historic art cities as well as legendary foodie destinations that aren't all that far away If you don't like traveling without being booked, Parma and Modena can be enjoyed in all kinds of weather. If you'd rather travel without a car, Bologna is 2.5 hours from Torino by train, and it's a good base for day trips to Parma and Modena as well being enjoyable in its own right -- but you must book Bologna in advance.

From Piemonte, the wine areas of Tuscany are a long day's drive (more than I would want to do in a single day.) Taking a train from Torino to Florence is only 3 hours, and you could rent a car from there to get to the wine districts. If you pick Tuscay, I suggest you fly out of a regional airport, or Rome if you end up in southern Tuscany.

But as you already know, Piemonte is the inventor of the idea that "slow" is the way to go, so you might want to go with that and give most of your time to a slow exploration of Piemonte, giving plenty of time to the wine country (I'd put Mondovi on your list of places to visit, and maybe Cherasco and Dogliani), enough time to enjoy Torino, and inching your way back to Milan eating risotto around Vercelli, seeing the Certosa in Pavia, and then flying home.

Fortunately, Piemonte has yet to develop the kind of tourism that is all about staying on a loop and doing a typical tourist track, so even with the Cadogan guide, you'll be making up your own itinerary. Have a great trip!

I'm not a Piemonte expert (unfortunately!!), but I strongly advise, with your amount of time, against mixing it with any other regions. Why? There's definitely no need to, Piemonte will easily keep you entertained for 12 days, and in November (when days are short), it will not even be enough time to see all of it. About 10 or 12 days was what I had for Piemonte, but in August! mind you, some years ago, and I made the mistake and mixed it with Valle d'Aosta and western Lombardia. I would never do that again!!, and I ended up not having seen a considerable (southern) part of Piemonte. Torino, as zeppole said, is one of Italy's greatest cities, particularly if you have any interest in baroque architecture, and just one night wouldn't definitely do it any justice.

Thank you, I appreciate both of your responses.

I'm still unsure though, if I spend 10 days in Piedmont, should I stay at the same B&B or move around?

Thanks!

We spent 5 days in Piemonte this past June and had a great time. With 10 days I would be tempted to spend a few days in Torino itself and then move out somewhere into the countryside. We did a day trip to Torino and it wasnt enough!

Here is our trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/cinque-terra-and-piedmont-2010.cfm

I agree---2 or 3 nites in Torino would be good.
Also, think about a car if you really want to enjoy the best of Piemonte. Villa Favorita got good feedback from a client.

Villa Favorita is lovely; I spent 4 nights there last year. I think that switching locations (not counting Turin) is a good idea since you will have the time. This will put you in closer reach of a larger variety of restaurants. If you need transport for evenings/dinners only, I would not bother renting a car and would, instead, rely on taxis.

We spent one additional night in the area at Marcarini; this agriturismo, owned by the celebrated vintners, is gorgeous and a bit more luxurious than Favorita:

http://www.marcarini.it/agriturismo/welcome.html


I considered staying at this hotel and although we did not eventually lodge there, I did check it out and think it might be worth of consideration if you are looking for an additional overnight venue in the area; I loved the town of Cherasco and there are several well regarded restaurants there that would negate having to use a taxi on certain nights:


http://www.cardinalmazzarino.com/


Here is the report I wrote after my trip; let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to assist as best I can; I was very happy with our chosen hotel in Turin and would highly recommend the Grand Hotel Sitea:


http://www.thi-hotels.com/hotels/grand-hotel-sitea/four-star-luxury-hotel-turin.html


Trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/le-langhe-and-turin-a-week-in-the-land-of-barolo-bagna-cauda-and-bicerin.cfm

In June we spent several nights at Villa La Favorita, and I highly recommend it.

Ekscrunchy - I just finished reading your entire trip report today! I had lightly glanced over it a few weeks ago and it was your posting that prompted me to join this forum (thank you!). Had I read your report closely I would have noticed that you recommended staying at more than one area/property to provide proximity to other restaurants/towns. I plan to follow your suggestion! Today I took serious notes from your report as well as JulieV. I think I have most of my questions now answered, although a few new ones come to mind:

- I am mildly allergic to dogs and I see Roberta has one at Favorita. Do you think that would pose a problem? I imagine the dog does not go into guest rooms. Also, are there indoor areas for lounging/wine in the evening?

- My fiance would really prefer rooms with views of the vineyards. I thought Marcarini might provide that?

- Do you speak Italian? I noticed that many of the restaurants you noted did not speak English. Neither I nor my fiance speak Italian and I'm wondering if dinners will become a dreaded experience? I'm more familiar with the typical tourist restaurants of the big cities and during my last visit, although somewhat familiar with Slow Foods, I did not realize that you needed reservations - a lesson learned!

Based on everyone's posts above I'm thinking of 2-3 days in Turino when we first arrive (flying into/out of Turin) and then picking up a rental car to head to Le Langhe, etc. I assume Turino is a walkable city, with the exception of Eataly and maybe a few restaurants? Still can't decide on the rental car issue.


Jamikins - I will read your report tomorrow!

Thank you!!

I think a trip that was gave you 2 countryside experiences of Piemonte plus sufficient time in Torino for you to pursue your interests in a relaxed way (maybe even a day trip into the Alps weather permitting) would work well for you.

I can't weigh in on your "splurge" stay, but I will pass along this website for you, not just because it is a well-regarded Castello relais (but you should check recent reviews as always) but because the "activities" page of the website is actually a very good sum-up of many of Piemonte's attractions.

http://www.hotelcastellodisinio.com/events.html

One thing I always recommend to people planning a trip to wine country who know they are going to be drinking wine is to figure out how they are going to get "home" after dinner.

If you stay in a town, you can walk home and both people can enjoy wine with dinner.

if you stay where you have to drive home, somebody has to be the designated driver.

If you stay at a winery that serves dinner meals, easy.

My strategy is too pick a winery that serves dinner, and go to destination restaurants for lunch. One advantage for me of this strategy is that the cook where I am staying is usually willing to prepare me a smaller evening meal once I explain I had a huge lunch. You can burn out on eating in Piemonte if you are eating two restaurant meals a day.

Not all the wineries on this list serve meals, but some do, plus there is also a take on many other places to stay.

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a200811141.html

One other question - I'm not a big meater, let alone sweatbreads, veal, goat, etc. Is it safe to assume I will find some vegetarian dishes in this region?

Oh, but goats are typically grown on trees, so that's the perfect food for vegetarians!
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h0OCXEbQMTE/SXZ0QobQTgI/AAAAAAAAAsE/nrFNPNEO674/s400/a126_goat1.jpg

Seriously, what do you mean by "let alone sweatbreads, veal, goat" - are these particularly adventurous meats in your opinion?

Most Italians only eat a meat dish as a separate course, but you should learn to recognize all the Italian words for meat, since I'm guess you don't want to eat rabbit either, let alone ass. Beef and lamb are the meat mainstays of Piemontese cooking.

I hope you like mushrooms!

Hi Chris!

Roberta does have a nice golden retriever but he does not go anywhere near the guest rooms, not does he jump up on guests. (I would not have liked that at all!)

The ground floor of the villa has a large sitting room/lounge as well as a few more private areas, so there is plenty of space to curl up with a glass, or two of wine, either inside or outside. There is a lovely glassed in "limonera" just outside the main building. Roberta has lots of books on wine, food, and architecture that guests are welcome to borrow. There is also free computer/internet use in the front room/breakfast area. Her English is impeccable, by the way.

I speak Spanish but not Italian. So I can understand about one of every three words but cannot carry on any sort of meaningful conversation although I know my food terms pretty well. This should not be an issue for you, as all of the restaurant people we encountered were most helpful and I think only at Ca de Re in Verduno did we find absolutely no English spoken.

Fred Plotkin's great book has a good list of Italian food terms and translations


http://www.amazon.com/Italy-Gourmet-Traveler-Fred-Plotkin/dp/190686831X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280356532&sr=1-1

and I am sure others will chime in with further suggestions.

See also Maureen Fant's "dictionary," out of print but available used:

http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Italian-Cuisine-Maureen-Fant/dp/0880016124/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280356472&sr=1-9



Our room at Marcarini faced the vineyards. La Favorite also encompasses vineyards but if I am not mistaken, these were up a rise of a hill and not in sight of most rooms.

There will be lots of vegetable dishes. Goat meat in Piedmont is a revelation. It was very mild, even milder than beef. Most unlike the goat meat that I bought once I returned home and attempted, with unspeakable result, to prepare in my own kitchen. Veal is also very mild. You must try these meats at least once!!

ek, hello - your information on Piedmontese goat meat matters a lot to me! I hope to bridge some of my gaps in knowledge on Italy next year and do either Piemonte or Emilia-Romagna in depth (two regions I know not as well as I'd love to), and the goat meat draws me towards Piemonte... I love vegetables! If it's going to be Piemonte, I'll be sure to study your trip report very well, it's certainly going to tell where to find those superb goats!

Thanks, Eks. I feel more comfortable with Favorita now that I know allergies won't be an issue. I can't wait!

Franco - I only eat meat (chicken, fish, pork, rarely beef) maybe once a month - and yes sweetbreads, veal and goat are particularly adventurous to me. I do love mushrooms though! I might *try* goat in Piedmont based on your recommendation, Eks. Luckily my fiance will eat anything so I think small samples will be easy to come by.

I really appreciate everyone's wonderful advice. I was dreading trying to plan this vacation (I would much prefer to leave it to someone else, sigh that is not my fiance!), but all of your advice, suggestions and recommendations have made this easy.

If you're a vegetarian, you'll have to do more than simply avoid the meat course. Agnolotti del plin, the region's stuffed pasta, is often stuffed with meat; two of its main appetizers - vitello tonnato and carne cruda ("raw meat") - are meat.

Sorry thought of another question: I haven't seen many mentions of Asti, Alessandria or Acqui Therme. Are those day trips from the Alba region? Are any of these locations particularly noteworthy? I'm ordering the Cadogan Guide now so perhaps that will answer some of my questions!

Thanks Zerlina - I'll add those dishes to my notes to avoid!

Chris, let me try to describe by analogy what puzzled me about that sweetbread-and-veal statement; and at the same time what to expect from your "small samples" - perhaps even what to urge your bride to order. You say you eat chicken, fish, pork and beef, even though very, very rarely. Ok. I'm trying to translate that into Vegetarian. Let's say chicken is potatoes: standard, definitely non-adventurous food (possibly incredibly delicious, though, of course). Fish is a different category since this is not one animal/one taste - it's a hundred different varieties, each with a distinct taste; so fish is like mushrooms, for analogy. Pork is beans: quality is differing widely and ranges from tender and delicious to outright vulgar. Beef is onions: non-adventurous and definitely tasty, but not always a fine taste (not all beef is T-bone steak!).
And now for the others you mentioned... Veal is carrots (possibly excellent, but just possibly: in reality, more often than not simply tasteless) - not exactly adventurous, I'm sure you agree. Sweetbread is artichokes: a bit difficult to prepare at home, but incredibly delicious; a rare specialty, upmarket, but certainly not adventurous. Goat is another story... let's say goat is cardoons, so it IS adventurous; only the very best quality - like the one described by ek - is enjoyable, but in this case, it's providing a memorable dining experience.

Chris, how you describe your meat eating preferences doesn't translate to me as you being vegetarian, so I see no reason for you to avoid the dishes Zerlina mentioned. You can read up on agnolotti in this link. It's a classic Piemontese dish you might want to sample, but it is by no means Piemonte's only great pasta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnolotti

I think Zerlina was concerned I'd left you with the impression that you'll only see meat on the menu in Piemonte as an entree. If if left you with that impression, I didn't mean to! As I said, you will need to recognize the Italian names for meats -- "carne" "salume" "vitello" etc -- Plotkin is a great guide for the terms you are most likely to encounter in Piemonte.

But I do want to assure you that will readily find in Piemonte a very wide selection of pasta dishes and risotto without any meat at all. Agnolotti is not the norm. And if you find meat being offered as an anti-pasta, it will be the entire dish . You won't have to worry about ordering something and surprised it contains meat. But you will not find many "secondo" courses in Piemonte that are not all about meat. There are some with eggs and fish, but Piemonte is notoriously meaty.

Allesandria, Acqua Terme, Asti and Alba roughly make the "square" corners of the heart of Piemonte's wine region. Asti and Acqua Terme draw some sightseers into their historic centers. Assesandria less so. Cadogan will give you an exhaustive description of everything of cultural interest, and I believe Plotkin mentions all four as well. They might have cultural or gastronomic attractions for you. Can't tell!

-

Here is a nice link from the city of Torino itself that talks about some of the most commonly enjoyed dishes of the region. (It includes a vegetable entree I had forgotten, peperoni farciti à la Piemontaise, which is red peppers stuffed with rice (but not just any rice -- Piemontese rice!)

http://www.comune.torino.it/canaleturismo/en/curiosity/gastronomy.htm

And sorry for my mistaken spelling -- it's Acqui Terme.

Also, Chris will be in the region during truffle season!

I was thinking of truffles and eggs as I was typing!

(eks, a gastronomic tourist shop recently opened down on the lungomare and it sells chopped truffles from Albenga in olive oil, 4 euros for a small jar. One jar makes a fantastic risotto! I'm stunned these truffles are so tasty. But even I can't face stirring risotto in summer -- or the richness of truffles. We've been eating tomato salad with anchovies since June!)

If you decide to spend all of your time in Piemonte you might want to break it up even more than has been suggested. Try spending most of the time in Alba at Favorita, a few nights in Turin itself, and then for the luxury honeymoon part a restful 2 days at San Maurizio. The latter appears from everything I've seen to be the true luxury winner in the area, but it is in the middle of nowhere and hard to reach (lots of hills and narrow roads, etc) so once you get there, you'd want to stay there and just relax and pamper yourselves before moving on to some sightseeing or returning home. I would think a car is a necessity in the area no matter where you choose to stay if you're really going to see the place and eat well. Enjoy.

Drats, Julie. Everytime I decide that we'll be OK in Turin for a week without a car, taking daytrips by train and bus, there's a post that makes me reconsider. You mention "eat well." For us that includes wine and precludes driving afterwards, not because we can't but because we're cautious. That's a big reason why we're avoiding a car. Will Piemonte without a car really disappoint?

Marija,

Not answering for JulieV, but La Favorita doesn't serve dinner, which means driving into Alba for dinner. But there are lots of places to stay right in Alba.

From the way Julie describes San Maurizio, even with a car it's all about staying put and not using it as a base for sightseeing. So if you were willing to take public transportation to a point near there and then pay for a taxi transfer, you could have that experience. And there are many other agriturismo and wineries with lodging that fit that description with great reputations for food, some of them closer to pubic transportation hubs than San Maurizio.

Even if I had a car in Piemonte, I wouldn't drink and drive. I'd stay in a place that serves dinner.

However, were I in Torino for a week, using public transportation to Alba, Vercelli and other destinations for lunches, I don't think I would exhaust the great restaurant possibilities in Torino in a week:

http://goitaly.about.com/od/turintorino/a/turinrestaurant.htm

http://www.my-italy-piedmont-marche-and-more.com/restaurants-in-italy.html

What you can't do in Piemonte -- or anywhere in Italy -- is go to a legendary restaurant that takes a car to get to if you don't have a car! But there is more than one legendary restaurant in Piemonte, and many are in Torino, Asti, Alba, Vercelli and other destianations reachable by public transport.

PS Marija, I meant to add that Fred Plotkin's book has recommendations for many places in towns that are a day trip from Torino, plus many recommendations for Torino itself, more than you eat in a week.

If you will be disappointed not to see the Langhe hills, you should rent a car and stay someplace where you can eat a great dinner without driving home.

JulieV- Thank you for your suggestion, that's what I was thinking. I think I will get a car just to allow us the possibilty of further exploration if we choose. By the way, enjoyed reading your piedmont report.

Thanks all for the food information. I'm no longer concerned about eating well!

Thanks, zeppole. I needed to hear that again!

I'm about to book this B&B http://www.suitestorino.it, which was described in the article you mentioned, http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/mar/30/turin-bed-and-breakfasts-italy. My concern is that I can't find any info about it other than snippets from the same article. What do you think?

There is a pathway from Villa La Favorita to Alba center that cuts down the walking time. I did not take this walk but Roberta mentioned it. If you want to eat dinner in Alba, the drive back to the villa is simplicity itself..no more than 5 minutes in a relatively straight shot. I am a squeamish driver, especially at night, and I found the driving in this region to be very easy. See map:


http://www.villalafavorita.it/road_uk.html

The more I think about this, the more I agree with the idea mentioned above of staying in Turin and in two other places as well. The quality of both the accommodations and the restaurants is so high that you really could choose a restaurant and then just look for a nearby hotel or B&B.

Julie V - If you're still reading this, can you explain again about how you brought wine back to the states? From what I read you went to a Mailboxs Etc! in La Morea and purchased a wine box and were able to check it and carry it through customs by listing "food etc" on the customs form. Is that correct? We definitely want to bring back (or ship) as much wine as possible.

Thank you!

Eks et al -

What is the best restaurant (slow food) guide? I see that you recommended

Fred Plotkin's great book has a good list of Italian food terms and translations


http://www.amazon.com/Italy-Gourmet-Traveler-Fred-Plotkin/dp/190686831X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280356532&sr=1-1

Do you prefer that over one of the Slow Food books?

Thanks!

Having been reprimanded on another thread, and

Bearing in mind
- that Zeppole refrained from an outright recommendation of the Castello di Sinio, where she has evidently not stayed or eaten, and
- that Zeppole stated that one reason for posting a link to the Castello di Sinio's site was for its list of Piedmont attractions,

I humbly submit
- that the Castello di Sinio is run by Americans for Americans, and
- that, for this reason, I do not consider the Castello di Sinio appropriate for consideration by anyone looking for an authentic (I hate the word but can think of no other) Piedmont experience.

ChrisX, Sorry, it wasn't me who brought the wine home. Perhaps it was someone else who responded to my trip report. Do a search on La Morea and see if you can find out who did it. (Or should that be La Morra?)

Since so much of the beauty that we found in Piemonte was in driving about from small village to small village through the "winefields," I cannot imagine not having a car to enjoy that but there are some arguments here that may prove it can be done without a car. We stayed at La Marcarini which is very much off on its own. Even to take a taxi into Alba so as not to have to park during the Truffle festival parade, etc. we had to drive several miles to meet the taxi at its stopping place.

You are, of course, wise to think about not driving after a wonderful dinner with lots of the great Piemonte wines so you might want to identify a place where there are lots of good restaurants within walking distance. Three very good ones are in Treiso but unfortunately I cannot identify a hotel there. I find several Agriturismos but my best guess is that they are more than walking distance from the town with its three wonderful restaurants all within a block of each other. Alba would seem the most logical place to put down to find many restaurants within walking distance. Unfortunately there the hotels other than the well regarded Villa Favorita appeared to me rather charmless. I find this often the case--that places with lots of restaurants tend not to have cute, charming hotels and the cute, charming hotels seem to have limited restaurants nearby. It turned out for us that with a little bit of driving we were able to access many wonderful restaurants near La Marcarini even though the place itself was within walking distance of nothing but its own vineyards. It's close to Treiso, Tre Stelle, Barbaresco and Alba, all of which have wonderful restaurants. Be sure if you decide on it (and it is wonderful) that you have a car with a working GPS.

Oh, I forgot to say that I found some of my best restaurant info here on Fodors and on Chowhound and Egullet rather than in guidebooks.

I agree with Zerlina (although she lost me on the reprimand part. I didn't know that Castello di Sinio was American owned and American oriented. I just had seen it showed up with recommendations in magazines and such. (Maybe that's why!) So I wouldn't stay there. But I do like it's web page summarizing Piemonte attractions until your Cadogan guide arrives.

ChrisX2,

It does occur to me to add that if you are not a red meat eater, you should ask for a wine recommendation with what you order -- or vice versa, if you want to try a famous Barolo, ask the restaurant to serve you a meal that goes with it, but tell them you prefer not to eat red meat.

Marija,

I can't advise about suitestorino. I bookmarked that article when it came out in hopes of going to Torino soon and it had intriguing suggestions, but now I am going elsewhere -- and I just passed on the info you.

JulieVilmanis,

Did you figure out why guidebooks let you down? Sometimes for me the reason is that the guidebooks have a bias toward steering tourists to places with a view or "characteristic" decor, or near tourist sights. Sometimes, I just don't like eating what the guidebook writer likes eating. (Michelin and some UK guides can be problematic for me that way.)

In recommending the Cadogan Guide, I'm not recommending its restaurant recommendations. Only its descriptions of sights.

I better substitute *returning to* Torino soon, so that's clear. I'm now *going to* Friuli.

JulieV - my apologies! I read so many trip reports my head was spinning. It was DRBB who purchased wine. Thank you for your advice - we will definitely stay at La Favorita and perhaps one night at La Marcarini.

Zeppole, Not sure about Cadogan restaurant recommendations for Piemonte but I've sometimes had good luck with them for other areas. With Piemonte, I just was able to find so little of anything published that I relied on the internet. And, of course, it can often provide much more up-to-date info. I was amazed to find several recommended restaurants in guidebooks published within the last 2 years closed during my recent trip to Scandinavia.

Chris: I don't think that there is one "best" guidebook for eating in the region. I used a combination of the Cadogan and SlowFood books and also consulted the Plotkin book. I got better, more detailed, and more up to date information from the websites mentioned by Julie--Chowhound and eGullet-- and also by Googling for particular restaurant names that came up in discussions on those threads and that then led me to other sites, some of which were in Italian. For example, I came across this site in the past, before a trip to the Basque country, and read this section on Trattoria della Posta, again before the Piedmont trip. The entry is years old and his taste is a bit more upscale than mine but I still found it interesting. Incidentally, I think that you should put that restaurant, della Posta, on your list.

http://www.gastroville.com/archives/italy/000002.html

Incidentally, there is a well reviewed upscale hotel not far from the restaurant, but not in walking distance, that might interest you:


http://www.villabeccaris.it/eng/index.asp


Roberta at La Favorita was very helpful about selecting restaurants, too.

Thanks Eks! That remarkably is the first restaurant I made note of..I faintly recall reading an article about restaurants Batali recommended, perhaps that is where I found it.

Yes my husband and I brought back 20 bottles from the Piemonte - 12 in a Mailboxes Etc carrier that we checked as luggage and 4 in each suitcase. You may bring in bottles as long as your state has no prohibition against doing so. Just be prepared to pay duty at Customs if they find them. When we went through Customs it was so crowded that they barely looked at forms and were just waving everyone through like crazy.

Definitely a car is needed for the Piemonte - driving is easy and a GPS makes it even easier.

Villa la Favorita is an excellent place to stay. We enjoyed Roberta, Sally the dog, and our cooking lesson there. Not to mention the truffle hunt that Roberta arranged.

Trattoria della Posta in Monforte d'Alba was recently mentioned in Bon Appetit magazine. A paragraph on the stuffed roasted onion which I enjoyed thoroughly when we were there! Alas, no recipe. Excellent place for a meal. I found a lot of information about restaurants on the web, including Chowhound.

My trip report on our stay in Alba is at

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/10-days-in-alba-palio-truffles-and-wine.cfm

Thanks drbb! I read your review and found it very helpful. I will try my luck, as you did, with bringing back wine. Fingers crossed!!

I too ate at Trattoria della Posta, and my dining partner in particular was ecstatic with his tasting menu with accompanying wines. One his favorite plates was his antipasto of roasted stuffed onion, a real example of the skill and imagination the Piemontese bring to their antipasti.

I showed up not hungry (a hazard in touring in Piemonte for a few days) but ordered eggs with truffles for simplicity. They were exactly everything the dish should be -- but still too much for me. (Italian eggs can be extremely rich, and only cooked a whisper so as not to destroy their character. If you like your egg yolks a few steps beyond liquid, make that plain when you order.)

I think the panna cotta at Trattoria della Posta is a kind of culinary miracle. I have never seen another like it for sheer flawless perfection. It would have never occurred to me to order it -- I'm ordinarily not a fan of panna cotta -- and I was only lucky my dining partner is so fond of me it was shared.

Yes, the onion -- oozing with murrazano cheese and the salsiccia di Bra. Have tried to replicate it at home but not even close.

Didn't have the panna cotta - I'm usually too stuffed after the second course! - but the ravioli of goat cheese was fantastic. Husband had the veal shank braised in Barolo. Heaven.

Chris - good luck on the wine. If you want only a few bottles, packing in a suitcase has worked for us many a time. We also started using the "Wine Mummy" - a padded sleeve which can be sealed. Works very well if you are hesitant to just wrap bottles in dirty clothes.

We are still looking forward to opening some of the wonderful Barolos we brought back. Great memories.

I think I'm going to have a hard time restraining my fiance to 12-20 bottles. Luckily we have some good resources in DC for european small producing wineries. However, I don't think it compares to the memory of purchasing it where it was made! I will definitely look into the Wine Mummy!

Bookmarked!

bookmark

Chris, the mailboxes outlet in Alba will ship wine back to USA for you at a price of course going through their importer in USA. Many of our guests have brought back several cases of wine in styrofoam boxes, it all depends what your baggage allowance is.

I don't know how I missed your post, probably busy with guests or on the farm, but I see you have been well advised by many folks. Some extra's I might add:

1. If you are continuing on in Italy after your Piedmontese honeymoon, something I often suggest to our guests is to pick up several styrofoam (they are called polyfoam here) and not make your final selection but to pickup at least two bottles of every wine you like. While you are on the rest of the trip, you can sample and make your final decision whether to bring back the other bottle, drink it, or buy another wine of the local region.

2. Everyone has opinions about which Piedmont restaurants, osterie and trattorie that they like and its had to go wrong with most of the recommendations many of them signature places. But from my point of view having been living in Piedmont for 10 years now, we love to try out new places all the time, get off the beaten internet track so as to speak. There is something romantic about stumbling across an osteria in a small town where only the locals are there and there is no menu either. And it Piedmont its hard to go wrong.

3. You mention that you want to come in November for the truffle festival, presumably the Alba Truffle Fair? You should also try one of the many small truffle festivals held every weekend, some of them are not much, but the bigger ones give an authentic local experience, not to mention all the restaurants in the localita will be serving tartufo dishes.