welch

Not that this isn't reason enough.

My other thread appears too vague and this is what I think I really need to know.
I greatly appreciate help from those who love this area.

Thanks!

phillyboy

The Alps
Turin
Beautiful small villages
The wine

Much of the countryside looks very much like Tuscany - rolling hills, vineyards, very lovely. One thing to be aware of however - we were there in mid-May, and found the towns very, very quiet. Unlike Tuscany and Umbria, where it seemed there was some celebration or other going on every day and/or night, many of the Piemontese towns we visited were almost deserted. Some who want to steer clear of heavily-touristed areas may like this, but for us it was almost too quiet.

The food was fantastic.

ekc

Wine
Wine
Wine

Gorgeous scenery

Charming villages

But good GOD the food!!

bobthenavigator

The wine villages of the Langhe region.

welch

Thanks so much!

The food is really the big draw for me, admittedly.

I live in the SF Bay area and am never tempted to wine tasting (although my preference is not for domestic wines).

Phillyboy- I completely understand your comment about quiet towns.
We're going to Capri on this visit. I love being in the middle of things, so this is certainly something to consider.
Perhaps early July will be a little more lively?

Jean

I love royal palaces, and the royal house of the Savoy (La Reggia di Venaria Reale) is just a few miles outside of Torino. Closed Mondays in July.

http://www.lavenaria.it/index_eng.shtml

Sampaguita

We always tell our guests that Piedmont is about wine, food and culture, and which order do they want? Many prioritise wine, others simply take the food (with some wine on the side) and others prefer to start with the cultural aspects.

First of all as others have stated, the Monferrato and Langhe wine hills in the middle of Piedmont are what we locals call the "zone", an area of great beauty, a tapestry of vineyards,wood and farms with wonderful panoramic views of the Alps, hill top villages where time seems to stand still, castles on every hill top, (and the best food in Italy!!) Tuscany without the tourists as someone described it once.

Second the Savoy heritage. All of Piedmont and Provence was under the rule of one family for 800 or so years, a corporate dynasty I call them as they moved up the ladder from Counts to Dukes to Kings and eventually became Kings of Italy after the risorgimento. As you can imagine with such an estate they became very rich and left a lasting legacy of palaces and estates, now mainly turned into museums and galleries, as well as a decent collection of art, their influence on the arts and culture, and the beautification of Turin to rival Vienna and Paris (lets not forget the chocolate culture too).

Third, Piedmont is surrounded on 3 side by mountains which give it it's name (foot of the mountains) with many small valleys, home of some of Italy's best cheeses, and many inhabited by descendants of "heretical" sects given shelter by the Savoys. Lets not also forget the mountain lakes, Maggiore and Orta. Or visits to some of the "sacred mountains", or the Sacre di San Michele outside of Turin, used as the inspiration for Umberto Eco's "Name of the Rose", or the wonderful Baroque Synagogue in Casale Monferrato.

4th, its not true about nothing happening in the small villages, but not on weekdays, we work in Piedmont, but every weekend in May through July you can have your pick of village festivals, donkey races, wine barrel races, historical pageants etc, all of course accompanied by local food and wine.

5th, well lets not get boring and its early AM here, I could go on and on but need a shot of cafe first!

nmonte

i'm very interested in visiting this area - my grandmother left there about 100 years ago at the age of 13.
my main concern is transportation around the Piedmonte region. We are older and will/can not drive. does anyone know of a good touring service for day trips and where would be the ideal base? Hotel?