cdubs

Hi - we are taking a trip to Northern Italy from September 19th to the 29th. Our rough itinerary is as follows:

- land in Milan on the 19th and travel to Verona right away to spend the night ( we happen to hit Milan Fashion Week and want to avoid it since it's not what we are into and hotel cost is super high because of it)
- travel to Venice and spend the next two nights there
- head to Cinque Terre, Piedmont and maybe Turin to catch a soccer game
- head back to Milan for 1 or 2 nights before our flight

A few questions we have:

- We want to stop in Alba for white truffles but is it too early? Will there be white truffles at the end of September? I know we'll miss Alba's white truffle fair but was hoping to still be able to enjoy them before the season officially starts
- what to do in piedmont? we want to visit wineries, eat great food but don't know where to start. Thinking about hiring a driver to drive around, how about a personal guide...any recommendations? Also, where should we stay and for how long?
- any other recommendations on our rough itinerary as well as other places we should visit?

A little about us and our style: we are a couple in our mid 30's, my boyfriend's never been to Italy and the last time i was there was as an exchange student in college. We are huge foodies (we live in NY so have access to great food all the time) so looking for exceptional food, good wine and just a relaxing vacation that allows us to absorb the culture and see different things.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations!