Asti, Italy...any recommendations?
 

We will be traveling in early March thru the Asti,Italy area by car..any recommendations for sights...restaurants..

How many days will you be in the area? Do you have your lodgings booked?

We will be in the area for 2 to 3 days..yes we are booked at the Hotel Reale in Asti downtown

Unfortunately, it is not truffle season and none of the better restaurants will serve you truffle dishes (be suspicious if someone offers truffle dishes - they might be made with truffle oil, which is mostly made of artificial aroma).

What you can do:

1. Wineries
2. Restaurants (we stayed at Locanda Sant Uffizio in Cioccaro di Penango which has a first class restaurant and is, BTW, also an excellent hotel - http://www.thi-hotels.com)
3. Torino with lots of attractions
4. Landscape - the rolling hills of Montferrato
5. Barolo - the castle is mainly interesting for the wine tasting room which is in the basement
6. Abbazia di Vezzolano, an abbey of 1189 AD in Albugnano

I have not been to Asti but am planning a trip to Piemonte in April so I asked a lot of questions here, which netted some excellent responses (which you may be able to find with a search) from people who live in the region or who have made multiple visits. Hopefully one of them will respond here.


Are you interested in visiting any wineries?

..Monferrato, not Montferrato. Sorry.

This is a most recommendable winery which produces excellent Barbera d'Asti (Cavalé):

http://www.santagata.com

In Scurzolengo, a few kms north of Asti.

Yes we are interested in wineries...hopefully they are open on Sunday?

Most wineries are small, family-owned businesses. Everything there is informal, often they do not have opening hours. You may send them an email in advance (however if they do not answer that means nothing) or call them (but be prepared that their English is poor). Or you just show up and try. It is part of the fun.

There is another type of "wineries" - I mean dealers or consolidators who have professional tasting rooms (like the one in Castello Falletti di Barolo - there is also a wine museum).

http://www.barolodibarolo.com

The enoteca inside the castle is open on Sundays.