LE LANGHE AND TURIN: A WEEK IN THE LAND OF BAROLO, BAGNA CAUDA AND BICERIN
 

PIEDMONT: LE LANGHE AND TURIN, APRIL 2009

SAMPLING THE FOOD AND WINES OF PIEMONTE: BAGNA CAUDA, BAROLO AND BICERIN




The genesis for this week-long trip was sparked last fall when, en route from the Ligurian coast to Lake Como, I drove through the southeastern corner of Piemonte, along the Val di Borbera. I was so taken with the new foods served at our lunch in San Sebastiano Curone, at:

http://www.corona1702.com/index.html

and by the beauty of the Piemontese countryside (where a lone billboard guarding the entrance to each town touts not a hotel or supermarket, but the local food specialty) that, upon returning from that trip, I immediately began planning this one, which would take me, with my usual travel partner, into the heart of the Piedmont wine country, the region known as Le Langhe, home to Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Barbera, and a host of wines and spirits that were previously unfamiliar to us.


There are several options for arriving in this region from our home in New York City. With one connection, we could fly into either Genoa, or Turin, the airport closest to Alba, our first destination. Preferring to avoid these less-than-convenient connections, we opted, instead, for the direct Delta flight into Milano Malpensa, where we would rent a car and drive approximately two hours to Alba.

After much MEGO (my eyes glaze over) research, I found the best price for an automatic car on the AutoEurope Italian website: www.autoeurope.it. Would AutoEurope.com (the US site) agree to match this price, which was considerably lower than the one offered on their own site? Yes. After a couple of phone calls, and much consultation with supervisors, the Mercedes 180 was reserved for us.

We arrived in Milan after an uneventful flight. The weather, unfortunately, was dreary, a condition that would persist for much of the trip. (We would not see sun until several days later).
The rental car booths are located on the lower level of Terminal 1, and we quickly signed the necessary forms and were pleased to learn that we had been upgraded to a Mercedes c-class sedan —a wonderful car to drive and not large enough to cause problems negotiating narrow village streets.

A word of thanks is in order here to Via Michelin. Lacking a GPS and a cell phone, we were able to follow the directions I had printed out, which took us along the autostrada and right into Alba. Follow the signs to Alba centro, and from there to Barbaresco. Less than 2 hours after departing Malpensa, we pulled up at the imposing iron gates of Villa La Favorita, which would be our home for four nights.


http://www.villalafavorita.it/








We had chosen La Favorita after much deliberation. I had been torn by wanting to stay in an agriturismo and wanting to stay in a town with restaurants, in order to avoid having to drive “home” at night after wine-fueled dinners. For this reason, La Favorita proved to be a good choice. The location is in Altavilla, an upscale section of Alba perched on a rise overlooking the small city. The drive to the center took less than 5 minutes and parking was easy to find, in one of several pay lots ringing the central core and located within. It was similarly easy to drive to restaurants in the Barbaresco/Neive area, northeast of Alba. To reach those in the La Morra, Verduno area meant a bit more time, but as we soon realized, this is a compact region and all sights and restaurants on our itinerary were within a drive of about 30 minutes or less.

We were met at the gate by Roberta, who would be our smiling and efficient hostess for the next four nights. Roberta speaks fluent English and is a font of information on the region. The villa was her country house until, in 2001, she transformed it into a B&B. The atmosphere is of a cozy rural retreat, filled with comfy floral sofas and glorious antiques from Piemonte and beyond. There are many public rooms for lounging and, in good weather, terraces and a limonera for relaxing. The villa is truly a labor of love and Roberta’s attention to detail is quite inspiring. From the photos on the website, we had selected the blue room; I wanted to sleep in that glorious gilded navy blue bed. The room was small with just enough space for the bed and two chairs, but we found it comfortable. The bathroom has spectacular Venetian plastered walls and is roomy enough; there is a shower.


The purpose of our trip was to meander around the countryside eating and drinking as much as possible. I had booked most of our meals in advance, by e-mail; we also had two winery visits arranged ahead of time.

We arrived on a Sunday when many restaurants are closed. One that was open, and would prove a favorite (we would visit again later that week), was Profumo di Vino in nearby Trieso. And so, after spending a lazy rainy Sunday holed up in the hotel recovering fro the flight and the drive, we set out for an early, 7:30 dinner.

sorry, correct spelling is Treiso.

Oh my! This is going to be good.

Eks, I begin to fear that there will not be other destinations for me aside from Italy and Spain! Every time I research for a trip (or read on of your reports) I find more and more things to do (and taste).

Looking forward to tons of detailed food reports.

Ah, there is nothing so fine as a well written trip report about a place for which you have already booked a flight. I shall hang on every word. I have already posted questions for you on two other posts but shall wait for you to finish this report. This is wonderful.

I am looking forward to the remainder of your report!

Cant wait to read more!

We have also booked Camera Blu for our October trip to Alba.

More please! More wine, more food, more info. Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

drbb, when will you be there? Maybe there's no need for me to even think of trying to book there if you've already booked the Blue Room? Maybe we could do a GTG in Alba. Wouldn't that be amazing? They're pretty common in Paris, but this might be the first for Alba.

YAY! A new Italy restaurant list from ekscrunchy!

Julie- We have booked for October 1 through 10 when the Alba Truffle Fest and the Palio are taking place. When I booked back in January, Roberta still had several rooms available and I was able to choose. Definitely contact her to see what is available. She is very helpful.

Before I detail the dinner at Profumo di Vino, let me say that there are so many fabulously reviewed places in this area—ranging from simple agriturismi to Michelin-starred spots and everything in between--that one would have to spend weeks and weeks in order to try them all. We concentrated mainly on trattorie and osterie serving traditional or slightly creative renditions of the local fare and even then, it was next to impossible to pare down the list. In the end, much of the decision came down to avoiding closing days and trying to minimize driving at night.

Had I realized how easy the driving was in this region I might have branched out a bit further from our base at La Favorita.

PROFUMO DI VINO, TREISO (closed Tuesdays; no website;
Phone/Fax: 0173-638017)


It was pouring rain when we set out for nearby Treiso, which sits atop a hill just 7 km from La Favorita. The gastronomic fame of this tiny (pop. 763) town originated with the Michelin-starred La Ciau del Tornavento. The owners of Profumo di Vino met while working in the kitchen of Tornavento. About a year ago, Memmo, a Baja Californian with Cordon Bleu training, and Cameron, a Scot who grew up in Colorado and worked at, among other places, restuarants in Boulder, joined forces to open this handsome restaurant and wine bar facing the main piazza. (The wine bar is open from 10am to 1am, save Tuesday closing day, and offers three tasting plates for every glass of wine ordered—keep this in mind on the off-chance that you want to skip lunch!)


The handsome gray and ivory dining room, with a chiseled stone wall and striking local landscape photos, was empty when we arrived on this rainy night, but soon filled up with locals—Memmo, who handles the wine, told us that they often host winemakers and their guests. (One table was eating an all-fish meal, which the restaurant will do with advance notice) On the stereo, Nat King Cole alternated with Frank (no last name necessary).

Dinner began with complimentary (there is a word for “amuse bouche” in Italian (begins with “A”…..(???) ) thin wedges of frittata dense with herbs and served in a large steel spoon. Already on the table was a basket of grissini and several varieties of excellent house-baked bread including one studded with walnuts. After much grissini sampling during the week, Profumo di Vino’s version of these Piemontese breadsticks was voted winner and reigning champion. Amazing, amazing little sticks of goodness!

Antipasti: “Uova in pasta,” two of the most vivid orange egg yolks that you could ever imagine, encased in delicate, large ravioli which were drenched in brown butter and topped with shreds of Parmigiano and spears of roasted asparagus. In a word: Heavenly!

My partner echoed my delight after taking one bite of his veal meatballs, served with a mustard that had been blended with foie gras and espresso. We were off to a good start!


These two dishes (and the breadsticks) were so good that my partner insisted on returned to the restaurant later in the week to try them again.


Next, we shared a creamy carrot and potato soup. Excellent.

Because we could not decide on a pasta course—we opted for 3 primi and passed on the secondi.

Gnocchi with duck confit and brussel sprouts in a Dijon cream sauce. While the flavor was good, there was little variety in texture and a bit too much creaminess; this was my least favorite dish of the evening.

Risotto carbonara with speck, Grana Padano, egg yolk and black pepper.
A modern, Piemontese take on the old Roman standard and a resounding success! Also to be repeated later this week.

(The flat plains near Vercelli and Novara are one of Italy’s major rice growing regions, accounting for 60% of the country’s production, and we had driven through mile after mile of patchwork fields crisscrossed by irrigation canals en route from Malpensa to Alba. The story is that the genesis of the American rice industry stems from Piedmontese rice smuggled, in the face of an export ban, to South Carolina by Thomas Jefferson.)


Tajarin (Piedmontese dialect for tagliarini) tossed with shrimp, asparagus and black olives. What made this dish memorable for me were the Taggiasca olives, tiny black beauties from Liguria which were, simply the best olives I had ever tasted. (Two jars now sit in my kitchen, treasures for the next day’s supermarket expedition with Roberta, in Alba)

The olives, and the olive oil brought to the table to dress this tajarin, were so terrific that I asked to see the bottle: FRANTOIO DI ALDO ARMATO, Via Solferino, 3, Alassio. Note that the frantoio in Liguria welcomes visitors from November to March:

http://www.frantoioarmato.it/prodotti.html



With the meal, I drank a glass of Roero Arnais, an indigenous varietal from the neighboring Roero, and a glass of La Ganghia Barbera d’Alba (we were too tired to even contemplate a bottle).


We were presented with a complimentary dessert course of macaroons (chocolate and local hazlenut); chocolate truffles; hazlenut chocolate bites; and lovely corn and butter cookies that Memo told us are characteristic of the region. Along with these treats, a tiny glass of pureed frutti di bosco.

And finally, the house grappa, from Villa Prato in Mombaruzzo, another courtesy.

With mineral water and cover, the total was 63 euro.

Oh Wow. I have a feeling that I'll keep saying that over and over as I read your report. This is fantastic and to think I'm going there. Anticipation is me!!!

Glad to know you were safe and sound on your trip, and sorry the rain socked in over Piemonte. (And yes, Ligurian olives from Taggia are fantastic).

I'm afraid I simply cannot eat those rich red Italian eggs. But I'm glad you found them and loved them. They simply don't exist in the US as far as I know.

Ooooh my, I am drooling! And we're only on the first meal!

I LOVE your goal of "eating and drinking as much as possible."

Can't wait for more details!

I dont know what a Limonera is but i think I want one.

Can you gain weight from just reading?

Jet: I don't know, either, because the word I should have written was "limonaia!"

A glass-walled room used to shelter potted lemon trees during the cold months. Like an orangerie (fr.)

This is just wonderful, ekscrunchy. I too am drooling here at the end of a rather dreary workday. And as they say on this forum: More, please.

Close enough.
It had the base word limon in it so I new it had to be good.

I love your report. You are funny.

I forgot to ask if any photos will accompany with report?

63 euro for such wonders . . . drooling in the morning for olives . . . risotto . . . vino . . .

Thanks for the compliments! Unfortunately I do not know how to post photos so that people can see them on the internet. Perhaps this is also the time to reveal that, although I do have a cell phone (that works only at home, not in Europe or Asia) I have lately been the recipient of a few odd looks when I use it on the street. My friend took me aside and told me that the reason for these odd looks may rest with the fact that my cell phone may be one of the oldest still in use today! (Motorola StarTac). I am telling you this because we need to understand the level of my technological competency!

More soon..

Bravo, ekscrunchy! I can't wait for the next installment....

I know you can share photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareOverview.jsp

Oh yum,yum, yum! This is sounding REALLY good, and I'm already thinking along the lines of a similar trip, so I can hardly wait for more. Thanks, eks, for taking the time to spin out another of your great trip reports.

Before I proceed, I want to correct a mistake above; the name of the Baja Californian co-owner of Profumo di Vino is “Memo” (Guillermo Field Melendez).



On the way back to La Favorita from Treiso, we noticed a light on the dashboard warning, “Tercio Luzzo Freno!!” My rudimentary Italian told me that this meant something like “third brake light.” When I mentioned this to Roberta, she sprang into action without being asked first phoning Autoeurope, only to be told that this was a problem for Europcar, then trying several numbers for Europcar, only to be told that they had no idea what was wrong, or if anything was wrong. So we left it overnight.

The next morning we were treated to the first of four lavish La Favorita breakfasts. There is no central dining table but, rather, several tables scattered throughout the rambling house for guests to take their pick. Bread, butter, and jams made on the estate were constants. Twice we sampled the famous Roero strawberries, with panna and in a banana bread compote. On one morning the breads were supplemented by an herb frittata and on another, by a wedge of ham-encased asparagus drenched in creamy béchamel. I am sure that Giovanna, Roberta’s ever-smiling assistant, would have been happy to whip up almost anything , with prior notice.

After the first breakfast, I realized that the lunch plans were in peril, and I vowed to get up extra early in the morning to allow room between breakfast and lunch. This plan got a bit derailed, however.

After phoning Europcar in Alba and finding them open after the Sunday closing, Roberta insisted that she accompany us to the garage to check he brake lights. And so we set off in a two-car convoy in the pounding rain. The Europcar in Alba is tucked away on a side street in the new part of the city and we were very glad that Roberta had accompanied us because I did not see one sign pointing the way.

After a quick look at the car, and the light, the mechanic told us we had nothing to worry about and relieved, we set off for the Villa, making a small detour to the supermarket with Roberta. Since this was early in the trip, I could not buy anything perishable, but I did manage to assemble a few tidbits, with en eye to completing the shopping at Eataly in Turin at the end of the week.

Ligurian olive oil


2 large bags of Langhe IGP hazelnuts (nocciola), known as “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe,” or “sweet round nut of the Langhe.” Local hazelnuts are used in the production of Gianduiotti chocolates, pralines, nougat, cakes, and of course, Nutella, one of the products that brought prosperity to Alba. (The founding fathers of Nutella, the Ferrero family, owns a house adjacent to the La Favorita estate.)


http://www.la-morra.it/site.aspx?p=950



2 jars of Taggiasca olives in olive oil


assorted packages of polenta, etc.

After stopping to drop off our packages, we set out for La Morra.

Unfortunately, the weather remained grim, so we were unable to see the fine views from La Morra that clear weather must allow. It was even too miserable to do much exploring in the town, so we ducked into a gorgeous wine shop at the bottom of the historic center and had a look around at one of the most impressive collections of wines I had ever seen in a retail shop—everything from magnums of Petrus to a half-bottles of Pantelleria sweet wines. The prices seemed high, however, as this was certainly a shop oriented towards tourists.

Among the food products were gorgeous treats from Cascina San Cassiano, a local firm whose products are sold in many local gourmet shops. Just look at these beauties!

http://www.cascinasancassiano.com/homee.html

I could not resist a jar of Le Lacrime di Brachetto, the tears of Brachetto, (the sparkling wine from Acqui Terme). (about 6 euro). The label says I can use it to accompany game meat, liver pate, aged and creamy sheep and cow cheeses, ice cream, strawberries, and fruit salads. Or use as a preserve at breakfast or teatime. So I guess it is all-purpose!

Shopping complete for the day, we headed down the hill to Santa Maria, a few km from La Morra center, and our lunch destination, the SlowFood L”Osteria del Vignaiolo.

Here is a sample printed menu just to give an idea of offerings and prices:





Aperitivo 

Calice di vino bianco Euro 2,50 



Antipasti 

Trancio di tonno scottato con verdure grigliate Euro 8,00
Merluzzo mantecato con patate e pomodorini Euro 8,00
Carne cruda battuta al coltello Euro 8,00
Vitello tonnato Euro 8,00
Tortino di pasta brisé con topinambour e fonduta Euro 8,00
Cialda di parmigiano con cosce di quaglia al rosmarino Euro 8,00
Carciofi stufati con scaglie di grana Euro 8,00 



Primi piatti 

Tagliolini al ragù di salsiccia Euro 8,00
Ravioli di seirass con purea di zucca Euro 8,00
Gnocchi di patate con raschera e radicchio trevisano Euro 8,00
Risotto con zafferano e carciofi fritti (min. due porzioni) Euro 8,00 



Secondi piatti 

Coscia d'anatra arrosto Euro 11,00
Carrè di agnello al forno Euro 11,00
Lepre al civet con crostone di polenta Euro 11,00
Filetto di storione spadellato con julienne di verdure Euro 11,00
Stracotto di vitello al Nebbiolo Euro 11,00 



Formaggio 

Piatto degustazione con cugnà Euro 8,00


Piatto degustazione con cugnà e calice di Passito Euro 11,00 



Coperto Euro 2,00




And here are some photos (not mine, unfortunately) of the restaurant and a few of the dishes:

http://www.con-vivium.com/reports/l40.htm




I will be back soon with details of our meal...

Oh my, I am getting so hungry. Now tell me, did you gain the same 5 pounds that I did in Piemonte?

The first of many questions, I'm sure...

Is Le Lacrime di Brachetto a sweet jam? Have you tasted it?

Eks, do you remmeber the names of the supermarket in Alba and the wine store in La Morra?

If I only gain five pouns in October, it will be a blessing.....

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip!

lovely report!! hoping to travel to this area of Italy soon - thanks for the reviews!

I'm so happy you guys are having fun reading this!

Bob: Probably not 5 but certainly a few! My record is 8 pounds gained in one week on the trip that included Bologna, so I probably hold the unwanted record! We actually (shudder) skipped a few lunches on this trip..even I could not contemplate lunch after eating those breakfasts at the agriturismo. Very unusual for me, I will admit.

Drbb: Deviating from my usual compulsive saving of scraps, I seem to have thrown out the receipt from the wine store where I bought the Lacrime de Brachetto. But I will investigate and try to find the name of the store. It is on a corner near the main street entering the town. It is a very large store and I could have spent hours there. One new thing I saw was Barolo Chinato, Barolo infused with the bark of the cinchona tree and Alpine herbs and consumed as a digestive:

http://www.marcarini.it/eng/vini/bchinato.html

But this store has rooms and rooms of bottles, including an entire room of Barolos. Some of their prices for imported stuff were crazy, though.


The LAcrime di Brachetto appears to be a sweet jam, or that is what I thought it was, but now when I look at the jar, it is a liquid. Very unusual. I bought one more of their products at Eatialy but am sorry I did not fill my suicase up with those jars. Wait until you see them! They have everything: Jams, mostarda, vegetables in oil--there were shelves of them at that wine shop and they are sold all over the area.

The supermarket where I bought the nuts is:

Cooperativa dei Lavorati
Corso Langhe, #65 (one of the main streets leading out of Alba from Piazza Savona; Roberta also recommended a pizza place on this street)

There are many appealing-looking food shops in Alba center, including one where I bought some dried egg pasta (I had some of this last night with asparagus and with edamame (shudder again) filling in for fava beans) I would recommend buying fresh pasta on the last day and taking it home in the checked bag; we left very early on a Sunday so were unable to do this.

Because we were not very hungry and eating only in the interest of research, we opted for a light lunch at Osteria delle Vignaiolo:

We shared the antipasto: Cialda di parmigiano con cosce di qualgia al rosmarino. Four meaty quail legs, roasted and glazed and set over a, for lack of a better word, parmesan pudding. Hands down, the best quail I have ever tasted. (And certainly a LOT better than the one attempt made in the Ekscrunchy house of which the less said, the better) . Excellent! I would order again.

Primi (main course for us):

Ravioli di seriass con asparagus—this were lovely ravioli stuffed with seirass, the local name for ricotta produced in Cuneo province, and also around Asti. Bathed in a light butter sauce. Impeccable, as was each and every pasta dish we sampled on this trip.

Tagliolini al ragu di salsicca—ribbons of long pasta in a light meat (sausage) sauce. Also excellent although I preferred my ravioli.

After we finished the pasta, a plate of duck legs were brought to a nearby table and to this day, I am sorry I did not give in to one more course.

Instead, we finished with coffee. The bill, including one glass of wine and water, totalled a reasonable 35 euro.

Although we had only a small sampling of the food, I liked this restaurant very much. Neither rustic nor fancy, with gracious service , it was my kind of place and I was sorry that we did not make time for one more meal here later in the week. (Because we stayed on the Barbaresco side of Alba, driving to La Morra/Verduno meant negotiating around Alba itself and I tried to keep this to a minimum at night). My advice here is to keep in mind the location of restaurants when you choose your lodging! If you have a week, it might even make sense to choose two places in different areas, if you are a squeamish driver)



I will be back with more food: Walking around Alba and dinner in town at La Libera.

ekscrunchy, I think this might be the place in La Morra:
http://www.gallowinegallery.com/enoteca_INB.asp

You must obviously try the Lacrime di Brachetto and tell us about it. All I could find about it is that it contains Brachetto d'Acqui, cane sugar and "jellifier" (gelificante); I suspect - for no very good reason at all - that the consistency is somewhere between a jam and a liquid.

Zerlina: You are a star! That is exactly the wine shop, Gallo, in La Morra. Thank you!

I will certainly reveal all when I try the Lacrime--it is so liquid that I cannot imagine it would fit on a plate with cheese, etc. Perhaps poured over strawberries or peaches (??)

I wish I had bought many more of those San Cassiano products, though!

Thanks for the info! I will surely check out all the stores. I love to bring back items from Italian markets/supermarkets. Even their tomato paste in tubes somehow just always tastes better. I'm thinking I may have to bring an extra suitcase!

And thanks Zerlina for the wine shop name.

Perhaps the Lacrime is something like the hot pepper jelly we have here in the South in terms of consistency. Kind of reddish brown clear jelly that is pretty liquidy at room temperature. And it doesn't firm up too much in the fridge either. Many years ago, the ubiquitous Southern party food was a block of cream cheese with a jar of pepper jelly poured over it, served with crackers.

Can't wait to hear more about Alba and La Libera. So far, all 3 of your restaurants were also on my list of must-eats.

Thanks!

Drbb: Looks like we have a lot in common! I am also a supermarket and food shop fan. I could spend hours and hours! I bring lots of bubble wrap to protect the glass jars of oils, etc. I am just kicking myself for not bringing back MUCH more. Those tubes of tomato paste were about 60 cents in the supermarket! And there were quite a few brands. The supermarket also had some interesting bitters and digestives and other spirits for good prices.

And I love to cook with whatever I bring back. Good memories and good food.

Thank goodness for bubble wrap!

A related question - did you bring back any wines? We have managed to bring back as many as eight bottles in checked luggage. But going to the land of barolo, etc., it's a shame not to bring back more.

I did ask Roberta if she knew of any way to ship it back, but she said that it was not do-able. I think there has to be a licensed importer receiving on the US side.

Keep the trip report coming! It's great.

Sorry - another question. And I'll have quite a few more before all this is over.

The Casina San Cassiano web site shows an address of Localita San Cassiano 4 which is on a road going out of Alba to Grinzane Cavour. Did you go there? Is that a shop or the site of their production facility?

Thanks.

Drbb: I do not mind answering any and all of your questions! In fact I welcome the questions, so ask away!

I brought back only one bottle, packed in my luggage. This was a mistake, I am afraid and I cannot explain, even to myself, why I did not bring more. (But I did bring 3 liter bottles of olive oil, though, and some duty free Aperol.)

I cannot believe that there is not a way to ship it back home, as long as your home state will allow you to receive it. In fact I am almost positive that I saw signs in that La Morra wine shop, and in others, offering to ship. And I know lots of people who have shipped wine home from France and Italy. I think it works out to about 10 euro per bottle, or around that amount.

I am not sure if the actual wineries would ship, though.

We did not go to the San Cassiano place and from their site it looks like a production facility and not a shop. Roberta should know and if you ask her, let us know, ok?

I have been following closely and look forward to reading more of your detailed trip report. We leave next Saturday for 2 weeks in Europe including a week in the Piedmonte region. You mentioned that if you knew that driving was so easy, you might have considered staying at another place. Any place in particular? La Favorita looks great, but we are trying to keep the budget 90 Euro or less per night. We are considering Cascina Sant'Eufemia based on all the positive reviews on TA.
Thanks,
Nicci

Nicci: In that comment about splitting the time, I meant that I might have considered a few nights on the Barbaresco side of Alba and a few near La Morra or even Cherasco. But my partner really dislikes driving at night (one reason is that he has very poor night vision!) and he is the designated driver. But for most people, one base would be fine. We are the exceptions due to the night driving issues. There actually WAS no issue, because we kept it to a minimum by taking location into account when choosing dinner locations. But I would have liked to be able to range further afield at night.

As I said the Langhe is small and I doubt if anyplace is more than an hour from any other.

I also commented about the wide choice of appealing-sounding lodgings. We did spend one more night in the Langhe after our La Favorita stay, but the price at that winery is no lower than that at La Favorita.

But we did visit Ca de Re, the agriturismo of the Castello di Verduno winery in the picturesque village of Verduno, and they have rooms for 70 euro double. I should tell you that Prince Charles reportedly stayed there, so they cannot be too shabby! And you would have the advantage of eating at the very well regarded restaurant of the agriturismo (we had dinner there)


http://www.castellodiverduno.com/eng...griturismo.asp



That is just one example of the reasonably priced options in the area. As we drove along through the hills, we passed dozens and upon dozens of signs announcing "rooms to rent" or "agriturismo." They were everywhere! Take a look at TripAdvisor but know that many of the places we passed were not listed on that site. I will do some searching and see if I can come up with a couple of additional suggestions in a lower price range. I will look at Sant Eufemia, too, and give you my opinion.

Did you happen to be in Pollenzo, between Bra and Alba? I've booked at La Corte Albertina there. We liked that it's a small village (smaller than Alba) and that it has a college associated with SlowFood, that the town is a preserved historical site, and that the hotel/B&B is itself a winery. Might you have seen the hotel and/or the town?

I booked through Booking.com which has a liberal cancellation policy so that I can change if I pick up bad vibes about it--which so far I haven't.

http://www.lacortealbertina.it (don't know why that
doesn't appear as a clickable link)

Thanks for any info you can provide. Loving your report. So useful. And so good.