I've kind of answered the third part of my question myself. I think the Albergo Castiglione is probably too far from most places we'll be wanting to dine and travel to while in the region. would require about 30 min drive to Alba and longer to many other places. So I'm still obsessing about Corte Albertina vs. Marcarini, but just those two not a third into the mix.

Hope you're enjoying yourself while you're away from your Fodorite fans.

Julie, have you considered Villa San Carlo in Cortemilla?

On second thought, there may be too much cooking class activity there.

Have you seen this?

http://www.starchefs.com/features/tr...ml/index.shtml

zeppole, thanks zo much for the site. I haven't seen it and it has great information. It'll go in the file for the trip.

zeppole's post (thanks!) led me on an Internet wandering that resulted in learning some about a place called Cascina Cornale in Magliano Alfieri. It is a agricultural and food products cooperative but there is a mention of a restaurant on site (see Power Truffling through Piedmont at the forbestraveler.com site). It sounds like my idea of foodie heaven, and if I'm reading the Italian website accurately (questionable at best!) the restaurant has seating for up to 50 and appears to have a kind of tasting lunch (?) for 25 euros pp, although I'm pretty sure that is an outdated price.

Anybody been there or know anything about this place?

On one of my planned day trip days from Alba this October, I'd like to drive to the Enoteca Regionale in Canale and then to Neive. My original lunch plan was La Contea in Neive, but Sampaguita indicated that La Contea may not be the best choice. Cascina Cornale might be a wonderful alternative.

ekscrunchy - welcome back and we hope to hear from you soon!

Drbb: I asked about Cascina Cornale in my planning threads, both here and on Chowhound. But I did not make it there so have no information for you.

Julie: Sorry I could not reply in more details a couple of days ago; back now (from London) and ready to respond: Marcarini is out in the country and there are no shops or services within walking distance. We visited both Navigle and Trezzo Tinella. Both of these are tiny hamlets with perhaps one bar and a couple of small shops. You could cover them in a few minutes on foot.

However, there are an astounding number of good restaurants within a 15 minute drive--in and outside Barbaresco, in Neive, in Treiso, and probably in many other places. The driving is simple, even at night, and even for timid drivers like us. You could reach Alba in about 15-20 minutes, and that would also be a very easy drive. There is also an agriturismo with restaurant a couple of minutes away; the Marcarini woman told us that this was good but we had no time to try.

The advantage of Marcarini is that the rooms are large and what I would venture to call "plush." When we were there, the only person on duty was a local woman (no English) who minded the office and prepared breakfast, but was not a resource for restaurants or sights in the area. (There is a lot of literature, and maps, on offer in the office.) But my guess is that this might be different in high season when more guests are on the premises. You probably do not need much guidance anyway, since you will probably make your own reservations for dinner and wine tastings.

I should mention, in case this is of any import, that there are small tvs in the rooms, but the satellite was not working on the night we were there due to storms in the area.

Let me know what else you would like to know and I will do my best to answer, and also to finish this report soon.

Thanks, I'll ask Roberta. I'm sure she has some info.

Thanks. DH has left it up to me to decide between Marcarini and Corte Albertina. I'm certainly leaning to Marcarini. Something about Pollenzo just looks a bit too "past" for me. And the wine connection with Marcarini is pretty enticing.

OMG-had to stop reading because we are going to NYC. ekscrunchy, what's your favorite place to eat there? You have super taste! Great report.

Julie: Remember that their winery is in La Morra. But I am sure they will set up a tour and tasting is you spend the night at the agriturismo.

TD: You have to give me a clue: Type of food; price range; location. It is a great time of year to be here in NYC!

Nope, no clues. What's your fave? An old standby?


OK, clues-fresh delicious food, bistro rather than haute.

Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this trip report. The area sounds just like what I have been looking for.

Eks, I did it, rebooked at Marcarini after cancelling in Pollenzo. I've counted 14 one starred restaurants within a 35 km radius of Marcarini, 6 within 20 min drive time. Very excited.

Was your appointment at the Marcarini winery for a full tour or just for tasting? We are fairly serious about wine but not to the point of purchasing a case at 100+ per bottle, so I don't want to get in over my head here, but we would enjoy a tasting if it doesn't involve a lot of "overhead." Thanks.

Julie: I think you will be very happy at Marcarini. Our appointment was set up for my partner, who is in the trade, and since we did not make it to the winery, I am not certain about what would be expected. But certainly no one would expect you to buy an entire case. I think a couple of bottles would be a nice gesture, but nothing is required, especially since you will be guests of the agriturismo.. I will see if I can get an opinion from someone who might know a bit more and report back.

The driving is very easy and you will be spoiled for choice. Maybe two lunches per day?

We went to NYC and had a great time.

ek, I'd still like to hear about your favorite restaurant as we will return.

TD: I am sorry that I am falling down on the job here, both with this dribs-and-drabs reports and with my lack of recommendations in New York. Lately I have been eating a lot of outer-borough Asian food, so was hitting a wall about bistros. Did you happen to write about where you ate on the US board and if so,I would like to read..

I am going to finish the Turin portion, but meanwhile if anyone has any questions about the city, I will be happy to respond. I have the name of an excellent English-speaking guide, too.

Thanks, ek! I already posted an into but will add to it soon.

Can't wait to hear what you ate in Turin. Fabulous food there and Bologna.

Meant to say 'intro' not 'into'

Although I had been anxious about the weekday morning drive from Marcarini, near Alba, to Turin, I needn’t have feared. The ViaMichelin directions were perfect, and we had absolutely no trouble navigating the route, which took us directly to the front door of our hotel in under 90 minutes.

After much research, I had narrowed the hotels down to a choice of two, the Victoria and the Sitea, and finally settled on the Grand Hotel Sitea because they offered a tempting weekend package including a double room (153 euro per night; late checkout guaranteed) and Chocopasses for two. Parking in the tiny hotel garage cost an additional 18 euro per night.

The GH Sitea is ideally located a few blocks from Piazza Castello. All sights within the historic center are within walking distance. Our room was quite plush, with a comfortable bed and large marble bathroom. The front desk people, fluent in English, were very helpful.


http://www.thi-hotels.com/hotels/gra...tel-turin.html



Our room was not quite ready when we arrived, so after checking in, we set off, armed with our Chocopasses, to do some damage.

For those unfamiliar with this uniquely Torninese concept, the Chocopass is a booklet containing coupons for 22 chocolatey tidbits ranging from pralines and Bicerin to chocolate cakes, cookies, and the famous Gianduiotti. Using the coupons is a bit tricky, however, because the participating outposts are grouped in 3s, and you can choose only one from each group and they are somewhat scattered around the city. At some places pass-bearers receive a crème-hatted hot chocolate at the bar, at others you can take a seat at a table for a slice of chocolate cake, while at a few places you are handed a little bag of chocolates to take away. My advice is to sit down with a good map of the city before setting out on your chocolate spree.
(The pass booklet does include a small map, but several outlets are located beyond its confines).

http://www.turismotorino.org/index.php?id=688

I loved the Chocopass! We plotted our touring around the locations.