john183

It's time for our "Italy fix" so I am starting to plan our next trip and would like to get some advice. We have been to Tuscany twice (a week in the Chianti area near Panzano and a week in southern Tuscany). Contrary to most of the posts I read on this forum, we liked the Chianti area best. We really liked the view from our terrace over the Chianti hillside covered with olive trees and vineyards as opposed to the wide open fields of southern Tuscany. This may be a hard thing to answer but I am wondering if the Barolo/Barberesco area of Piedmont is like the Chianti area or the southern Tuscany area? This forum has really helped in planning all our other European vacations so I hope you can help me out with this.

Budman

John, My sentiments exactly. We spent 10 days in Tuscany a couple of years ago, and this year (May) we're going to spend a week in Piedmont. From what I've been reading, fewer tourist, great food, and great wine.

It's the rolling hills and the Barolo/Barberesco that's really driving me to visit Piedmont. I'll give you a full report when I return.

jgg

This past June we stayed in Piedmont for 5 nights then Chianti for 5 nights with a trip to Southern Tuscany. We found Piedmonte wonderful and as Budman said, MUCH less touristy with wonderful food and wonderful people. I must admit that I do think Tuscany is more beautiful than Piedmont, however we would return to Piedmont over Tuscany in a minute. If I had to chose I guess I would say it is probably more like the Chianti region just because Southern Tuscany has the more unique landscape - which I think is stunning!

We stayed in Acqui Terme at Baur B&B (www.baurbb.com) which I can not say enough good things about the owners, Diana & Mischa and our wonderful stay there.

If you do go to Piedmont do not forget to spend a day exploring Torino. We loved it and found it highly underrated - as is Piedmont in general.

bellacqui

jgg, You are always very kind to us. I think it is a real gift, and I thank you.

John,

I would say not just the Barolo/Barbaresco area, but most of South Central Piemonte would be inspiring for you in terms of the landscape. Througout the Langhe and Monferrato it is like "variations on a theme"...meaning that there are some areas which are strictly mono-agriculture (vineyards everywhere) while other areas are a combination of vineyard, hazelnut, cherry, and woodland. We don't have alot of olive groves in Piemonte, what few there are are near us--the very southern part of the region bordering on Liguria. The temperature changes over the Appennini is such that the winters can hurt the olive groves.

The landscape is more jagged than Tuscany, with higher elevations and drops. The area is also surrounded by the Alps, and in clear weather, the views are incredible. The hills flatten out toward the north, at the start of the Padano Plains, and the cultivated rice fields north of Asti and Alessandria.

You will find that the area here is less "fixed up" for tourists, that there is much less English or German or Japanese to be heard anywhere, and that the people are quite friendly and open minded to travelers.

In addition to Barolo and Barbaresco, you can look at La Morra, Verduno, Saluzzo, Dogliani, the Bormida Valley, Acqui Terme and the entire Asti area.

One of the nicest surprises in terms of the quality of the wines is Barbera-- it is not hugely popular in the states and does not share the same platform as the DOCG Nebbiolo wines Barolo and Barbaresco, but I call the area between Asti, Acqui Terme and Canelli the "Golden Triangle" for some of the most incredible Barbera imaginable. The Superiore is normally barrique and has over 13% alcohol content and you can literally go from vinter to vintner trying dozens of different bottles.

In addition, the cheese area of Roccaverano, which is DOP, produces some of the finest goat, cheese and cow milk combinations you could imagine. The name of the most popular is Robiola.

Hope this helps.

john183

Just what I was hoping to hear about the area!!! I think the area should be very beautiful and hopefully a little "undiscovered". Can't wait to hear your report, Budman. Like you, the Barolo/Barberesco/tons of other wines are sparking my interest of the area. I have read your trip report, jgg, and it sounds like you had a great time. Baur B & B looks great - we will put it on our list of possible places to stay. Thanks for the info - I think the Piedmont area will be a great place to continue our love affair with Italy.

Piedmont_Phil

John, I too can confirm that the landscape will be to your liking based upon your preference for Chianti. It is also true that Piedmont is a land of many guises and it is possible to see many different landscapes (hill, valley, plunging mountains, patchwork fields of vines, orchards and maize) all in the same day.
There is a good website from my part of Piedmont that promotes the "strada del vino", wine driving routes that are now well signposted to help you take in the best of wine coutry, natural and historic landmarks. Check out http://www.astesana-stradadelvino.it/english/home.asp

Budman - May is a great time to visit, and you will certainly find more of the true Italy than some other parts. If you get a chance try and visit our friend Angelo Sassi at his small cantina and vineyard above Barberesco to taste his wonderful wine. Call first, he speaks English - SAN CRISTOFORO di Angelo Sassi Via Pastura, 10 - Neive Tel. 0173 677122

grimmy

The first time we visited the Piedmont region was as a stopover as we were headed for Lake Como and we spent only one night.
We have since been back twice as we fell in love with not only the landscape and the food and wine but we found the people in this area to be the friendliest in our travels. I think it's because they aren't overrun with tourism.
We stayed at http://www.erbaluna.it/testi/A_erbaluna.htm near La Morra. Fabulous views of the valley from our balcony. One of the owners does speak English and gave us a wonderful tour of their family winery.
They also made reservations for us at their favorite restaurants and they were fabulous. Sorry I don't have the names handy at the moment.

In any case I think this is an area you'll enjoy.

john183

Thanks for the info Piedmont Phil and grimmy. The Piedmont area seems like it will be a great place to spend some time experiencing the people, the food and of course the wine!!! One of the disadvantages of staying in an "undiscovered" area for me is trying to comparison shop for places to stay. I really like the process of searching for and comparing different properties but I am having a hard time finding web sites of rental agencies listing many options in Piedmont. When we stayed in Tuscany there were many rental agencies to choose from but I guess this is the price I pay for wanting to stay in a place not overrun with tourism yet.

Piedmont_Phil

I agree big agent sites are not common here. You could check out www.tripadvisor.com or http://www.knowital.com/piedmont/accommodation.php

bellacqui

Yes, the area actually has a number of very good choices for accomadations but they are not as obvious or famous as the well marketed Tuscany. There are truly all classes of accomadation here, from the most simple to the five star.

The advantage is, of course, that the Agriturismi, B&B's, and alberghi here really do make the effort to introduce their guests to the secrets of the area. Tourism here is simply not taken for granted. The curious traveler will find a great deal of hospitality in Piedmont. You will be most pleased, regardless of your choice, I am sure.

ekscrunchy

saving

SusanP

Interesting. Is a car absolutely necessary to visit this area?

Piedmont_Phil

"Absolutely" - no. Advisable - yes. You can get between major towns (and many smaller ones) by train or bus, but this is a land of rolling hills, hilltop castles and winding roads that cries out to be explored.

bellacqui

I am in complete agreement with Phil. While you can make public transportation work, the beauty of the area is in its rolling hills and tiny, pristine, tourist-free villages. So a car is of great advantage.

SusanP

Thanks, that's what I suspected.

john183

I stumbled across my old post while wasting time trying to avoid yardwork this morning and thought I would give a quick update. Even though I started this post in 2007 we didn't actually make it to Piedmont until May of 2012 as part of a two week trip to Northern Italy - but oh did we love it!

As is very accurately described above, Piedmont has many different landscapes. We spent a few days wandering around the Monferatto and Langhe regions and really enjoyed it. We also really liked the incredibly friendly people and the genuine charm of many of the little villages we visited. We had a lot of good food, good wine and many good memories were made.

Overall we felt a lot of Piedmont is like the Chianti area of Tuscany but the hills around La Morra/Barolo/Sinio are steeper than any we found in Tuscany. It's hard to rate one area over the other because both are wonderful. For us, (like jgg above) Tuscany holds a slight edge for beauty but as grimmy said - we found the people in the Piedmont area to be the friendliest in our travels.

SloJan2

What a nice thread. I adore the Piedmont and prefer it over Tuscany for many of the reasons listed. It is also the birthplace of the slow food movement and if you can go in truffle season, all the better.