i'm planning a trip to italy in september with hubby and 16 month old baby. we're definitely spending 4 days in florence b/c hubby and i love it there and love eating there and want to experience it with our baby. we have 4 more full days and i have been thinking of where to spend them. i just realized that i would love it if we could spend them in the piedmont region! - drinking some barolo (we've stayed in montalcino and fell in love with brunello. ever since that trip i've always wanted to visit where barolo is made as brunello and barolo are known as a couple of the top italian wines.)
questions -
1. do you think visiting piedmont is feasible with a 16 month baby?
2. best travel route and logistics to or from florence?
3. will we need a rental car?
3. alba or asti?
4. what's the cuisine like? i know this is a broad question, but we're vegetarian and will mostly be eating pastas, pizzas, cheeses, breads so if it's a heavily meat centric or seafood centric cuisine i'd want to know.

Thanks so much!

#1. IMO, the question is not whether any particular place would be "feasible" but, rather, "enjoyable" with a 16 m.o. child. Obviously, Italians live with small children throughout the country and make whatever adjustments are required.

#2. This can't be answered in detail until you decide where you're going.

#3. IMO, traveling outside a city, especially with a small child, would be easier with a car because it gives you flexibility. If you arrive somewhere by train or bus and your child is sleeping, you have to wake him/her up and get off the transport. If you arrive in a car, you can wait until your child wakes up before you start exploring. Having a car also allows you to come and go without regard to transport schedules or whatever your plans were for the day. You'll need to bring a car seat or reserve one with the car rental.

Alba or Asti? Asti is much bigger which can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. The Asti Palio is the 3rd Sunday of September. I like Alba, but I haven't spent much time in Asti.

#4. I think Piemonte must have the most cheeses of any region, and I don't think you'd have any trouble eating vegetarian in Piemonte.

if we choose to stay in alba, should we plan to fly into milan and pick up a rental car when we land and drive from milan to alba?
then what's the best way to get from alba to florence? and how long does it take? we could then plan to fly home from florence.

Alba is closer to Milan than Florence. Whether you feel confident going through the rental process and driving for at least 2 hours after a long flight is really your call. We fly from LAX which often means a connection and choose not to drive more than a short distance after landing.

After Alba, I would drive to Florence, return the car at the airport, and take a taxi into the city.

FYI, it is possible to train from Malpensa to Alba and Alba to Florence city center, and there are car rental agencies in Alba. However, the journey in both directions involves multiple train changes and several hours overall. At least in a car you only load/unload the luggage once.

Italy is one of the most child friendly countries to travel in. The Italians love babies. My husband and I travelled through Piedmont a few years ago. We had planned to stay in Alba but there was confusion with our accommodation and they cancelled our reservation. We then booked at an Agritourismo near La Morra. When we arrived they had mistakenly given our room to a couple with a baby. A pattern was developing. They gave us a very nice Barolo and explained that they had a friend who had just opened an Agritourismo up the hill. They gave us a wonderful bottle of wine for the inconvenience and their friend came to show us the way to her house. Her husband is a bricklayer by trade and they had just restored an old farmhouse. It was beautiful. Had a nice grassy area in back that looked over the vineyards. Breakfast was included. It turned out to be a blessing. We drove into Alba for the day and were so glad we hadnt made that our base. It was about an 1 hour drive along congested two lane road. The drive would have got old fast. La Morra was a cute little hill town next to Barolo. Each night our host would recommend a restaurant in a neighboring hill town. Usually 15-20 min drive and the food in the piedmont was 1/3 the price of Tuscany and better. The name of the Agritourismo was Risveglio in Langa. Address Borgata Ciotto,52. Fraz. Annunciation-12064. La Morra.
I would highly recommend it. Our room had a little kitchenette with a fridge
. You don't want a car in Florence because you have to park outside the city and it is expensive. But I would drive to piedmont because taking the trains with a young child and the extra paraphernalia you need would not be fun. The car gives you flexibility for nap times or melt downs.

thanks jean and barb!
i dont think i can do a 12-13 hour flight with a layover and then expect my baby to happy about multiple train switches or a long car drive. maybe its better if we fly into florence first, get an apartment there and give ourselves a chance to settle down and relax for a few days.
then rent a car in florence and drive to piedmont where we can again settle in for a few days.
jean - thank you so much for sharing your experience about alba. i will look into the place you recommended in La Morra.
if we end our trip in piedmont, whats the closest airport to fly out of and what's the best way to reach the airport - with or without a car?

We enjoyed Alba, big enough to offer hotel and dining choices but not terribly urban. Beautiful wine villages nearby.
Much less crowded than Tuscany.

Dear Miss, I live in northern Italy (I hope my English is understandable ), and I know very well the country you want to visit.
“Le Laghe” are beautiful in autumn and Alba is certainly the hot spot to visit the region, but even better stay in a b&b (agriturismi) in one of Langhe’s village. A car is essential, especially with a baby and my advice is to rent them in Florence. The journey Florence-Alba takes about three and a half / 4 hours, it is absurd go to Milan by plane, it takes much more time and money! You can re-enter in U.S.A. from Torino or Genova or Milano (Milan is a hub, there are more direct flights) and return the car at the airport.

Highly recommend taking the route Florence-Alba through Liguria and break up the trip staying a night or two in this region. Along the way you'll find places like Portovenere, 5 terre, Portofino, Genova and Sestri Levante. They are famous all over the world and I suggest to visit at least one of these during the journey to reach "the Langhe".

"The Langhe" region is quite small and you can see it in one-three days. If you like Barolo I suggest you to visit the winery "Fontanafredda" located in Serralunga d'Alba, they offered guided tours in English (maybe you need to book). With regard to food, the "Piemonte" is famous for its meat but you will find typical cheeses and delicious dishes of vegetables, don't worry!

ecovanavoce - omg! i just recently ordered and drank a few bottles of Barbera D'Alba from Fontanafredda! i loved it! so it would be so special to experience a visit to the winery as you suggested. thank you

do you have any specific agriturismi or villages that you recommended in Le Langhe region?

in order to travel at a good pace for our baby, do you think the following is ok:

1. fly from US to Florence
2. spend 4 days in an apt in florence
3. rent a car in florence, drive through liguria and spend 1-2 nights
4. continue driving to Le Langhe region and spend 2-3 nights
5. drop off car in Torino or Genova or Milano and fly back to US

IMO it's a good pace.
If your flight back is from Torino or Genova you could spend there the last night and have a walk in the historical centre. Both are beautiful city. Milano too, but the city centre is far from airport.
Two night in the Langhe region are enough. I don't have specific b&b to recommende you, check "tripadvisor" reviews, it's a good web site to start with!

thank you! i'm getting excited to start planning. I'll come back with more questions i'm sure once I start digging deeper but this is a good start.