Lexma90

I've never stayed at La Favorita, but I do remember the road that it's on, which goes uphill from Alba toward Neive (we had lunch at a wonderful restaurant in Treiso, which is on the way to Neive). It's the usual windy, narrow Italian road up the hillside. I don't know exactly how far La Favorite is from the middle of Alba (mappy.com's pedestrian feature might help you there), but I would hesitate to walk along that road. There may be, of course, a separate, more direct path into town.

ekscrunchy

Those reviews are great..many thanks for posting them. The first review mentions a 5-minute walk to town and another review mentions as easy drive to free parking..

many thanks..I will try to settle on some dates now..

Did you all see this:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/19...tml?ref=travel

Sampaguita

ekscrunchy,

I have seen many of your posts over the years and would be delighted to have you stay with us but if you want to be in walking distance of a town, then thats not us. and if you want a B&B just outside Alba then VF is probably your best choice, I don't know the exact location, but it looks like an easy downhill walk into town on the map and you could catch a taxi back at night if you have overindulged!

My I ask what makes you choose Alba for your central location?

ekscrunchy

Tim: Just from your posts here, I can see that the reviews lauding you and Rina are true! I am looking at Alba or around because of the accessibility not only of places to eat at night but also because it appears to be closer to the other towns of interest in the Langhe. I am envisioning drives to places like La Morra, Bra, (one day for Serravalle outlets?) etc. and it looks like this is a good location. Please give me your thoughts!

If I fly into Malpensa, I might even stay overnight someplace closer to there than Alba...I looked at Lake Orta. Then we could continue on to Alba or around and finish up with 2 days in Turin. IF I can find good flights home from Turin. The flights are one of the defining issues as far as the exact itinerary goes.

It would be a lot simpler to just fly in and out of Malpensa, but I am concerned that the drive is too long from there to Piemonte after flying all night..

Sampaguita

Ekscrunchy,

Alba is a pretty town, but I rather prefer Asti, and not just because I live close to the latter. Alba’s medieval centre is quite compact, and easily walk-able, but Asti was a much larger and important medieval republic city and has a bigger historical centre (and more sprawling). I also tend to find Alba somewhat touristier and also pricier then Asti, plus I think Asti has a bigger selection of restaurants and shops then Alba.

As for location although Alba is closer to the famous (Langhe) Barolo and Barbaresco wine areas, the recent expansions and new roads have created somewhat of a mess in traffic getting in and out of this town, and its not much longer to get to say Barolo from Asti, then it would be from Alba: 20 minutes from Asti to Alba down the new SS231, which bypasses the traffic mess and goes directly to Barolo or Bra – another 15 minutes (although I prefer going the back road via Canale and the Roero wine area, its more scenic and only a few minutes more). Barbaresco is halfway between the two cities and easily accessible from both (if you stay at V Favorita you can take the back road via Treiso). But for me what clinches Asti’s central location is that it’s much closer to Turin (30 minutes to Eataly via autostrada, a bit longer by train), and its central to the whole Monferrato as well as close to Langhe. You should at least take in a trip to Nizza Monferrato, Acqui Terme and the Southern Monferrato while you are here, and the Northern Monferrato is so often overlooked, but a land of scenic rolling hills studded with hilltop towns and castles, mixed vineyards, orchards, pasture and grain fields, very tranquil after the hills completely covered by vineyards in the more famous areas. But just as good wine and food and some of Piedmont’s most beautiful Romanesque churches.

Serravale outlet is on the main A7 autostrada between Milan and Genoa, it is a bit out of the way, unless you plan to visit the nearby Gavi area or en-route to Genoa, about 50 minutes from Asti, 75 from Alba.

Its not too bad to get from Malpensa to Asti or Alba, (one hour 40 minutes to Asti on the autostrada) our guests do it all the time, but a chilling out day at Stresa or Orta San Giulio can also be very nice in or out bound, allow about one hour to either.

Anyway, I am not trying to change your mind about location, but just wanted to present the case for Asti, which sometimes get lumped in with Asti Spumante in people’s minds! (However funnily enough the fizzy stuff is actually not made in Asti city at all). Asti is perhaps not as famous because of the association in people’s minds for Alba with Barolo and white truffles, however Asti is the most important centre in the region and white truffles tend to be scarcer in Langhe nowadays as they knocked down all the woods to plant vineyards. Our trifulau swears that Asti area has better truffles (and cheaper). And the many wines of the Monferrato, most famously Barbera must be given serious attention (and are a great deal compared with overpriced Barolos).

Enough PR for now, (after all I am an Astigiano) I am sure you will enjoy your stay, only 4 days, 2 in wine country and 2 in Torino, just not long enough!!

bobthenavigator

Sometimes pictures tell the story--see if this helps. But, our week at Sampaguita was during the Palio d' Asti festival. If you can wait until Sep then do not miss this fabulous event.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4172

ekscrunchy

Tim: You are very persuasive!! But the real issue for us will be the ability to walk to dinner. I will do some more reading and may come back to badger you with more questions! I do know that the ubiquitous sparkler is not actually made in Asti but in Canelli. (See, I am doing my homework!)

Last year, I went to a tasting of brachetto d'Acqui and liked it very much! And now I can figure out where THAT wine comes from..

Bob: We cannot go in September. And I would prefer to be there in the off-season anyway..

zeppole

ekscrunchy,

I'm not sure I'd want to go to one of the lakes in April (certainly not Stresa). If you are going to chill out (figuratively, not literally I hope) after landing in Malpensa, bear in mind that there are some marvelous eating destinations in Lombardia very close to Malpensa (like Novara, which produces Gorgonzola), as well as some terrific sightseeing destinations (like Pavia) that might be better in early Spring.

Also, bear in mind that there is a direct bus from Malpensa to Torino -- 90 minutes.

Here is a link you might find useful in planning the Torino portion of your trip:

http://www.extratorino.it/ENG/index.php

I had a lovely meal at Trattoria delle Poste, but I would not want to be walking on the steep and winding roads near it any time of day, as I recall, especially not for 3km. Also, for reasons of my own, I was paging through Piemonte section of Gambero Rosso the other night, and I was struck by the multiplicity of restaurants it recommends in the town of Bra, birthplace of the Slow Food movement. I have never heard anybody say Bra is a gorgeous place -- maybe it is! I just don't know -- but I might consider a trip where I bed down in Bra, but use public transportation to eat lunch in a different town outside Bra every day, but come "home" to Bra to eat dinner there. Just a thought.

Do you know this website?

http://www.piemontefeel.org/en/come-spostarsi/index.php

zeppole

PS: I think day tripping into Torino would be an exercise in frustration. And I would rather shop on the delightfully quirky, porticoed via Po than any large fabricated outlet like Serravalle. I suspect with all of Torino's unusual museums and eateries and shopping, you could cobble together an interesting Monday in Torino, or take a quick train or bus elsewhere for the day, and return in plenty of time to barhop and sample the city's legendary stuzzichini.

zeppole

And you might find this useful:

http://www.otranto.biz/news/2006/feb...-in-turin.html

ekscrunchy

Zeppole those are great websites. I am saving to look at in more details later.

I really am not a huge fan of daytrips and think I would rather spend a few days in Torino than just go for the day. There are several reasons for this, one of which is that I like to have a hotel to return to before dinner.

Funny that you mentioned Bra. Although it does not get rave reviews here, I also was paging through the SlowFood guide and noticed the many eating places in the town. I wonder if anyone can chime in here with an opinion...

It looks like travelers to Piemonte are spoiled for choice. Obsessive types like me are set on finding the "best" place to stay but in this case it appears that there are so many options, and so many great places to stay.

So maybe we should meet there for dinner!!

zeppole

I'm certainly up for a trip back to Piemonte!

I'm always ready to pick up and go back to Torino because the Palazzo Madama was closed for renovations when I was there, and I want to see its collection, and I've always regretted I didn't go to the Auto Museum and the contemporary art museum. And there is more than that I'd like to see.

As for the countryside, there is a town called Dogliani near Cuneo with a bakery famed for its hazlenut creations, and I'm inclined to make a pilgrimage. When I tasted a hazlenut in Piemonte, I felt as though I'd never really tasted one before. In general, my zone of interest is around Cuneo, but its not the normal choice.

I, too, would be interested in hearing more about whether Bra has any more charms than just its name.

Here are some pictures.

http://images.google.it/images?q=bra...a=N&tab=wi

zeppole

And you might find this amusing, ekscrunchy:

http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/200...rino-piemonte/

Talk about obsessed (or overcaffinated), but I do agree with what he says about bicerin.

zeppole

One more, and I'll quit -- but this one is seriously useful:

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/08/kummer.htm

ekscrunchy

GREAT articles! Thanks, Zeppole!

ekscrunchy

Thought I would add this truffle-centric link from a few years back that covers upscale restaurants in Piemonte:


http://www.gastroville.com/archives/italy/000002.html

montysc

We had a wonderful time at Villa La Favorita - Roberta was more than helpful and we would return in an instant. The location is very close to Alba and we had a great time visiting it (very quick 5 minute drive). I don't think I would walk it though, since it is such an easy drive.

As far as other towns if you can find something right in one of the smaller towns like Barolo, La Morra or Monforte d'Alba I would look at those as each town is wonderful. Alba is fairly large which has its pros and cons due to it being a bigger town/city.

We went in early May 2007 and the weather was awesome. The red poppies were blooming everywhere and the vines were just starting to leaf. One of the best parts was the clear view of the Alps with the snow on them and the vineyards and towns like Barbaresco in the foreground.

We are planning a return to the area and think about it all the time.

ekscrunchy

Monty: Many, many thanks for your input. I am having a difficult time making up my mind!

One of the reasons I was leaning toward Alba was that it seems bit bit larger than, for example, Cherasco and La Morra, two other towns I was looking at. So I could, for example, wander around on my own after lunch without having to drive everywhere..

I don't mean to be so persistent, but would you be able to list a few of the pros and cons of staying at La Favorita and in/outside Alba?

We will certainly be renting a car, but from past experience I would like to spare my partner too much driving in and out of tiny, one-way streets, especially at night..

This (more expensive) place has an on-site restaurant and got some good reviews:


http://www.cardinalmazzarino.com/


This one also has a restaurant:

http://www.barac.it/uk/home.htm

montysc

Alba itself is medium sized city or town (aprox 30,000 people) - not a village like Barolo, Barbaresco, La Morra etc...

The pros of this means more shopping, more choices for food, theater, people, supermarkets, gas etc...

Cons - Larger means parking and driving around are a bit more difficult. Alba has a restricted center district with a ring of roads around it - it can be confusing at times depending on which road you come into town on, but once you figure out which roundabout to turn off of it is pretty easy. It also doesn't have the small town feel which could be a con. It is similar to a town like Lucca or Siena in my opinion - not like a small hill town or beach town.

Villa La Favorita is just on the edge of town, so it is quiet. The road to the B&B is on the way to Barbaresco and has great veiws and a nice private feel to it - plus you are close to many wineries. The best thing for us was Roberta - she went out of her way to make dinner reservations, winery reservations, told us about festivals, when where and what was going on plus more. She also offered cooking classes which some of the guests were doing while we were there. One other plus, the breakfast food was amazing - some of the best we have had in Italy.

We would do 2 trips per day to different regions and it was very easy to get around. Many places are just minutes away - both restaurants and wineries.

My only change I am thinking of when we go back will be if we are planning 7+ days in Piemonte and wanted more of a house to rent (with other family members) - then we would choose differently and would skip staying with her or we might just stay for a night if we have an extra day (due to the Sat-Sat rentals that seem the norm for most houses).

ekscrunchy

Monty that is excellent information. Many thanks for taking the time to write. I think I am a bit overly worried about the car situation. I try not to drive in Italy and I cannot help remembering the time when we were attempting to find our hotel in Montepulciano (after an overnight flight and drive from Florence airport) and my partner, the driver, got so fed up with the narrow one-way streets and my lack of skillful navigating that he stopped the car and refused to drive one more inch. I need to banish those memories and have more confidence, I guess! Anyway, thanks again!