Dayle

I'll just add that I think driving in the countryside is a joy. I find it very easy for the most part. Like anywhere you drive that you are new to, you might get a little temporarily lost, but so what? You will find your way and maybe have a fun surprise on the detour.

Trophywife007

Bookmarking -- Love what I've read so far. Thank you!

davetroy

Friday 26
Piedmont, Day 2

When Carol and I read john183’s trip report that inspired our trip, we knew we had to go on a truffle hunt. Unfortunately, it looked like it wasn’t going to happen. A few weeks earlier, Tim had called the truffle hunter, who told him was going to be in Milan for the Expo while we were in Piedmont. But, a few days before we arrived in Piedmont, Tim emailed us to let us know that the truffle hunter’s brother, also a truffle hunter, would take Carol and I on a hunt.

We were both very excited, so after Rina’s delicious breakfast (pastry, scrambled eggs, fruit) at Villa Sampaguita, we drove over more beautiful country roads to La Casa del Trifulau in Costigliole d’Asti. We were greeted by Natale, a gracious, friendly gentleman who acted as if his best friends had just shown up, and Natale’s rambunctious dachshund.

Natale escorted us to a picnic table overlooking the vineyards, told us about the family business and gave us a lesson in truffles and truffle hunting (this was black truffle season; white truffles, which are much rarer and more expensive, have their season in the fall). Then he introduced us to the hunting dogs: three Italian hounds, mother and children.

For our hunt, Natale chose Brio, a big, friendly, mostly white hound who greeted us appropriately and got his paws up on Natale’s shoulders and licked his face affectionately (Natale explained that the relationship between the hunter and his dogs is very important). And off we went, into the woods with our walking sticks in search of black truffles.

Truffles grow underground (something we didn’t know until john183’s report), which is why a dog with a strong sense of smell is needed to find them (we were hoping the dogs would be beagles, but Brio won us over nonetheless). Apparently, some truffle hunters take guests on rigged hunts; they pre-plant truffles in a place where they’ll be found. Tim told us La Casa del Trifulau doesn’t do that, but, honestly, we wouldn’t have known the difference.

After a few false finds (red truffles) and about 15 minutes, Brio sniffed out the first black truffle then, 10 minutes later, one more. It was interesting to see Natale and Brio working together: Natale shouting commands, Brio responding, Brio going crazy when he’d find a truffle, Natale digging, Brio digging some more, Natale unearthing the truffle, Natale rewarding him (but not with a truffle!).

With our bounty of two truffles, we headed back to the picnic table outside the house, where Natale poured some of the local Barbera and served us sliced salami and delicious cheese topped with shaved truffles (not the ones we found; ones he’d already cleaned). So, with a gorgeous view of the vineyards and Natale telling stories, we sipped local wine, ate and enjoyed this beautiful day in a picturesque setting.

I just can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed the truffle hunt. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we hope to repeat some day.

We said goodbye to Natale and the dogs, he signed a copy of his book, “The Mystery and Allure of Truffles,” and we set off for lunch in the pretty, hilltop town of Barberesco. Lunch was at Ristorante Antica Torre, and since Carol and I had just snacked on cheese, truffles and salami, we decided to share a bowl of risotto with shaved truffles. Yes, more truffles! The risotto was perfectly cooked, the sauce not too rich. Black truffles taste good but smell better. Natale said white truffles smell even more intense (but don’t taste as good). We also drank a few glasses of Barberesco (we were moving up in quality of wine: the pecking order, from top to bottom, in Piedmonte is Barbera, Barberesco, Barolo).

We walked around town (and into what we thought was a church; it was actually the regional enoteca), then took the short drive through more vineyards (everywhere!) to Dei Marchesi di Gresy, where we had an appointment for a winery tour and tasting.

This area is really something else. Just when you think it can’t get more beautiful, it does. Dei Marchesi di Gresy is set in a bowl surrounded by vineyards on all sides. It’s like an amphitheater of vineyards, rolling up and down the hillsides.

Jeff, a jack of all trades at the winery, and, apparently, masterof many, gave us a tour that ended in a pretty room lined with bottles of wine. The wine tasting room! We took our time tasting seven different wines. Jeff couldn’t have been nicer. He told us stories about his life in wine and the winery and told us about the local wines, and we sat and relaxed and drank wine for a few hours.

We bought a few bottles (wine is our favorite souvenir) and asked Jeff, “Where can we see some castles?” He suggested we go for a drive, and we did, up to Barolo and La Morra, taking in the scenery, stopping here and there to just stare.

It was getting late. Jeff had recommended a place in Asti for dinner, so we decided to go see the city and have dinner. But the place he recommended didn’t open until eight, and since nothing else was open before 7:30, we walked around town. Asti is old but not particularly pretty, although it has some interesting squares.

We ended up at Ristorante L’Angelo Del Beato, a pretty little restaurant with tableclothes (something we hadn’t seen much of). We sat by ourselves (everyone else was sitting outside in the square, but we were hot) and enjoyed a very good antipasto made of peppers (the waiter, who spoke fluent English, told us it was a local specialty, a typical dish), followed by meat ravioli with sausage ragu and very tender beef cheeks, washed down with a good local Barbera. The ravioli was so delicate. The sauce was meaty with just enough oil. We were loving the food in Piedmont.

Well, we were loving everything about Piedmont.

We drove back to Villa Sampaguita, almost got lost on the way (I made the mistake of turning off the GPS, thinking I knew where I was going; V.S. is a bit off the beaten path) and enjoyed another glass of wine before turning in. A memorable day.

TDudette

Lovely, thanks!

Dayle

Well Dave, your trip is making me eager to visit Piedmont, one of the areas of Italy I have not yet visited even though I've had 4 trips. So glad you finally made it to bella Italia! Now you know why everyone loves Italy. I have to assume you are already planning a return!

Loving your details!

davetroy

Dayle: Thanks for the kind words! I'm sure I'm getting too detailed for some people. Yes, we'd love to go back, but there are so many places in the world to see. That's one of the reasons we were sad to leave Piedmont. We realized we probably would never be back.

As I've mentioned, Carol and I love quiet and don't like crowds (who does? My mother!), so Piedmont was perfect for us.

john183

WOW again! What a fun trip! I'm really enjoying your report. I know you said not to be jealous - to just go back to Italy - but I can't help it - I'm still jealous. I didn't think anyone could have more fun than we did but after reading all the fun things you did - it sounds like you had a great time too.

Like you, we really liked our truffle hunting adventure. Natale and his brother Giorgio are quite the characters (and so are Tim and Rina at Villa Sampaguita). The people, the scenery, the wine, the food all make it very easy to love the Piedmont.

And for the record, you are not getting too detailed - I'm loving your report. Any pictures coming???

Adelaidean

Really enjoying your travels

davetroy

Thanks, john183.We never would have found the truffle hunt if not for you. We didn't meet Giorgio. He broke his leg. I think that's why he and Natale didn't go to the expo.

Tim and Rina were great hosts. Tim planned out our days each morning. The man is a treasure trove of detailed mapS.

Yes, pictures are coming.

rialtogrl

I am loving this report too. Thank you for taking the time to write it! As someone inspired you to go on this journey, you are inspiring others.

"foie gras popsicle." Wow times infinity.

davetroy

Oops. I made a mistake. The cheapest reds in Piedmont are Barberas. Then Barberescos are a level up. Barolos are the king of reds. You can definitely taste the difference but even the cheapest Barberas are very drinkable, at least in our experience.

davetroy

Rialtogrl: Thanks. I hope I don't inspire too many people to go to Piedmont! It's best just as it is. There are still places in the Caribbean that I won't review because I don't want anyone to do there!

Foie gras popsicle....there aren't words to describe how good it is. Massimo told us that he created it because he wanted all kinds of people to be able to appreciate this snooty food. When they brought us a glass of sauterne, Carol and I looked at each other and said, "is foie gras next?" sure enough.

Dayle

I have to laugh at the fois gras Popsicle. I could never eat fois gras in any form.

But you have to return to Italy. There are the Brunellos of Montalcino, the chianti, the Nero d'Avolo of Sicily, and so many others, and lots of excellent food.

sandralist

I can't help but think a lot of "rankings" of Italian food and wine really are personal palate issues rather than objective measures. Obviously truffles and huge tannic reds get a lot of attention, and restaurants and foodies focus on big impact foods, and getting foie gras and sauterne in Italy (maybe especially as a popsicle) is a novelty (while in some parts of France would be run of the mill). But for many other people what impresses most about Italian regional eating is how startlingly flavorful the low-impact dishes are, since so much great Italian cooking (outside of high-end restaurants) religiously goes with what's in-season & local.

If you favor rich meat dishes, truffles and big reds, you might want to make your next trip to Italy have a focus on Umbria/Le Marche. There are many parts of both regions that are almost-tourist free (far less than the Langhe of Piemonte). and the scenery (especially in Le Marche) is stunning.

Dukey1

Given your comment above about not reviewing places where YOU don't want people to know about, please forget everything I actually took the time to tell you about Munich.

davetroy

Dukey1: It's too late! The cat's out of the bag! Besides, Munich is already on my list for opera. And, in the interest of full disclosure, Josh Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands and Eleuthera in the Bahamas should be on the travel list for anyone who loves seclusion and gorgeous beaches.

sandralist: We didn't have a lot of beef in Italy. Meat was almost always pork.

davetroy

Saturday June 27
Piedmont Day 3

Our final day in Italy, and we planned to take it easy. The highlight of Rina’s breakfast at Villa Sampaguita was her delicious, moist banana bread. Tim mapped out a loose plan for the day, and after hanging out for a while, we headed to Asti for market day.

For some reason, Asti seemed a lot prettier today. Parking was easy (it was easy the other day, too; there’s a huge lot, but it was closed because of the market). We walked down a street with high-end stores and ended up in the market square. Well, I guess we just don’t appreciate market days. This one, like the Rialto market in Venice, was a giant flea market, too.

We quickly got out of there and took the slow, scenic, back roads drive back to La Morra for lunch at Osteria Veglio. The restaurant is perched on a hillside near the top of the town, and the pretty balcony provides panoramic views of vineyards and castles. We’ve heard it said that the better a restaurant’s view, the worse the food, but that wasn’t the case at all at Veglio.

The friendly waiter—again, the only person in the restaurant who spoke fluent English—pointed out the typical dishes, and Carol and I got risky and ordered chopped raw veal with parmesan and oil. We’d never eaten raw veal, but it was very good..after a few bites. It started out a little gamey, but that gaminess went away, and we were surprised by the tenderness of the veal. The main courses were tagliarini (a type of pasta) with lots of fresh mushrooms and ravioli stuffed with veal. Again, the pasta was light and delicate, as it seemed to be everywhere in Piedmont. For dessert, some kind of chocolate brownie thing with homemade apricot jam, Chantilly cream and toasted walnuts. And, of course, wine.

The end-of-vacation blues had set in, and we didn’t want to do anything but sit, relax, and take in (memorize, if possible) the beautiful views. Isn’t that what we had done on our last day in Bellagio? It was a very hot day with no breeze, perfect for sipping wine and chatting with the waiter, who said his English was so good because he had done an internship at the Italian village at Epcot Center. Sadly, it was a big disappointment for him. I can’t imagine growing up eating the food of Piedmont and then having to eat the stuff they call Italian food at Epcot. We asked him why the food was so much better in the French village at Epcot, and he said, “Because they have real French chefs in the French village and Mexicans cooking in the Italian village.” Okay. We felt bad that his one experience in America was at Disney World.

By the way, Osteria Veglio has had new owners for three months. We’d never eaten there before, of course, but whatever the new owners are doing is working. And, of course, they have that view.

Wine tasting was on our agenda, so we took the short drive to Barolo and visited the regional enoteca, which is in a castle. Carol wasn’t feeling great (the heat was getting to her), so we took our time tasting four Barolos. The way it works, they give you a card and you choose from a variety of wines (maybe 16 or 20) in a variety of ages and price ranges. The pours are small, but you get to taste some good wines. We tried four. You pay at the end.

Then we drove to the tiny, hilltop town Grinzane Cavour for more wine tasting, this time in an 11th century castle with possibly the best view we’d experienced in Piedmont, and that’s saying something. We sipped some more Barolo and were talked into sampling some grappa.

And now a word about grappa: Does anybody like it? At every restaurant we went to in Piedmont, the waiter asked us if we wanted grappa. After trying it and not liking it a few times, we started asking the waiters, “Do you like grappa?” And nobody did! I think the solo purpose of grappa is to get drunk as quickly as possible.

We walked outside, found a big, shady tree and sat down. And that’s where we stayed for the next hour or two, talking, taking in the views, watching the wedding party that was taking pictures (the bride and groom couldn’t have picked a more fairytale-like setting). We read Carol’s Piedmont cookbook that she had just purchased in the castle and wished we could stop time.

Of course, we couldn’t stop time. And it was getting late. So we drove back to the area around Villa Sampaguita and decided on one of Tim’s restaurant recommendations: Madama Vigna in the tiny town of Baldichieri. This is where we made our only restaurant mistake in Piedmont.

You see, we should’ve eaten more. But we weren’t very hungry, and there was a huge language gap (the waiter spoke some English but not much). We seemed to be the only tourists in the dining room; everyone else was on a first-name basis with the waiters and owners. Good sign, of course.

At Madama Vigna, you don’t order from the menu. There is no menu. The waiter comes to your table and tells you what they have. He seemed surprised when we told him all we wanted were two first courses and an antipasto, and afterward, we realized why: The place has a set menu. 30 euros per person for antipasto, first, second and dessert. We ended up paying 30 euros per person and skipped half the meal!

What we did have was gnocchi that was a little too dense with cheese and very nice ravioli with veal sauce. The antipasto consisted of many small, fresh items that were very good, although I couldn’t tell you what they were. We were also served an amuse bouche of four items, most of which had eggs (one of them was like an egg salad). Add a bottle of local Sauvignon and we had half of a meal for 75 euros! What we had was good, but it would’ve been nice to sample more of their food, especially since we weren’t going to be eating real Italian food for a long time.

Finally, back to Villa Sampaguita to pack for the last time. Tomorrow morning, we would leave at 8 o’clock for the 90-minute drive to Malpensa. It had been a very full 15 days, but how could it have gone so fast?

Dayle

Yes, the last day is always a little sad. It's SO hard to leave. You always want more time, just a few more days...

abqdeb

Bravo! Mille grazie for such a lovely trip report. I can't wait to get there.

davetroy

We woke up early, had breakfast, said goodbye to Tim and Rina, took one final picture outside the house and set off for Malpensa Airport.

It was an uneventful drive, and the remainder of our trip home–Malpensa to Heathrow and then to Miami–went smoothly. Until we got to Miami, of course, when we ran into long lines at customs and the first language barriers we’d encountered in over two weeks.

A few notes about Malpensa:
1. Rental car return is easy because most of the companies have a dropoff garage connected to Terminal 1.
2. If you still have Euros in your pocket, a good way to exchange them is at the PayPal terminals throughout the airport. They were offering much better rates than those at the currency exchanges.
3. There are many restaurants and high-end stores inside the terminal. Basically, it’s a nice airport.

And that’s it. Fifteen days in Italy. We both wished we had more. If we could’ve gone back to the start, we probably would’ve taken one day off Venice and added it to Milan, Cinque Terre or Piedmont. I guess 17 days would’ve been perfect, but, of course, if we had 17 days, we would’ve wanted 20 or 25. Isn’t that how it always is with great vacations?

But we had no complaints. The fifteen days couldn’t have gone smoother. We never had trouble getting anywhere, were never turned away by a restaurant, enjoyed the people of Italy (and many of our fellow tourists as well) and, best of all, I got to enjoy my wife’s company for 15 days in this wonderful country. If I had any advice for future travelers, it would be to spend more time in fewer places. Yes, I said I would take a day off Venice to spend elsewhere, but I also felt as if I wouldn't mind spending two weeks or more in Venice, getting to know the city at a slow pace.

Thanks to everyone for reading this. I really have enjoyed re-living our trip to Italy.

Dave