ABOUT ALBA AND LANGHE, PIEDMONT
Before you read the Alba & Langhe wine region cookbook, here are some tips and information to plan your visit or simply know better this extraordinary land.
WHERE IS ALBA AND GETTING THERE
Alba is a town in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Northern Italy.
I heartily suggest going there by car to explore the surroundings. The Langhe hills have recently become aUNESCO World Heritage Site:they are a spectacular landscape of nature, vineyards, hazel trees, perched towns, and castles.
You can fly toTurin’s airportand rent a car there, it’s about an hour’s drive, but a beautiful drive. From Rome and Milan, you can reach Turinby train.
WHEN TO GO TO ALBA AND LANGHE
Albais a perfectFalldestination. TheAlba White Truffle Festivalis usually held between the end of October and November, and it is joyful, engaging, and delicious.
Plus, Fall is the perfect season to tasteLanghe wines, eatlocal products, and enjoy all those tones of red, brown, orange, and green: the bestfoliagepanorama I’ve seen to date in Italy.
ALBA ACCOMMODATIONS
Hotels in Albaare costly, so if you are looking for something more affordable, and, guess what, more picturesque, look for “locande” (guesthouses) orbed & breakfasts in the countryside.
You’ll have to drive a bit, but waking up facing a vineyard is worth every mile. Plus, it’s always a good occasion to talk to locals and let them guide you by suggesting authentic businesses, restaurants, wineries, etc.
When we planned our trip, we consulted the list from thetruffle fair website. Of course, the earlier you book, the better.
ALBA RESTAURANTS
I’m sharing the list of thebest restaurants in Alba(and surroundings) I prepared for our trip. All of them were collected through friends’ and friends of friends’ recommendations.
- Osteria dell’Arco– Alba
- Osteria dei Sognatori– Alba
- Trattoria del Bollito(we had dinner here, it was delicious!!!) – Alba
- La Piola– Alba
- Ca’ del Lupo(OMG that egg and truffle dish!) – Montelupo Albese
- Osteria del Vignaiolo– La Morra
- Locanda Fontanazza– La Morra (one word: true quality)
- Solferino– Torino (the day we were leaving, before taking the train back to Rome – it was divine!)
THINGS TO DO IN ALBA
Albais a small, pedestrian town; in a day, you’ll visit it all.
But here’s a list of things you should absolutely do:
- Have anaperitivowith local wines, polpette (meatballs), roasted potatoes, and fried polenta.
- Wander through the narrow streets and visit thechurches– the gothic San Lorenzo, the baroque Maddalena, and San Domenico, my favorite.
- VisitBeppe Fenoglio’shouse, a brilliant Italian writer, dramaturg, and partisan (this is important, keep it in mind for when you’ll read the Simposio).
- Visit theSlow Food Marketon a Saturday or Sunday morning and explore local specialties.
If you go there during theAlba White Truffle Festival:
- attend aTruffle Course: remember to book in advance – lessons are in Italian and English;
- havelunchat the fair: it is crowdy, and you might be in line for quite a bit, but the food is local, authentic, and really really good;
- shop for wines: the fair is full of producers that will let you taste their scarlet treasures and that ship worldwide.
THE LANGHE REGION
Here are some of the most beautiful places to see in theLanghe region:
- Barolo, yes, where the Barolo wine is produced;
- Pollenzo, where the Slow Food University was founded in 2004, it is the only university dedicated to Gastronomic sciences in the World;
- Neive, the cutest perched town in the region;
- Castello di Grinzane, to shop for wine and Grappe, visit the Langhe museum, and see where the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba gathers for its meetings and rituals (you’ll learn more about them through the book);
- Cherasco, to try the “baci di Cherasco” (kisses), hazelnuts covered in dark chocolate;
- La Morranot only is a beautiful town, but it is also home to the Cantina Comunale (Municipal winery), a place where locals discover, taste, and buy local wines.
ALBA WINES, WINERIES, AND VINEYARDS
Don’t leave theLanghe valleywithout tasting at least aBarolo, aBarbaresco, and aDolcetto.
But if you have time, complete your tasting experience with aBarbera,Asti Spumante,Nebbiolo,Moscatod’Asti,Grignolino,Erbaluce, and aGattinara.
Don’t miss awine tasting(book at least a few days in advance). Here are all thevineyardsuggestions we got from friends and friends of friends:
- Cascina Gramolere
- Ca’ Neuva(this is the one we tried, we loved every part of thewine tour and tasting)
- Tenuta San Mauro
- Bricco del Cucù
We will learn more about how to taste and enjoy these wines on Simposio!
CHOCOLATE PARADISE
Piedmontis the first Italian producer ofchocolate: Novi, Ferrero, and Venchi are located here. But you can easily buy all of them online or at Italian shops. While in Alba and Langhe, you should take the opportunity to taste (and buy) artisanal chocolates, spreads, and creams. You’ll need to check in an extra suitcase, trust me!
For Nutella aficionados: sorry, the visit to the factory is not available anymore.
When and if you visitGherasco, there’s a delicious chocolatier that uses the world-famous Venezuelan cocoa to make his masterpieces:Riccardi.
SPECIALTIES YOU MUST TRY
Piedmonthas 341 traditional specialties. It is the fifth Italian region with more traditional products. (The first one is Tuscany)
Too many for a trip of a few days, right?
Don’t worry, I selected the unmissable ones for you.
- Piedmontese beef:not only it is autochthonous and delicious, but also an ancient variety with a long, long story.
- Alba’s white truffle:more delicate than the black truffle, so don’t expect a dizzying flavor. You need to concentrate and have a clean palate to really appreciate its taste. It’s pretty impossible to take it back home with you, so feast on it as much as you can while you’re there!
- Hazelnuts: buy a sack at the market (I told you you’ll need an extra suitcase!), try the spreads, the cakes, and the cookies made with hazelnut flour!
- Robiolacheese: a soft-ripened stracchino-like delight. Try it with truffle flakes!
- Agnolottidel Plin: pinched agnolotti stuffed with pork and beef (We’ll make them in the cookbook and savor them in three old-world ways).
- Tajarin: tiny stretches of egg pasta, imagine spaghetti, but way thinner, fresh and eggy (we’ll learn to make them on SIMPOSIO). Try them with white truffles and butter or with beef ragù.
- Paste di Meliga: corn flourcookiesso fragrant they’ll melt in your mouth. So you’ll need to taste another one, and another one… and another one!
- Alba’storrone.
