Two-day itinerary in the Langhe, Piedmont, here all the travel tips to discover good wine to stay and eat well on a budget.
According to the New York Times, the Langhe area is one of the 52 destinations to see: it is not a well-known area, yet this Piedmont region between the provinces of Cuneo and Asti has something special. First of all his wines: Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Pelaverga, Arneis and Nascetta. Good wine goes hand in hand with good food, which is not lacking here. They range from the beat to the knife: raw veal, coarsely cut; ai tajarin: very thin noodles served perhaps with a grating of White truffle; to the excellent raw milk cheeses, produced in the hills of the Alta Langa which in autumn are dressed in warm shades of red, brown and ocher.
It is easy to organize a low cost trip to these parts: the area is easily accessible from all over Italy with direct flights to the Turin or Cuneo airports, from where it is advisable to rent a car to have maximum freedom in travel. There is no shortage of hotels, for all budgets and for all tastes, from farms to wine estates. They will be enough three days for an itinerary that allows you to have a taste of this region.
The first stop is the city of Alba, world capital of truffle. This is where the international white truffle fair takes place every year. For almost two months, the streets of the city will be filled with trifolau, the truffle hunters, while the courtyard of the Maddalena will host the market and l 'wine shop.
For those who are not satisfied with breathing the aroma of the truffles on display and for sale at the market, it is possible to participate in a tour with real trifolau who will reveal some of the secrets of this ancient craft. The Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Consortium organizes tours twice a week: it is neither too long nor too demanding, but the walk in the woods and the scent of truffles give you a certain appetite. In Alba there is no shortage of options for dining, starting with the well-known Piazza Duomo, which boasts three Michelin stars. For dishes that are always excellent but at much lower prices, you can choose the Osteria dell'Arco, with classic dishes and attention to the territory, or the more recent Civico 11 Social Food, a young place with innovative proposals but still respectful of territoriality and raw material.
The city offers a wide choice of hotels, both in the center and in the surrounding hills: you can once again contact the Langhe Monferrato Roero Tourist Consortium, through which you can book different types of structures, from B & Bs to charming hotels. .
The second day is dedicated to wine, which can be discovered through an itinerary on foot: a walk of eleven kilometers from Barolo leads to Monforte. The starting point is the small town of not even 1.000 inhabitants that attracts thousands of tourists every year who have come from all over the world to visit the Regional Enoteca del Barolo and the WiMu, the wine museum set up in the Falletti Municipal Castle of Barolo. Even if the day is cold, the wine will have prepared even the coldest for the trek in the vineyards.
The path leads to the hamlet of San Rocco: New it's right in front, just a little bit higher. Continue along the provincial road, but soon you return to the path through the vineyards. In less than an hour you get to Monforte, a small town famous for the production of wines. In the center, in addition to the bars and wine bars that overlook the square, maybe you will be lucky enough to find the small farmers' market. The outdoor areas of the premises are always very crowded at lunchtime: there are cyclists, motorcyclists, foreigners with large cameras.
A quick coffee at the counter of one of the bars and away, again on the way to the hill, to return to Barolo. From here, in twenty minutes by car you arrive at verduno, where it is a must to stop for an aperitif that in these parts is almost a dinner. Casa Ciabotto is a place on the central square of the small town where the Pelaverga, red wine obtained from the vine of the same name celebrated every year at the end of summer with a big party in the vineyards. For an aperitif or - as they used to say, a sinoira snack - you cannot fail to order a bottle of Pelaverga, anchovies in green sauce, tongue in red sauce, Verduno sausage and a selection of local cheeses.
For dinner, an unmissable stop is Ca 'del Re, a family-run tavern where traditional Piedmontese dishes are served. The upper floor has been used as a B&B: seven rustic-style rooms, all overlooking the garden.
Alternatively, for the overnight stay you can choose the Al Vecchio Gelso inn, a renovated farmhouse with four bedrooms.
For a different experience than usual you can sleep at the Real Castello, a structure that belonged to King Charles Albert of Savoy. The castle also houses a cellar where Barbaresco, Barolo, Barbera d'Alba and Pelaverga are produced.
After truffles and wine, the third day is dedicated to the other excellence of the Langa, the cheese. At one time, every farmhouse in the hills ofAlta Langa he had at least a small flock of sheep whose milk was used to produce a cheese which in these parts is generically called with the name tuma. It is produced during the summer months and consumed mostly fresh, but tradition also provides for aging for consumption in the winter months. The production area, between the municipalities of Bossolasco, Murazzano, Paroldo and Ceva, is a relatively isolated area and in any case little known from a tourist point of view.
In the small village of Paroldo there is Cascina Raflazz, where for years the Adami family has been dedicated to sheep breeding and the production of Langa cheeses: Murazzano DOP, the classic sheep tuma, Malarin, Gazola and potted tume. For some years now, a part of the farmhouse has been renovated and turned into a farmhouse with four rooms and a restaurant open by reservation.
A few kilometers away is the family-run company Cora Formaggi: in the municipality of Monesiglio, among the hills described by Beppe Fenoglio, the dairy opens its doors by reservation and allows you to visit the stable and the dairy and taste the cheeses.
If there is still room for dinner, it is worthwhile to walk the few kilometers that separate Monesiglio from bossolasco, where the Drogheria di Langa is located, a recent restaurant inspired by the tradition of groceries, that is, small town shops that sold spices, colonial and food items. All products - also available for sale - are purchased from local companies and cooked in an original and at the same time respectful of tradition. It is one of those places where veal with tuna sauce and Russian salad taste like those made by the grandmother.
Although it is a small town, Bossolasco offers excellent options also from the point of view of hotel accommodation: right in front of the Drogheria is Le Due Matote, a small charming hotel overlooking the main street of what is also known as the town of rose. Not far away is the Hotel Bellavista, where Piedmontese cooking classes are regularly organized.
