Where to sleep in the Langhe, in Alba, here is the Hotel Langhe which offers free wifi in all rooms, a hearty breakfast and a delicious gift at check out.
The city of Alba it evoked only two things in me: truffles and Ferrero. When I visited it a few days ago I appreciated many unknown aspects. But let's go in order.
In this city I had an experience of excellent hotel hospitality, one of the best, at least in Italy, that I can remember. My choice fell onLanghe hotels, a 4-star hotel just minutes from the center of Alba. The Hotel, in a two-storey family-run house with a garden, soon revealed an attitude of spoiling guests. On a rainy and cold evening, upon our arrival we were offered a welcome drink in the hall which in the morning transforms into the breakfast room.
The receptionist went out of her way to give us tourist information about the city, restaurants and surroundings. Upon returning to the hotel in the evening after having dinner, here's another one drink offered: this time grappa or amaro - or herbal tea for abstainers, lovingly served in the usual hall.
Finally one more surprise, in the morning, at the time of check out: we are given a bag containing a small and delicious portion of Piedmont hazelnuts. Well, it never happened to me, I don't know about you. This is the plus: otherwise the room was very welcoming, well furnished, the free and free wifi. Good and varied breakfast, also gluten free on request. Guests have access to a gym, a garden with swimming pool (in summer) and bicycles to reach the center. Bill: 84 euro per night, for a double with breakfast.
Then we come to food, a topic that is very much felt and practiced in this land of Langhe. There are many specialties in these parts, drinking and eating are not left to chance. Famous wines Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Barolo; grappas, Barolo chinato; at the table in addition to the famous (and expensive) truffle it is a triumph of appetizers, made from raw meat, Russian salad, veal with tuna sauce, sensational cheeses, and famous first courses - tajarin, agnolotti as well as meat dishes that, being a vegetarian, I cannot praise.
They are really very good i hand-stretched breadsticks which in the restaurant are placed directly on the tablecloth, crunchy and delicate, you would never stop eating them.
For food I relied on advice, choosing the Osteria dei dreamers, which, coincidentally, was also recommended to me at the reception of the Hotel Langhe. The bill was actually € 25 for dinner.
Nice furniture with wooden tables that welcome different customers, who do not know each other but are well suited to the informal atmosphere; good food and impeccable service and here too an impeccable welcome from the restaurateur.
The center of Alba is characterized by arcades and red towers of bricks, which refer to medieval times, when the city was a free municipality.
Indeed, the destination of my trip was an exhibition organized by the Ferrero Foundation and dedicated to the work of Felice Casorati. The Foundation carries out cultural activities related to the company that produces the most famous spreadable cream in the world. Every two years it becomes an exhibition venue for high-level art exhibitions.
The exhibition is about to end even if it continues until February 15th, but if you have the opportunity, I recommend not to miss it. Felice Casorati was a Piedmontese painter, a first-rate interpreter of the Italian art scene of the twentieth century. The exhibition, which is a free entry, exhibits sixty works from his youth to maturity.
