Our adventure to Piedmont began at a charity auction. When the auctioneer announced a trip to Italy, I soon found myself in a friendly bidding war. I came very close to winning, but after a serious glance from my husband, exercised restraint. Much to our surprise, the generous donor offered a second trip! Two winners!! Little did we know, that we were both given the opportunity to enjoy a trip of a lifetime. I’m forever grateful. Amazing memories of our experience exploring Barolo and Barbaresco will stay with us forever.
We planned the trip with our friends. Together, we booked flights and mapped out activities for an authentic Piedmont experience. The trip turned out to be unforgettable. We stayed at the beautiful Villa Bracchi, owned by Italian Wine Villas, it’s a countryside retreat offering both luxury and tranquility.
In Piedmont, we visited family-owned wineries and dined at centuries-old restaurants. The locals were warm and welcoming.
Discovering this hidden gem was pure joy. For wine lovers, Piedmont deserves a spot on your travel list.
Bonvicino
A Room with a View
We flew into Milan and drove two hours to the winding hills of Langhe, famous for Barolo and Barbaresco wines. We settled into the rustic charm of Bonvicino, a quaint town 35 minutes south of Barolo. Flying into Turin is another option and often recommended for its closer proximity.
Villa Bracchi has amazing views, a beautiful pool, and a large kitchen and main room. It’s the perfect place to gather for pasta-making class, shared meals, wine tasting, listening to music, and taking in the sunset. With five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, it was ideal for our two families. Use the link above to book your stay!
On our first night, Fabio and Christian—two talented brothers from Osteria dei Bienlli—turned our kitchen into a cooking school. With Champagne in hand, we learned the art of pasta making. We mixed dough, cranked out thin strands of fresh pasta, and rolled and shaped gnocchi. The evening ended with an incredible pasta dinner, perfectly paired with wine.
EXPLORING PIEDMONT WINES
WHERE TO GO: EXPLORING BAROLO & BARBARESCO
If You Have One Day to Explore Barolo
Barolo is among the world’s most prestigious wine regions, producing one of its most celebrated wines. Made from the Nebiollo grape, Barolo is often called “the king of wines, and the wine of kings.”
Wine Tasting at Paolo Scavino (Barolo)
We drove through the beautiful, hilly countryside and began our day with a visit to Paolo Scavino, one of Barolo’s top wineries. There, we were welcomed by Elisa Scavino, daughter of the owner. Elisa is also the co-winemaker alongside her sister and their father. She guided us through a three-hour tour and tasting, sharing stories of the winery’s history and insights into their winemaking process. Her deep knowledge and passion for winemaking were evident as she detailed the nuances of each vintage and vineyard. Visits to the winery must be made in advance, so plan ahead and add this to your list.
After the tasting, we enjoyed a long, Italian-style lunch at Osteria Veglio where we were joined by Giulia Negri, a star winemaker who has been featured on Stanley Tucci’s Finding Italy tv series. She’s funny, charming, and quite a talent in the world of wine. We enjoyed a few of her wines with lunch, alongside course after course of the most delicious food. Simple and full of flavor. It was an unforgettable experience.
Lunch at Osteria Veglio, La Morra
After the tasting, we enjoyed a long, Italian-style lunch at Osteria Veglio where we had incredible food and were surprised to be joined by Giulia Negri, a star winemaker who has been featured on Stanley Tucci’s Finding Italy series. Funny, charming, and exceptionally talented, Giulia generously poured her stunning wines. The food was outstanding, and the agnolotti stole the show. We ended with the most delicious, and well-presented, affogato I’ve ever had. Views from deck were breathtaking as we viewed out over all of Barolo. It was an unforgettable experience.
Wine Tasting at Mauro Veglio (Barolo)
After lunch, we headed to Mauro Veglio Winery for a personal tour and tasting with Alessandro, nephew to Mauro Veglio and co-owns. The winery stands out for its rich history and its association with the renowned Barolo Boys, a group credited with revolutionizing Italian winemaking. The focus at Mauro Veglio is on producing balanced wine that is a representation of where it comes from. After a tour of where the wine is produced, we got to enjoy a generous range of wines: Dolceto d’Alba, Barbara d’Alba, Langhe Nebbiolo and a range of Barolos from different vineyards.
If You Have One Day to Explore Barbaresco
Barbaresco is known for producing elegant and complex wines from the Nebbiolo grape. With its distinctive terroir of calcareous soils and favorable microclimate, Barbaresco wines have rich flavors of ripe cherries, roses, and spices, often exhibiting good structure and velvety tannins. Barbaresco has an ability to balance tradition and innovation, crafting wines that age gracefully and express the essence of its unique landscape.
Wine Tasting at Piero Busso
On our second day of wine tasting, we ventured to Barbaresco. After touring the quaint, historic town, we headed to our first wine tasting of the day at Piero Busso. The tour and tasting were truly delightful. The owner’s son, also named Piero, brought us out into the vineyards and educated us on the history of Barbaresco. He was accompanied by the sweetest dog—Vino!—who loves Nebbiolo grapes so much that he jumps up and eats them off the vine. Heading inside, we tasted a variety of Barbaresco wines from different vineyards, Barbera d’Alba, Dolcetto d’Alba, Langhe Nebiollo, and Langhe Bianco. The wines were stunning and he was incredibly friendly host. It was definitely hard to leave!
Lunch at Ristorante Rabayà
The Rabayà restaurant is named after one of the most famous sub-areas of the Barbaresco denomination. We sat on the panoramic terrace, which looks out onto one of the most beautiful UNESCO sites. Given our group size, we had a prefixed menu consisting of delicious traditional foods. It was more food than we could manage mid-day, but it was quite good with arguably one of the most beautiful views in Piedmont.
Wine Tasting at Sottimano
We ended our incredible day at Sottimano, another family-owned winery with a belief that creating a strong relationship with the land is the key to great wines. One of three daughters, Elena shared her passion and joyful spirit with us as we toured the historic winery and tasted through a beautiful line up of Barbaresco wines. The Barbaresco DOCG Cottà from Neive was particularly delicious, but it’s impossible to single one out since they all are true expressions of their terroir.
Truffles
Hunting for the Mighty Truffle
When in Piedmont, hunting for truffles is a must. If you happen to be there in August, you’ll luck out hunting for the prized white truffle, which can be one of the most expensive culinary ingredients in the world!
We were there during black truffle season, a more affordable truffle given their abundance, but no less delicious. Our tartufai, or truffle hunter, Danilo, met us at the edge of a endless forest where we learned about what it takes to find a truffle and how the incredible truffle-sniffing dogs are trained.
After our introduction to the world of truffle hunting, we began our adventure into the forest. Within minutes, Leela, his skillful and incredibly sweet dog, demonstrated why he’s the considered one of the best truffle hunting dogs around. Leela began vigorously digging until she unearthed our first prized truffle.
Over the course of our hike, we found a few more truffles—including one the size of baseball! In the end, we purchased our mighty truffle and enjoyed it shaved over fresh homemade pasta that evening, sipping our Langhe Bianco, and watching the beautiful sunset.
I hope you get a chance to explore Barolo and Barbaresco. Of course, there are many other wine areas to explore. Check out some of my other posts on visiting Napa Valley and St. Helena.
