Top Piemonte hotels
The interesting city of Alba organizes the Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco (National Fair of the White Truffle) in October. The event lasts over one full month and revolves around a world-class auction of the delicious subterranean food, including cultural happenings such as parades in historical costumes and the "Palio degli Asini", a donkey race.
Every other year the city of Bra hosts "Cheese" an event obviously focused on such tasty dairy products from various regions of Europe. Usually taking place in September over the course of three or four days, the event has free admission. Sampling is also for free and it's a great occasion learn all about the world of cheese. Delicious!
Although Italian is the official language, Italy is a relatively young country (unified in 1861) and the various regions within have their own tongue. Some of these are considered dialects while others are languages.Piedmontese is a written Western Neo-latin language listed on UNESCO's "Red Book on Endangered Languages". My grandparents took Italian at school as a second language, and I still grew up with it as the normal conversation tongue of my parents.Due to the "Italianization" of the country, it is declining although still widely spoken in a variety of forms. Even Piedmontese had to be "unified" into a koine' common exchange language understood by people throughout the region. "Occitano" and "Franco-Provenzale" dialect families are in fact quite different to each other.Known to derive from the early languages spoken by Ligurian tribes (from the Iberic Peninsula), it was later...
Despite progress takes its toll and the old-fashioned activities are vanishing, it is possible to visit many valleys in Piedmont and see that lifestyle is still hanging to traditions. High-altitude pasture lands are the "holiday" summer resort for cattle such as cow, sheep and goat gently grazing around in a pristine environment. Herdsmen take their animals to higher ground in summer and take them back to lower elevations at the end of the warm season, normally in September or October. During this period it's possible to find some roads clogged by hundreds, at times thousands of animals and their tenders with dogs.If you find yourself in such situation just pull aside, turn your engine off and patiently give up a few minutes of your time. Remember that this is part of the locals' life and respect it.
Piedmont is home to some of the best wines in the world. In terms of territory and wine varieties, the area lying southeast of Torino is probably the best option for a visitor who wants to drive within easy reach.60 Km (40 mi) from Piedmont capital lie the areas of Langhe and Roero, respectively south and north of the city of Alba, and the province of Asti.Not only this land is the production area of prestigious wines, but its kind and diehard people, cuisine and landscapes definitely deserve a well-worth visit. Top produces, other than wine, are cheese, truffle, mushroom and hazelnut.We Piedmontese sometimes refer to this land as the "University of Taste", and we're not wrong as this is home to the finest typical local dishes. A myriad of villages and small towns where stayfarms offer relaxed accommodation and excellent food with dining views over mountains and hills covered by...
Excellent beer produced in Piozzo, less than 1 hour drive south of Torino.A surprising variety of microbrews makes Le Baladin an absolute must for beer lovers.Served on draft but also available in bottles, my favorite is Nora.Check website for opening hours.Birrificio BALADIN Piazza V Luglio 1512060 Piozzo (CN) Italy Tel. +39. 0173.778013
If Piedmont has a worldwide reputation for its wines, a few know that beer is not left behind.Menabrea is produced in Biella since 1864. It would be reductive to consider it the best Italian beer, as it's been recognized as the best beer in the world. Several varieties have won gold medal prizes in the recent years at the Chicago Beer Championships.The brewery and museum are open to visitors. There's a restaurant too and beer tasting is not to be missed.For visits, contact the brewery:Birra MenabreaVia Ramella Germanin 4BiellaPhone +39 (015) 252-2320Biella is located ax. 70 Km north of Turin
If you visit Turin and Piedmont you should definitely try this delicious dish."Bagna Cauda" - pronounced "bah-nha-cah-uh-dah" - is probably the top ranking dish in the region during fall or winter.The term is in local dialect and it means "Hot Sauce". Needless to say, this sauce itself is not a dish if not accompanied by fresh and boiled vegetables of various kind, mushrooms, meat and other food dictated by the cook's fantasy or seasonal availability.I never heard of any Piedmontese mom not preparing this dish, which is normally meant to drag a goo dnumber of people around a colorful table. The rule of "Bagna Cauda", as I heard from mom and grandma, is "the more the quantity to be made, the better it tastes". Maybe there's a real reason beyond this statement, or maybe it's just meant to arrange large parties of hugnry people.The sauce itself is made with very simple basic ingredients...
Grand Hotel Sitea Torino
1 Review and 245 Opinions I seem to end up here most of the time I am in Torino. I walk the streets near the hotel if I can...
Grand Hotel Bristol Stresa Stresa
4 Reviews and 217 Opinions We stayed at the Bristol in Stresa for 8 nights and hated to leave. The hotel is very clean, great...
La Villa Hotel Asti
188 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Piemonte attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Piemonte sightseeing.
More Cities in Piemonte
Q: Hello fellow travellers, I am trying to determine which is the closest airport if one wants to visit the Temples of Damanhur. ...
A: Yes, their website suggests Turin airport is nearest: http://www.damanhur.org/index.php/where-we-are/54-how-to-find-us But you could land elsewhere (e.g. Milan) and...
Read 3 Replies
