Italy food and wine travel: living it up in southern Piedmont
This Unesco-listed area ‘rivals the hills of Chianti as a poster child for the good life’

In the decades after the Second World War, life in rural southern Piedmont was tough, and many locals left for Argentina, the US or jobs in the factories of Turin. But today, this Unesco-listed area of outstanding natural beauty “rivals the hills of Chianti as a poster child for the good life”, said Lee Marshall in Condé Nast Traveller. One reason for its transformation was the rise of the local wine industry in the 1980s. The vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco now turn out some of Italy’s most “highly prized” red wines. The region’s gastronomic scene has followed suit: there are now 22 Michelin stars spread over 20 restaurants in the countryside around Alba and, more recently, tourist accommodation has improved, too. The “stylish” Relais San Maurizio resort and spa led the way when it opened in 2002, and last year there were two further big openings – the “Alpine chic” Casa di Langa, and Nordelaia, “a boutique stay in a coolly converted farmhouse”.
Alba is lovely, with its “pugnacious” skyline bristling with medieval towers and its abundance of “boutiques, wine bars and delis”. Nearby Bra is the headquarters of the Slow Food movement: it was founded here in the 1980s to “defend the local culinary culture”. It has plenty of “flowery charm”. And there’s much for enthusiasts of both wine and art to see nearby, including the Ceretto winery (which has a transparent domed tasting room like “a Bond villain’s lair”, and a wayside chapel that was transformed into a wildly colourful “site-specific installation” by the artists Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett in 1999).
Visit relaissanmaurizio.it, casadilanga.com and nordelaia.com for more information.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
AI workslop is muddying the American workplace
The explainer Using AI may create more work for others
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime minister
Speed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
The 5 best mob movies of all time
The Week Recommends If you don’t like a good gangster flick, just fuhgeddaboudit
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipe
The Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Susie Dent picks her favourite books
The Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling
-
6 incredible homes under $1 million
Feature Featuring a home in the National Historic Landmark District of Virginia and a renovated mid-century modern house in Washington
-
The Harder They Come: ‘triumphant’ adaptation of cinema classic
The Week Recommends ‘Uniformly excellent’ cast follow an aspiring musician facing the ‘corruption’ of Kingston, Jamaica
-
House of Guinness: ‘rip-roaring’ Dublin brewing dynasty period drama
The Week Recommends The Irish series mixes the family tangles of ‘Downton’ and ‘Succession’ for a ‘dark’ and ‘quaffable’ watch
-
Dead of Winter: a ‘kick-ass’ hostage thriller
The Week Recommends Emma Thompson plays against type in suspenseful Minnesota-set hair-raiser ‘ringing with gunshots’
-
A Booker shortlist for grown-ups?
Talking Point Dominated by middle-aged authors, this year’s list is a return to ‘good old-fashioned literary fiction’
-
Fractured France: an ‘informative and funny’ enquiry
The Week Recommends Andrew Hussey's work is a blend of ‘memoir, travelogue and personal confession’