Piedmont is for lovers (of real Italy)

Am I saying this is my favorite part of Italy? ; )

What comes to mind when you think–nay, dream–of Italy? (Forget the rough memories of that last experience in Florence where you were crammed elbow to elbow into Piazza del Duomo with seemingly every other tourist on the face of the planet. I’m not talking about that.)

I mean how you wish it were, how you know it must be somewhere in the country…after all, the clichés can’t be that wrong, can they?

Well, spoiler alert: your Italian dreams are in Piedmont and Aosta.

So why Piedmont? 

Briefly, because it’s everything you think Italy actually is. The hordes of tourists don’t rush in and out of this region like they do elsewhere (Tuscany, Dolomites, Cinque Terre). Cities, towns and villages still maintain their authenticity. Hell, you still have an actual aperitivo culture that hasn’t been turned into just another happy hour for the tourists. You actually hear Italian spoken! It’s amazing. 

Piedmont is also primed for the kind of vacation I love to take, which is to say a mix of active pursuits along with delicious and cozy creature comforts with some history and culture mixed in. 

So buckle up, because I’m about to wax poetic about my favorite region in Italy. Oh, and I hope you like polenta.

Piedmont is home to my favorite wines, and maybe yours, too.

These are wines you’ve definitely heard of if you consider yourself even just one tiny step above a novice wine drinker. This area is home to Barolos and Barbarescos that will be familiar to the mildly trained ear and palate. But Piedmont has some great sleepers, too. Ever heard of Nas-Cetta? It’s a lovely dry white wine that is indigenous to Piedmont and almost went extinct in the early 1900s, but thankfully was brought back sometime after WWII. And on the red side there’s barberas and dolcettos that lurk just a step beyond the familiar names, along with a host of different nebbiolo-based wines. And have you had a gattinara? If not, you should. 

My absolute favorite wine region in Piedmont is in Langhe. Anytime that is at least somewhat practical (or I can at minimum argue that it’s not that far out of the way), I stop by for a tasting of what’s on offer in one or more of the area tasting rooms and stock up accordingly. 

Tip: I love the cantina communales for their variety in bottles available to taste and purchase and the fact that they help smaller producers collectively get their wines to market, plus it’s much more efficient than going winery to winery if you’re looking to just explore new flavors and don’t have a specific label in mind.

The cantina in Novello has tastings of small, hyper-local wine producers. You can just walk in, and it comes with tasty snacks.

One of my go-to stops is the cantina in Novello–it’s a bright, well-stocked cantina (tasting room for anyone who knows 0 Italian) that offers well-priced tastings and excellent wines, parking is easy, and it’s rarely crowded. There are also a couple of restaurants within walking distance, so if you want to have lunch before or after it’s very easy to do from here. The same goes for the cantina in La Morra. 

Langhe is a great place to stay for a few nights, where you can book any of the area B&Bs with views towards Monviso, hike or bike vineyard to vineyard on maintained paths or not-too-busy roads, and taste your way around the region. For a base, I love Nieve for a smaller town because even if small, there are a couple of very good restaurants to walk to. The town of Alba is another nice place to base yourself if you want to be spoiled with choice for aperitivo and dinner, as well as enotecas.

Keep Torino on the DL

Just a bit north of Langhe sits Turin, or Torino, and talk about flying under the radar. I’m sure locals don’t love people raving online about their city, and I understand that protectionism completely. So I’ll add the caveat that if you do go, be chill, be normal, put the camera away while you eat and just enjoy your negroni for once. Not everything has to be documented to the nth degree, because you’re lucky enough to be having some of the best food in Italy. Don’t ruin it. Enjoy it.

Besides a truly “local” experience and feeling like you’re finally in real Italy with real Italians doing their thing, Turin has a couple of museums worth visiting and lovely parks. It’s the perfect start or end point for any trip to the region since you can relax a bit, see a bit, and really get to experience an Italian city where the vast majority of people around you are actually Italian. It also sits at the base of the Alps, which is where things start to get real fun. So fly or train into Turin, spend a couple days basking in the food and drinks, then head to the hinterlands of Piedmont.

Piedmont outdoors rivals France and Switzerland

We’re talking mountains, lakes, rolling hills, valleys, rivers, and plains. It’s easy to start imagining what all you can do here. If you consider yourself an outdoorsman/woman or want to dabble in varying degrees of adventure travel, this is a place you need to check out.

Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park sits just north of Turin and straddles the border of Aosta and Piedmont, where you can do numerous treks and hikes, see alpine lakes and view wildlife all inside the park, with high-quality trout fishing outside of the conservation area in Aosta and Piedmont. In Aosta proper, which is its own autonomous region that’s a little French and a little Italian but I’m kind of lumping it in here together anyway, you have one of Italy’s best ski resorts in Cervinia. The town of Aosta provides its own skiing and lifts, though, and the town is one to return to again and again for authenticity, affordability, and a great time.

Monviso, the mountain peak that inspired the Paramount logo many moons ago, is also here and home to summer treks, and there’s winter skiing and other snow sports dotted all along Piedmont’s Alps. Further north, on the border with Switzerland, you can drive all the way up the Formazza Valley for seclusion and access to stunning scenery that really can at times be described as otherworldly. Bring your mountain bike and/or hiking shoes and enjoy views of glaciers from hiking the Gries Pass, waterfalls, and high alpine lakes. If you are experienced in whitewater, the Toce River can be a great one to paddle.

On the note of whitewater, and if you’re not the most experienced, Valsesia has a mix of rafting, kayaking and canyoning that can accommodate less experienced crowds, including families. It’s also quite stunning in its own right, with even more mountain views, many of Monte Rosa, the second highest peak in the Alps. But, even if whitewater isn’t your thing, this valley is another great option for biking and hiking as well. 

When you’re ready for more leisurely water activities, head over to Piedmont’s lakes. Lake Orta and half of Lake Maggiore are in this region. Orta will be quieter and more secluded while Maggiore will have more lively towns, like Verbania, where you can get some damn good food and drinks for equally impressive prices. So if you’re looking for anything from wakeboarding and kitesurfing to paddleboarding and lounging on a small beach, these lakes provide that.

Lake Maggiore from the promenade in Verbania. As the biggest lake in the area, there’s plenty to do, many towns and smaller hamlets to stay, and here in Verbania, a lot of great places to eat and drink.

What are you waiting for?

I guess I haven’t touched on food much, and that’s not because it’s not worth mentioning. In fact, many Italian favorites hail from Piedmont: polentas, truffles, vitello tonnato, tajarin dishes, meaty sauces on pasta…the obligatory local cheeses. I mean, it’s good. No, it’s fantastic. And the amaros! (liquid food, amirite?)

Now that I’ve covered that last bit, at this point, if I haven’t made the case that Piedmont is the best of Italy for people who want more than lemon-themed everything (not that I don’t love limoncello) and checking big names off the common tourist lists, I don’t know what else to say. If you don’t believe me or are scoffing at the notion that something could possibly be better than Tuscany or Cinque Terre, that’s fine. Piedmont can remain Italy in its more classic, rustic, and adventurous form for those of us who appreciate that.

Ciao ciao, and let me know what you think about Piedmont, or if you’re thinking about going!