Exploring Italy, more specifically a wine region, was the first big trip we planned since moving to Sweden last year. When you mention Italian wine country, most people immediately think of Tuscany. And Tuscany is a wonderful wine region, but did you know that there are more than 350 common wine varieties in Italy? Yep. You read that right, and each region grows varietals that work in their climate. We decided to visit the Northwest region of Piedmont, known for Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato d’Asti, and Arneis grapes as these are the wines we’ve been enjoying of late. For a quick overview and tips of the region you can check out my earlier post here and read on for our day one specifics.

We landed in Torino (after a 3 hour delay in Frankfurt!) and caught a cab to the train station in central Torino. You can also take a bus or train into Torino, but based on timing and the schedule, we opted to take a cab to make the train to Asti so we didn’t miss our bus to Govone. Literally Planes, Trains, and automobiles this trip (:. After a full day of travel, we finally arrived at our B&B at 8pm (mind you we left Sweden at 6am with an original arrival time in Govone of 3p). Exhausted and hot, we really needed food. In such a small village, there was only one restaurant open, at the castle of all places - Le Scuderi Dell Castello, . We quickly changed and walked over to see if we could get a table. Upon walking in, we both immediately realized this was going to be an experience and we were underdressed! Ha. We did the tasting menu, paired with wine, and it was marvelous. Unfortunately, after a full day of travel, lack of water and food, and overall exhaustion, I was not feeling my best and didn’t get to fully enjoy the meal. Ramesh, on the other hand, said it was one of the best meals/pairings he’s tried. Each dish was a work of art as well as being delectable. The only photo I thought to grab was dessert, but you can see the menu we had below.

Since we didn’t rent a car (long story, but comes down to neither of us having an international DL needed to book a car **note to self - schedule driving classes and tests to get Swedish Drivers License ASAP**), we worked with a local tour guide, Love Langhe Tour, to organize two days for us. They customize an itinerary for you based on what you like to do. For us wine was obviously on the agenda, but they also plan cooking classes, hikes, food tours, yoga, chocolate classes, truffle hunts, you name it.

We started the day around 10a (after the wonderful breakfast at our B&B). Our driver (who was awesome) picked us up and drove us to the village of Neive, about 30 minutes away. We spent an hour exploring the village and having a glass of wine before heading up to our first appointment at Pelissero Pasquale winery. Here we walked the vineyard and enjoyed a welcome glass of sparkling while our guide, Simone, shared the history of the winery with us. We then made our way to their new tasting room to enjoy a 4 course lunch paired with their wines. For lunch all the food was typical Piemontese fare, and it was delicious. The pasta with butter and sage, called Tajarin, was my favorite. It’s an egg pasta made with 30 egg yolks, giving it a deep yellow color.

After the lunch, our driver picked us up and we were off to our next wine tasting at Marchesi di Alfieri in San Martino Alfieri . This vineyard has been producing wine since 1696 and the castle located here is still in use by the family as a summer home. We toured the grounds and cellar and then enjoyed tasting their wines. You can also book a stay in the dwelling house on the property.

This was the end of our activities for day one. We were dropped off at our B&B around 6:30pm. Since lunch had been SO much food, we opted to make a quick run to the local grocer and get some snacks to tide us over. We spent the evening relaxing outside on the patio, taking in the views.

Day one (and the evening before) was a great way to start off the trip. Check back for Day 2, we rented a vespa to tour the Barolo area.

Italy Travel Diary - Day 1: Neive and San Martini Alfieri

Italy Travel Diary- Day 2: Barolo on a vespa!

A Guide to Visiting the wine region of Piedmont, Italy