Wine heaven in La Morra & Piedmont
La Morra, Piedmont
We love wine and have increasingly started to enjoy traveling for wine. Frequently wine travel brings both beautiful landscape and great food, which we obviously don’t mind.
This trip was to Piedmont in northern Italy. It is one of the best wine-growing regions in Italy and arguably no other region in the world that compares to Piedmont’s combination of fine wines and gastronomy.
Piedmont
Piedmont is a region in northern Italy and have a population of 4.4 million. The capital is Turin that is well known for Fiat and the football team Juventus. South of Turin is the primary wine district and characterized by larger villages such as Alba and Asti as well as charming smaller villages such as Barolo, La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba.
The Villages
Quick introduction to the different areas. Our strong recommendation is to stay in La Morra and make excursions to the other parts of Langhe and Piedmont. Quite small distances between the villages and from La Morra to Barolo is less than 5km for example.
- Alba – Large town with roughly 30 000 in population. We prefer to make a stop here but live in the smaller villages.
- La Morra – Our favourite village and where we have stayed both times. Great location for restaurants, wineries and other villages.
- Barbaresco – Cozy village with great producer Gaja in the middle of the town. Eat at Campamac, visit Barbaresco Tower for a great view and buy some wine from local producers a the church.
- Barolo – Village on a small plateau and feels slightly more touristy. Make a stop at the wine museum and Borgono.
- Serralunga d’Alba – Small, quiet sleep village. Home to the great Vinoteca Centro Storico restaraurant and one of the best preserved castles from the 14th century.
When to visit
You can visit Piedmont throughout the year and every season has its charm. The summer is always nice with varm weather. Fall is our personal favourite just before the harvests and beautiful colors. Don’t go there in mid August as there is a big national holiday and a lot is closed. September and October is also very popular with truffle season and the truffle festival in Alba.
The Wine
The wines are great. Primarily known for its red wines but you can also find great wines from the region. The best known grape is Nebbiolo that often is referred to as “king of wines” and goes into the wines Barolo and Barbesco. Nebbiolo comes from the word “nebbia” which means fog, which the area is well known for.
You should a try a few of the region wines and schedule in a few visits to different wineries. We preferred to combine a few larger, commercial ones with smaller, authentic ones.
- Borgogno – One of the older wine houses from 1761. Located in the middle of Barolo village and great view from their tower.
- Ceretto – Large producer with good tastings. Produced great barbesco wine but also arneis that you have to try!
- Elio Altare – Family owned with winery with amazing wines!
- Aurelio Settimo – Also family owned with great tradition, quality and sustainable farming. Great wines too, of course.
The Food
Just thinking about the food from Piedmont makes it water in our mouths. The region is home to slow food movement and you will enjoy long lunches and dinners combined with their wines. Our favourites are:
- Osteria Veglio – Just outside La Morra and combine with visit to Aurelio Settimo or Elio Altare. Great good. Ask for a table on the terrace.
- La Piola – Located in Alba and bistro to the three star restaurant Piazza Duomo.
- More e Macine – Trattoria in La Morra that we frequently ends up. Simple menu, good setting and try their ragu.
- Vinoteca Centro Storico – Located in calmer Serralunga d’Alba and must visit. Owner Ciccio is great and charismatic. Great wine list and try his cured ham.
- Ristorante Bovio – Fine dining in La Morra with one of the best views you will find.
- Campamac Osteria – Located in Barbaresco with great food. Beautiful design and worth a stop in the village.
Where to stay
We strongly recommend to start from La Morra. First time we stayed at Uve and most recently at Rocche Costamagna Art Suites. Both of the hotels are amazing and can highly recommend. Uve is located in the middle of the village and prices start at $140. Rocche Costamagna is smaller and slightly cheaper.
If you prefer to live in the middle of one of the vineyards then check out Palas Cerequio. Unique hotel right in the middle of one of the best Cru in Piedmont. One older part from 1800’s and a modern section.
During the recent trip we also made a stop for two nights at Le Case della Saracca in Monforte d’ Alba. Unique hotel in a medieval setting and one of a kind. Owner Giulio also have a restaurant in the same building that you have to visit.
What to do
Eat and drink. We spent most of the days doing some physical activity such as running och renting a bike combined with a visit to a vineyard and restaurant. There are both traditional bikes and electric bikes. We went for traditional bikes which we sorely regretted on the way up to La Morra.
Recommendation would be to visit a village, book a nice lunch and/or dinner and a visit to a winery every day. You can easily spend 4-5 days doing this and enjoying the calm life here.
Final words
If you love wine and great food, then you should visit Piedmont and La Morra. It is only 1.5 hour away from Milano so rent a car and drive to wine country. Combination of great wine, beautiful landscape, amazing food and friendly locals is something we have never experienced before!
La Morra & Piedmont
Google Maps
Plus
Great wines & producers
The food & restaurants
Beautiful scenery
Only 1.5h from Milan
Minus
None, really.