From the Nebbiolo wine route to the sea:
Piemonte and Cinque Terre
2008

Day 1. Monday
Arona, Lago Maggiore
The beautiful vacation resort of Arona on the alpine Lake Maggiore is our meeting point and start of the tour. Arona is about 15 minutes from the International Airport of Milano Malpensa. Plan to meet with the group at the Hotel Concorde at 17:00. This outstanding 4-star hotel is on the lake overlooking the medieval castle of Angera and the white capped Alps. It is a nice relaxing treat before adventuring into the busy schedule for the upcoming days. If you make plans to arrive in Arona to enjoy an extra day before we meet , let me know and I can arrange your extra stay with the hotel.

The trip officially starts with an 18:00 orientation on the hotel terrace, where I share some insights into the tour and cuisine, wine and the culture of Piemonte and its many wine and food ‘meccas’. We continue on to celebrate the beginning of the tour at one of my favorite trattoria of Arona in one of the many romantic piazzas or belvedere on the lake.


Day 2. Tuesday
Ghemme and Gattinara DOCG (North Piemonte)

Everyone should pack up, have breakfast, check out and be ready to leave by 09:00 for our short drive to the town of Ghemme, located in the kingdom of the Nebbiolo grape of North Piemonte. The Ghemme DOCG is a particularly structured wine to be enjoyed with the local cuisine, which is based on game and risotto with porcini mushrooms.

In Ghemme we visit the organic winery Bianchi producing, among the many Nebbiolos, a wine not easily found in Canada called Erbaluce Passito. This dessert wine is made with the white grape of Erbaluce, which are left to dry for months before fermenting. A meditation wine!

Then we move on to Gattinara, just on the other side of the river, home of another Nebbiolo based DOCG. We stop by the Enoteca Regionale of Gattinara to taste all the Gattinaras of the area and then we go visit the Travaglini winery, producing one of the best Gattinara Riserva I have ever had! The focus of the tasting is to understand the differences between this producer and the others, differences I found to be very unique.

Time to check in to our Locanda Anzivino, which is an agriturismo-style accommodation with comfortable traditionally furnished rooms, located in a . . . winery!

Day 3. Wednesday
Cocconato (Asti)

Everyone should pack up, have breakfast, check out and be ready to leave by 09:00 for our drive through the countryside, farms and rice fields of Central Piemonte. We cross the river Po and we arrive at Monferrato, in the heart of Barbera.
Cocconato is our destination and home base for the next two days. We check in to the Locanda Martelletti hosting a world-renowned restaurant, one of the most alluring places to taste the true Piemontese cuisine!
In the afternoon we go for a visit and tasting of the winery Dezzani. Here you can really experiment as there are many small grape varieties and wines to be discovered! I am sure you have a lot of questions to ask to the wine maker!
Later on we are free to stroll the village and discover its many beautiful corners overlooking the valley and vineyards of Monferrato.


Day 4. Thursday
Vignale Monferrato

The medieval village of Vignale Monferrato and the ancient Enoteca Regionale of Monferrato is today’s focal point of interest. The short drive ends in the central piazza at Vignale where the 14th century Palazzo Callori awaits us. This dominant palace hosts the Enoteca in its dungeons where hundreds of local Monferrato wine producers are displayed. As we try very hard to taste as many “labels” as we can, our professional host Deborah drives us through the galleries and the history of the Enoteca and Palazzo and makes us discover the secrets of the ‘Infernot’, an area of the cellars where the best wines were kept.
After having gained a bit more understanding of the wines of Monferrato, we are ready to visit some producers of the area. We then go back to Cocconato to relax and enjoy the many hotel amenities.


Day 5. Friday
Castiglione Falletto (Langhe - Barolo)

From Monferrato to Langhe! One of the most beautiful routes in the world through hectares of vineyards and ancient noble castles.
We drive through the wine area of Roero, home of the basic Piemontese grapes: the white Arneis and the reds Nebbiolo and Barbera. We stop at the winery Angelo Negro, one of the oldest wine makers in the area and enjoy a tasting and a walk in the vineyards.
Then we cover the remaining few kilometers and we reach the heart of the 11-village Barolo region, the village of Castiglione Falletto, our home base for the next four days. I found this small village, with its stony fortress, to be one of the most attractive in the area. Its castle has a lot of wild caper bushes on its walls and the Hotel Le Torri and the adjacent Ristorante Le Torri are among the best of the area in service and customer care. And this is the hotel where we check in!

Day 6. Saturday
COOKING DAY!!! Truffles, truffles, truffles!

Today is the day to become acquainted with the true Italian cuisine! The one with a Piemontese accent! (By the way . . . I want you to tell me, at the end of this tour, what the Piemontese accent sounds like!!!!)
We depart in the morning for a short drive to the village of Roddino where the agriturismo Iride is located. Our chef Isaia explains the basics of the Piemontese cuisine and demos to us a few dishes in his cuisine. Then we start to cook with our own hands: tajerin, bunnet, bagna cauda and many other specialties from the area. Truffle is not to be missed! We learn all the secrets for picking, cleaning and preparing them. Then the serious stuff: we taste, actually, we EAT what we just cooked as we discuss over the wine pairings!
In the afternoon we are off to visit the winery of Paolo Scavino, one of the most famous producers of Barolo.
His majesty 'The Barolo' awaits us at the Enoteca Regionale located in the magnificent castle. We taste, learn and visit the museum and castle with a local guide.
The challenge of this visit, today, is to recognize an old style Barolo producer from a new style Barolo producer!


Day 7. Sunday
Saluzzo, Pollenzo and Alba
We depart early in the morning to reach the village of Saluzzo, at the foot of the Alps, hosting one of the most characteristic fresh produce market. We have free time in the morning to visit and shop.
After lunch we depart to visit the new, unique and first in the world Universita’ del Gusto (University of Taste) founded by Slow Food, where you can take (not today!!) a degree in Gastronomic Sciences and a Masters to become a professional taster of wine and food. A brand new profession and very fashionable today!
The University also features the La Banca del Vino (wine bank) where many Italian wines are kept. But for what? Intriguing, isn’t it? Let’s discover it together.
On the way back to the hotel, we have some free time (for shopping?) in the town of Alba, which is certainly known for its truffles and porcini mushrooms. But do you know that Alba was also one of the richest towns during the Roman Empire? Nowadays, it preserves numerous monuments 2,000 years old!

Day 8. Monday
Barbaresco
After breakfast we drive downhill and then uphill again to the village of Barbaresco. Some people call the Barbaresco wine the smaller brother of Barolo. I totally disagree. Do you want to know why? We answer to this today when we enter this world!
We start with a visit and tasting at the winery Moccagatta located in one of the best exposed vineyards of this region: Rabaja.
Then we stop in the main village 'piazza' to visit the unique ‘church’ hosting the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco.
We finish the day by visiting another couple of producers: Cantina del Glicine and Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative that showcases a very affordable and high quality Barbaresco.
In the evening we go back to our home base in Castiglione.


Day 9. Tuesday
Langhe-Cinque Terre
a cultural site of outstanding value (World Heritage Committee)
After a 3 hour drive, we arrive to the sea, late in the morning and the afternoon is free for the participants, until time for the final dinner, around 8pm, as we cheer our Arrivederci! And no tears allowed, please! We will be back!!!

Day 10. Wednesday
Cinque Terre - End tour
Today is the last day of our tour. After breakfast in the hotel all the participants are free to organize the rest of their vacation as they wish.

Here are some alternatives:

1) Stay extra days in the Cinque Terre in the same hotel. Please, advise me early if you decide for this option, so I can communicate the extension to the hotel in advance.

2) Stay extra days in Cinque Terre in a different hotel of your choice.

3) Use the train (20-minute ride) to go to the nearest city La Spezia to connect (air or train) with to the rest of the country.

TIPS FOR CINQUE TERRE
After the extravagant past days, you deserve to spend the last day of the tour in a unique site, proclaimed a world heritage site by UNESCO. The Cinque Terre are five small villages embedded like stones in the rocks, rapidly descending to the sea. The best way to travel here is by train, boat or by foot. Remember that this is a day to rest, enjoy the water view and cradle with the soothing sound of the sea waves.
From the hotel, you can take the short and beautiful train ride to any of the other villages.
A convenient and inexpensive daily pass, that can be bought at any train station, is a hassle-free way to travel in Cinque Terre. Don't miss a walk on the world-famous trail on the sea cliff called “La Via dell’Amore”. No words for this unbeatable scenario!
If you want, you can also take a boat ride to copmplete your 'village-hopping' day! You will have lots of time to discover their culinary products and to stop at the enoteche to try the above mentioned Sciacchetra’.

Of course, wine is not missing. Manpower was able to cultivate these steep mountains by building terraces. The challenge is up at harvest time! Monorails with carts are driven by patient farmers who go up and down several times to harvest just a few bunches. The most cultivated grape is Vermentino, whose wine is best paired with the local fish cuisine. One of the best dessert wines I have ever tried is produced on these hills. It is unfortunately not known in Canada and it is called Sciacchetra’, which is definitely something to try. It will make the entire trip worthwhile!