Barolo, Truffles & walking costs €2345 per person, based on two sharing. There is a €300 single-occupancy supplement.
The trip takes in the wonderful festival of the Cisrà, a traditional soup, in the town of Dogliani.
Enjoy magical accommodation on a working winery, superb walking, winery visits and a wine tasting with James, along with excellent meals. The temperature is perfect for walking, and the stove in the cosy breakfast room at Casa Pecchenino is lit.
The Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Barbera vines are a dazzling pallette of reds and golds, and, if we’re lucky, a glimpse of the Alpine chain appears while we’re out and about.
Five rooms are available on our magical autumn trip to the UNESCO world heritage site of Langhe-Roero, home of Barolo and the legendary white truffle.
The trip runs from Sunday 2nd to Friday 7th November. You will need to make your way to the town of Bra to meet on the first morning. (You can get there easily by train: see below.) So, arrive in Turin on Saturday 1st or earlier. We will drop you back in Turin to meet the evening connection (flight or rail) – on the last day.
BA and Easyjet fly from Gatwick daily. The TGV connection from Paris to Turin is a lovely option, taking under 5 hours and with tickets often at a reasonable price.
The trip price is only €2345 per person, based on two sharing (single supplement €300). It is all-inclusive (excluding flights and accommodation outside the trip dates) and, with its mix of walking, scenery, wine, food and language, is a magical way to spend a few days in autumn. Contact us for more information or to book.
This trip is all-inclusive apart from flights and insurance.
This means transfers as described, accommodation, all meals with wine, a masterclass Barolo tasting presentation with James, two further tastings with winemakers – of which one is partnered by a Cinzia Long legendary picnic, and some fine optional walks.
We stay in two locations. The first is a Piemontese villa in a valley of the western Alps, appointed with understated elegance; and the second is a beautifully restored farmhouse on a working winery in the Barolo hills.
Nowhere in Italy is as proud and committed to the regionality and tradition of its cuisine as Piemonte. Add to this the country’s largest concentration of DOC and DOCG wines (the highest level appellations), including world class Barolo and Barbaresco. This trip is a heaven for lovers of food and wine!
Cinzia chooses all of the menus to paint the full picture of the finest typical regional cuisine, and at least one of the meals is at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
In addition, Cinzia prepares one of her legendary picnics, which we enjoy in the company of a winemaker, who gives a tasting presentation of their wines.
James gives a masterclass tutored tasting of premium Barolo wines, in which we explore the influence of location and climate on the wine.
We will be very happy to accommodate dietary requirements but please do indicate your requests on the form when we send it.
The Alps and Barolo hills are beautiful in Autumn/Fall.
Temperatures are likely to be on the cooler side. Inclement weather can occur, so bring warmer clothes and waterproofs.
The trip includes three delightful walks. One of these is in the higher mountains, where good footwear is essential. We also highly recommend walking poles.
Collections from Bra station (48m train journey from Torino Porta Susa station, every other hour, €5.60) on the morning of Sunday 2nd November with an evening drop-off at Turin airport or Turin city centre on Friday 7th November.
BA fly daily between Turin and Gatwick.
Intercontinental flights land at the Milan airports. Contact us to organise an airport transfer (2.5 – 3.5 hours depending on which airport) or to help with public transport options.
There are regular TGV services between Paris and Turin.
If you would like to explore Turin, then we can book excellent hotels in the city centre for you.
If you extend after the trip, we can help with getting you into the city.
Cinzia has designed a wonderful gastronomic tour of Turin. This is a three-hour walking tour of the city with Cinzia in person. The published price is €150 but she offers this to MTW customers for just €100. Please let us know if you would like to book.
Keen walkers might like to extend with one of our self-guided walking itineraries in Piemonte.
Meet in the city of Bra, from where we transfer to Casa Pecchenino, our first accommodation.
After checking in, hike along a pretty ridge with views of the plain, the hills and the mountains, to the town of Dogliani. Here we can enjoy the ancient festival of the Cisrà, a simple local chickpea soup which can be taken with or without tripe. Tens of thousands come from all around to enjoy the market stalls, food stands, music and, of course, the soup service itself.
The celebrations go on until late in the night. We provide a regular minibus shuttle service to take you the 10 minutes back to the b&b.
After breakfast, transfer to one of the Barolo villages, from where a morning’s walk through vineyards and woodland takes us to Barolo town.
Here, in the famous town centre itself, James gives a special wine tasting showing different crus and vintages of one of the world’s most important red wines. The tasting is followed by lunch in a charming Bistrot, before the afternoon leg of the hike returns us to the beginning.
Dinner is in a Michelin-starred restaurant which is famous throughout the region for its traditional dishes. We will try something special from the cellars!
After breakfast we adjourn to the winery’s tasting room, where a local truffle hunter delivers a magical sensory analysis and historical presentation of this most famous foodstuff.
This is followed by a short walk into local woodland, where the hunter’s dogs will search for the elusive white truffle. This is the real thing: the truffles are not planted beforehand!
We return with (hopefully) a good haul, which you can purchase to take home, if you like. Cinzia Long will buy some to use in a very special picnic, which we will eat in the winery. Alongside the truffle hunt and the picnic, our host will provide an unforgettable tasting of his top quality Alta Langa, Dogliani and Barolo wines.
Walkers have the chance to join James on a 7km circular walk in the afternoon, before dinner in a special restaurant in one of the Barolo villages.
Check out after breakfast, for a one-hour drive to a thirteenth-century abbey at the foot of the Alps.
After visiting the abbey and lunch, we head to the town of Torre Pellice, a historic mountain settlement at the heart of the medieval Protestant reformation, where we stay two nights.
Settle in to the hotel, and explore this historic town, including perhaps a coffee in the caffé where the Partisan movement was born during world war II.
In the evening, enjoy a light dinner in a local trattoria.
We drive up a wild and narrow valley to an ancient settlement, where the local priests from all over Europe came for their training, in spartan surroundings.
After visiting the site, with its visitor centre, we take a mountain hike to a high ridge and enjoy a lunch with extraordinary views in a rifugio. More walking after lunch, if you have the legs for it!
Dinner is in a famous restaurant in the town.
Departure day.
We will drop you at Pinerolo station in the evening, or to Turin airport or city centre at a time of your choosing, for an additional fee. This is by arrangement and will need to be organised together with other guests’ requirements.
Take a morning before departure to visit the excellent Friday market of Torre Pellice. Enjoy a last lunch in a bustling restaurant in the town, and visit one of the museums.
