Discover Barbaresco and the Monferrato by way of the hills and vineyards made famous by Cesare Pavese.
"Borderlands III - wine & poetry in Monferrato" costs €1.395 per person based on two sharing; it is of medium difficulty.
Book March, April, May, June, September, October, November.
Cesare Pavese’s gift to the popular imagination was his beloved Langhe-Monferrato. Through his pen these iconic wine hills of southern Piemonte were more than simply landscape: they became a living being.
Meanwhile these hills produce some of Italy’s great wines: Barbaresco, Moscato, Ruché, Barbera, Grignolino. The list goes on and the cuisine is of a quality to match.
The walk departs from the steps of Alba cathedral, on which the unnamed narrator of Pavese’s most famous novel, ‘La Luna e i Falò’, was found; and visits Pavese’s home towns of Canelli and Santo Stefano Belbo.
Finish in the historic spa resort of Acqui Terme. Wine and food infuse days spent passing through this UNESCO world heritage site.
Borderlands III – Wine & Poetry in the Monferrato costs €1.395 per person, based on two sharing. There is a €300 single-occupancy supplement. Solo travellers pay €1.795.
There is a 15% surcharge for travel from September 1st to November 15th.
Six nights bed & breakfast in characteristic accommodation • Wine tastings as indicated • MTW-published booklet containing detailed walking instructions and background information • Pre-and post-trip briefings with our Local Manager • The Local Manager is on call 24/7 to help with questions or problems, large or small • Your bags moved ahead of you. You can ride in the vehicle in the morning if you’d like to shorten or skip a day.
Flights and other transfers • Insurance • Meals other than where highlighted in the itinerary.
The walk starts in Alba and finishes in Acqui Terme.
Arrive via Turin, from where there is a direct rail line to Alba. Return from Turin, Genova or Milan (Milan services change in Turin or Genova).
Airport transfers can be arranged. Enquire for details.
We recommend stopping over in Turin to explore this elegant, fascinating and lively city, and can book an excellent 4-star hotel in the city centre for you. Enquire for details.
We also recommend taking a second night in Alba and Acqui Terme as those cities, too, richly reward a day of exploration.
Extend your walking with Borderlands I or Borderlands II, both of which finish in Alba, where this trip starts. (Booking either of these automatically creates a second night in Alba.)
Although the walking is steep in places, there is never more than thirty minutes of uphill exertion. The surface can be loose underfoot, and slippery in the rain. We always recommend proper walking shoes and walking poles.
The longest walk is 20km and the shortest is 8km.
Borderlands III is open from 1 April to 30 June, and from September 1 to November 30. We can organise travel in July and August by request, but do not recommend it as the heat can be stifling and creates a haze which can restrict the views.
The white truffle season is October through to December and the grape harvest is generally September and October.
Check in to your three-star hotel close to the city centre. There are regular trains to Alba from Turin’s Porta Susa station.
We recommend staying an extra night to better explore this handsome and historic city. If you are doing one or both of the other ‘Borderlands’ walks, then you will automatically gain a night.
Your first walk climbs out of Alba in the direction of the world famous Barbaresco vineyards. One of the four Barbaresco towns is a convenient lunchtime staging post. You can stop in at the local comunal co-operative for a bite to eat and to taste some local wines.
The walk continues to a second Barbaresco village. Your accommodation here is a nineteenth-century farmhouse immersed in the vines. Relax in the outdoor pool and enjoy the far-reaching views.
Leave the hills of Barbaresco and enter the heart of Monferrato. Gnarled old Moscato vines, growing low to the ground, make sweet and delectably perfumed wines.
Ridges and woodland trails take you to the town of Canelli, one of the prestigious named villages for production of Moscato d’Asti. Bottlings here are allowed to name Canelli on the label and this is a mark of quality.
Your hotel is a luxurious Villa in a fine location. Enjoy the spa and pool, then take a pre-dinner aperitivo on the terrace.
Rest the legs in the hotel pool, take a gentle stroll along the via degli innamorati (‘lovers’ road’) circular footpath, and explore this fascinating wine town.
Included in your trip fee is a visit to one of the famous sparkling wine cellars, the underground cathedrals as they are called, for which Canelli became a UNESCO world heritage site in and of itself.
Carlo Gancia invented Italian méthode champenoise sparkling wine here in 1865, and the Gancia winery still exists today. His influence, and that of Cesare Pavese, continues to resonate even today.
The scenery changes to more rolling hills, and you begin to find the iconic wheat fields of southeast Piemonte separating the vines and woodlands you have enjoyed so far.
Your destination is a small wine town with a long history. Your three-star hotel with excellent attached restaurant in the village centre enjoys far-reaching views. Climb a viewing platform in the colourful village centre for some photos of the extraordinary landscape.
Your final day of walking takes in the vineyards of Nizza Monferrato and Acqui Terme, where the red grapes Barbera and Brachetto dominate.
Barbera is a full-bodied, juicy red; Brachetto, by contrast, is a highly aromatic, delicate grape which makes a sweet sparkling red, made to be served ice cold.
Acqui Terme has Roman origins, as an important staging post on the road to Alba (Alba Pompeia) and Turin (Augusta Taurinorum), and, most importantly, one with a natural source of hot water. The Romans loved their thermal baths.
Modern Acqui is a delight to visit, where the fountains in the piazze run with hot water.
