It’s perfect. I’ve had clients in the past literally put a pin in a map (maybe not a literal pin but you get the point..), choosing the region for its geographic location.
We have the Alps to our north, west and south. A trip to the mountains is easy. 1-2 hours and you’re in the high peaks. From the rear of my house I have Mont Blanc in view, the Matterhorn, the Klein Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Monviso (the mountain used for the Paramount movies logo).
Once you’re in the heart of the mountains it’s spectacular. I love Col de Nivolet, personally. It was used in the 1969 movie The Italian Job. Cool!
To discover
We have vineyards, hazelnut orchards, and lavender and sunflower fields. The hills go from 600m high peeks down to 200m gently rolling hills that match anything in Tuscany.
We have beautiful small towns to discover. You have all the Barolo towns - Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga, Grinzane Cavour, Castiglione Falletto - be sure to visit Bar Renza there.
Then, the not so well known ones in my area of Roero, for example. We have Canale. It’s a wonderful town to visit. In the Monferrato, you have Montemagno and Celle Monte. They are fantastic and there are lots more places to discover.
There are literally thousands of wineries to visit and twice as many restaurants and fantastic cafes.
And we’re still in Piedmont!!
What's nearby?
Now, for me, this is what is really great. This weekend we went to Lake Como. We stayed in Cadenabbia, right opposite Bellagio. Fantastic! What an amazing place. And the best part is that it’s only 3 hours from our home near Alba! And it’s an easy 3-hour drive.
The coast is 90 mins away. Provence, France is only a 4-hour drive and the drive is amazing.
Last month we went to the Dolomites. Drop the top on the car and just drove around the passes to see the stunning peaks, drank coffee and wine and mostly stood in awe at how amazing this area is. AND it’s only a 4-hour drive from Alba. Stop off in Vicenza on the way - it’s wonderful. I love the cafes and piazzas and villas. And most of all the stunning ladies on bicycles zipping up and down the ancient streets.
Free advice
Here’s some free advice - forget Venice, Verona, Florence and Rome. They are amazing for the reason of history but for the present they suck. Full of tourists, I mean full. Rip-off restaurants, thieving money changers and con artists on the streets. You can’t park, you pay double for coffee so you come away exhausted and broke. American friends just got back from Venice and they hated it.
Here’s the thing - these places are not the real Italy. They're money-making machines. Discover the real Italy. Visit the smaller places, talk to people, get to know how they really are. Eat real Italian food. Go where the workers go for lunch, not places with menus that have photographs of the food. Are you serious?!
So, we’ve just got back from Lake Como. It’s amazing and you could argue it’s another tourist trap. We’re now in October and there were tourists but it was perfect. Go out of season. It was full of people happy to chat, glamorous girls getting content for their Instagram feed, great food and lots of nice cafes and restaurants. And all this is just 3 hours from Piedmont.
I could go on but I won’t. I challenge you to get the map (or Google ‘Alba’) and see what else is within a few hours of this incredible region. Buying a home here makes so much sense.
Just in!!!
Look at this!! Just came in last week and is amazing. Only €590,000!
