Make sure to read about what to do in the Piemonte in my post here!

Stay

If you visit the Piemonte area, make sure to stay in an Agriturismo, or a working farm house.  Agriturismos are similar to a B&B in the states.  They are small family run homes that own land (maybe farmland or in this region vineyards, fruit trees, and hazelnut trees) and are allowed to rent out rooms of their home for supplemental income not to exceed 50%.  You get to live with very accommodating locals, surrounded by vineyards.  It is heaven on earth.

The past two years we’ve stayed at Agriturismo Tre Stelle, owned by the sweetest couple Michele and Adriana.  The views from each bedroom, the breakfast and living room, and large patio are to die for, overlooking vineyards and out to Barbaresco town (see below!).  It is my favorite spot!  Each morning you get breakfast with homemade jams from their local produce and hazelnut cake, among other things.  If you’re lucky, you may even get to tour their personal winery in the basement and sample their very own wines.  It’s a very small production, only enough for family and friends.  We love staying at Agriturismo Tre Stelle!

 

We have also stayed in the past at Agriturismo La Maridiona and had the best time.  The owner is so very gracious and helped us plan our week when we knew absolutely nothing of the region.  The rooms are very spacious, hospitality is abundant, and they have a killer pool for the warmer months.

Eat

Now onto the food!  Visit our favorite restaurants from the years, first up and our top choice being TaSté in Tre Stelle, a ten minute walk from Agriturismo Tre Stelle.  The building the restaurant is renovated from an old school house.  The restaurant’s decor is so tastefully done, Mel and I were in love with it all.  They had a nod to their roots with black and white school pictures of past students hung on the walls.  Even the current mayor of Barbaresco went to school here, and they have his signed school photo hanging up!  I just love that they kept the history of the building, while managing to serve locals and tourists alike.

It’s a family run restaurant, and our server and his father created the wine cellar below the restaurant and he even showed us a video on his iphone of his grandma making our plin pasta.  All of the food was either local from their garden or hand-made by their family members.  The gracious people, tasteful decor, and fresh, tasty food made our experience an 11 out of 10.  We were so smitten with the beautiful restaurant TaSté!

 

We also love eating dinner at Eno Club in downtown Alba.  The restaurant is in a wine cellar and is beautifully done with great food.  This year we went at 7:30p and were basically the first people in the restaurant (Italians eat late) but were some of the last to leave at 11:30p.  We ended up having such a great time with our friends we didn’t realize we spent four hours at dinner!  When in Italy do as the Italians do right? : )

 

Another favorite lunch spot is Donna Selvatica in Nieve.  The restaurant has large windows overlooking the vineyards and the view is breathtaking.

 

Check out Piemonte Part 1 here for more info on the Piemonte and where to get the best wine tour : )