Alba and the hills of Le Langhe
For Italians, the city of Alba and the surrounding hills of Le Langhe basically mean only two things.: white truffles and red wine. Actually, the area abounds in mushrooms more delicate and aromatic than the black truffle variety found more in the south, and among the wines Barolo is made here, considered the "king of Italian red wines" and the light and fragrant Nebbiolo.
On the hills around the city there are many cantinas, wine museums. The best of them are located in Barolo, Annunziata and Grinzane di Cavour (access by direct buses from Alba, although you can only hitchhike between them).
Even though all these great cantinas also sell wine., cheaper you can buy them in one of the smaller, family cantinas scattered throughout the area. Most of the wines produced in this area are made from the same type of grapes, Nebbiolo, and the final taste of the wine depends on the substrate, on which the grapes grow: sandy soil gives birth to grapes well suited for bright red Nebbiolo, and soil rich in calcium and minerals, grapes for stronger Barolo.
Alba
Whether, whether you want to try wine or not, ALBAA is worth visiting because of its center, one of the most charming in Piedmont . They consist of brick medieval towers, Renaissance and Baroque palaces and cobbled, streets full of different pubs. If you are playing in Alba in October, you can witness great fun: the annual donkey race takes place then, which is to be a playful counterweight to the prestigious palio from neighboring Asti.
Among the monuments stands out rising to Piazza Risorgimento late-gothic, colourfully renovated Duomo. In the interior there are beautiful, Renaissance stalls, inlaid with cityscapes , and dummy wardrobes, whose contents seem to be just flying out. But Alba is above all a place for walking and feasting. Main walking artery, Via Vittorio Emanuele, leading from Piazza Savona to the center, is an elegant and busy street. At the exhibitions you can see the most important food products, with which Alba tempts newcomers: blame, Truffles, Cheese, Excellent, but unusual types of mushrooms and furiously sticky nutty-chocolate cookies, called nocciola.
Another, Pleasant, full of winery medieval street is Via Cavour. It is in its vicinity during the October madness that the donkey race and demonstrations of medieval scenes on platforms take place. Every year at the same time a truffle festival is organized, when you can easily spend all your money on spongy truffles or dinner in one of the local refined restaurants.
Alba Area: Le Langhe Hills
0 eight kilometers south of Alba lies the castle of Grinzane di Cavour. In the nineteenth century. it was rented by the Cavour family, and camillo Cavour himself came here for a weekend rest. Today it houses a regional enoteca (wine bar) and the way, restaurant specializing in local cuisine. The first floor is occupied by a folklore museum (Wed-Mon. 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00; closed. I), containing various souvenirs of Cavour (the most personal, is a wooden toilet standing by the bed) and an extremely rich set of tools and farm items, from weasel traps and equipment for the production of grappa vodka, for winter straw boots and devices for cleaning silkworm cocoons. In the afternoons there is a wine tasting here: two glasses cost 500 L, and in addition to very expensive wines there are also such, which for those interested in buying have a completely affordable price.
A few kilometers southwest of Grinzane, in the middle of the hills of Le Langhe, lies the best known among gourmets of Italian wine BAROLO. This village, full of vines located among the vines, painted in peach, apricot or yellow-red houses, is small, but fully adapted to receive constantly and numerous wealthy wine connoisseurs coming here. Decorated with turrets, but a somewhat neglected castle can be found Cantina Marchesidi Barolo (Fri-Wed. 10.00-12.30 and 15.00-18.30), while for the price of 56000L for two people you can afford an evening with dinner in the restaurant Hotel Barolo (• 0173/55191), known in the area for its prowess and strict adherence to evening dresses.
Near, north of Barolo, the old village of LA MORRA is located, from where there are nice views of the nearby, undulating hills. Especially beautifully located is the hotel and restaurant Behedere, where also there is a cantina (Wed-Fri. 11.00-12.30 and 14.30-17.30, closed. I i II). You can try it and possibly buy wine, and in the well-stocked local grocery stores there is a large selection of local cheeses. Being here on Monday, however, you can go to the market and buy a trifle at a bargain price.
Cantina has maps of walking trails leading through the vine, the most interesting of which leads to ANNUNZIATA. About half an hour down the hill there is a private wine museum, Museo Ratti (Mon-Fri. 8.30-12.00 and 14.30-18.00, Sb. i nd. you need to make an appointment by phone; • 0173/50185). It is located in the rotten basement of the Renaissance abbey, and next to it is a cantina by Ratti. The museum is interesting mainly for wine lovers, but it has a number of truly unusual exhibits: huge barrel for crushing grapes, Primitive, a wine transport device consisting of an elongated barrel on a shaking trolley, and a collection of Roman wine vessels. The most interesting, however, is a letter from a participant of the expedition to the Arctic., in appreciation of the Ratti family. This traveler praises the quality of the Barolo produced by them, which managed to withstand the harsh travel conditions and harsh climate of the North Pole.
Wine in Ratti cantina is expensive, and you need to buy at least six bottles. However, a kilometer further along the road towards La Morra there is a small family cantina, where wine is much cheaper and sold on bottles. In La Morra there are two hotels for those in need of accommodation: Italy on the main road (• 0173/50310) and Belvedere (0173/50190), above the restaurant in Piazza Castello.