Piedmont Countryside Holidays

The Piedmont Countryside is north-western Italy’s answer to Tuscany – expect sweeping vistas filled with green-gold vineyards and castle-crowned medieval towns.

Gavi village is the gateway to some of the finest wines in Piedmont, including the Cortese di Gavi – a DOCG dry white. The town of Pollenzo takes wine even more seriously. It was built on viticulture (AKA the science of winemaking), and comes with a 19^th-century University of Gastronomic Sciences and a Wine Bank.

Elsewhere, the Michelin Guide has given some of the smaller hamlets a nod: Benevello, for instance, where you can stay in a 19^th-century farmhouse­. Serralunga d’Alba is primed for foodie adventuring, too, thanks to its spot between Alba (for white truffles), Barolo (for red wine) and Bra (the Slow Food movement’s HQ).

You don’t have to stick to one place, either. The rolling region of Piedmont lends itself to walking and cycling tours that bounce from vineyard to village to hotel and back again. We recommend our self-guided Gastronomic Barolo Cycling Holiday.