It’s truffle season!

White truffle season is from September to December when they grow wild in the forests around Alba. So of course, being in Lombardia, we had to take a trip to Le Langhe in Piedmont. This area is famous for its wines, cheeses, and truffles, particularly the white truffles of Alba, which was our first stop. As soon as we parked the car we headed straight to the International Alba White Truffle Fair which takes place from the 8th of October until the 4th of December.

There are several different activities that you can do at the fair from Wine Tasting Experiences to Truffle Sensory Analysis, Cooking Shows and Fresh Pasta Ateliers. Entry with no additional activities is 5 euros per person. We really enjoyed the fair, I mean, give me truffles on anything and I’m happy.

While all truffles are deeply valued, the white truffle from Alba (a particular species called tuber magnatum) is the most desired for its unforgettable flavour. Its earthy flavour is excellent in risotto, pasta, shaved over fried eggs and on meat.

Wine tasting at Villaggio Narrante in Fontanafredda – Casa E. di Mirafiore

After lunch at the Truffle fair, we headed to Fontanafredda, to the Villagio Narrante for a wine-tasting experience. 120 hectares of bio-natural reserve in Serralunga d’Alba, in the heart of Barolo.

Villagio Narrante was founded thanks to Emanuele Alberto, the son of King Vittorio Emanuele II, with the aim of creating a village with a school, a church, a tobacconist, a baker and a recreational club. A real village which became home to 250 people, all employed by the winery, and where 15 families still live today.

There are several different experiences but we went for the Barolo of Serralungo tour at 40€ per person. A guided tour of Fontanafredda’s historical cellars and tasting of three Barolo wines which have made the winery an icon of this wine throughout the world: Barolo DOCG Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo DOCG Proprietà in Fontanafredda, Barolo DOCG Vigna La Rosa.

The tour was brilliant, it was so interesting to learn about the history of the vineyard. Once you’re done with the tour, you get a 10% off voucher that can be redeemed in-store and before buying any of the wines you can ask to taste them first.

Dinner at Rabayá – Restaurant in Barbaresco

For dinner, we went to Rabayá, a restaurant overlooking rolling hills surrounded by miles of vineyards. The restaurant serves classic Piemontese dishes. It was a brilliant experience and even though we went for a set menu they were happy to replace some of the dishes. The Cocotte was one of my favourite dishes, so simple but so good.

Breakfast and Aperitivo in Barbaresco

The following day we visited the tower of Barbaresco, which has 360 views of the Langa and Roero area. The weather was so nice, everyone was outside having late breakfast or starting early on their aperitivo.

Tickets to access the Barbaresco tower are 7€ – 8€ per person (adults).

You can check the website here for more information on discounted tickets.

Neive

Considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Neive is a small village with a population of around 3000. It is mostly visited by visitors looking for agritourism. It is a great day out and the views around the village are incredibly beautiful.

For lunch, we went to Ristorante Naevia which I highly recommend. It serves traditional Piemontese dishes and the service was wonderful. I had the tagliarini al ragu di coniglio, it was delicious. You can get a set menu for 45€ per person excluding wine which includes the following:

Getting there

The easiest way to explore this area and to get to Alba, is by car. It took us around 2 hours to get there from Monza.

By train: From Turin, you can take the train (Trenitalia) and be in Alba in around an hour. From Milan, it’s around 3h 30m with a stop in Turin.

It was such a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to explore more of the area.