A Week in Piedmont--Part 2
Day 5: We left for a guided tour of Grinzane Cavour Castle, and then we had an interesting tour of a locally owned Hazelnut Farm. We learned all about his method of roasting hazelnuts, and we also had an opportunity to taste many samples of their products. Following lunch at Taste Restaurant, a converted school house in the Barberesco grape area, we returned to our hotel. Dinner that evening was at Locanda Cannubie, another good restaurant in the region.
Day 6: We drove to the Gavi wine region, and along the way we stopped for a tour of a privately owned castle in the town of Ovada. After that tour, we drove to Villa Sparina, where we had a tour of that wine cellar, followed by lunch. And then it was on to the final destination of Stresa, on Lake Maggiore, where we stayed at the elegant Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees. Dinner that night was another a la carte menu in their elegant restaurant.
Day 7: We had time on our own that morning, and we used it to walk into town. At 2:30, we boarded a private boat to Isola Bella for a tour of Borromeo Palace. In late afternoon, we took the private boat to Isola de Pescatori, where we had our Farewell Dinner and reception.
In conclusion, we were blessed with perfect weather and a good group of travelers, as well as a seasoned guide of Italy, Scott. We didn't stay an extra day in Stresa, as we had been there before, and we were also heading to Matera, to start the Puglia tour.
Comments
We are thinking of tacking on another Italy tour to Puglia. How did you travel to Matera?
We used ITA from Stresa.
jteiii, thank you so very much for getting some much needed info on the forum about this trip. I have a few questions:
1) Did you feel that hiking boots were necessary for the truffle hunting? And how hilly is the terrain? (I am not a fan of steep and slippery).
2) Did you see much in the way of fall colors in the region in early October?
3) My husband does not drink wine. Were there any non-wine drinkers in your group and did they seem bored? (He does love beautiful scenery, photography and great food so I am hoping he won't be totally bored. )
4) Did you feel that dinners were "dressier" than on other Tauck trips in similar settings?
5) Did you happen to chat with any of the people who were staying an extra day in Stresa? Did they have specific plans?
Thank you!
jteiiiv - do you mean ITA from Milan to Bari?
Wan: I did fine with my "walking shoes" (sneakers) and so did my husband. There was an incline walking back, but everyone but one person was able to do it. We went basically the first week in October, and although it was gorgeous, the leaves, for the most part, hadn't turned. There were two people on the tour who didn't drink. I don't know how they felt about it, because no one wanted to question their non-drinking. In my opinion, because so much of the daily activities include wine and wineries, it would not be a favorite tour for non-drinkers. There are two dinners where people got dressed up--the two excellent dinners--but they were both in hotels. Up to you! The few people I talked to who were spending an extra day in Stresa were using the spa at the hotel.
Goddess--Yes, ITA, Milan to Bari.
Thank you for the review. Very informative.
I assume that there were substitute drinks for those who did not take part in the wine drinking? Of course many people are beginning to abstain from alcohol purely for health reasons and certainly doctors are advising it. It seems Tauck travelers are big drinkers which is why there are so many winery visits more and more, which is not why I take tours. I would be much happier seeing a lot more sites with a quick sandwich lunch instead of filling in time with a two hour lunch and the so common ‘free time’ which is not free, you’ve paid for it!
If a country is known for its wine, then there are winery tours and more wine at meals. You won't get that in Scandinavia!
😀Which is why I enjoyed Scandinavia this year, we saw a lot of the country.
jteiii - thanks!
British--Yes, of course, there were other liquids offered all throughout the trip!
Clarification - Scandinavia is a region, not a country. There are a few burgeoning wineries in Sweden, but I agree the focus on traveling to the region is on history, culture and the beautiful landscapes. Try the akvavit/aquavit, especially in Denmark.
I agree with Goddess that certain regions—Italy and France for example—are known for their superb wines. It is not so much the winery itself but the beautiful locations of these wineries that make them so appealing to me.
add Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina...........lots of Wine Countries/Regions out there.
And Portugal.
jteiii, thanks again for posting and for the additional info! I am really looking forward to our (rescheduled) departure in June!
I have used Trainline.com for train reservations in Italy and also in France. It’s an easy website to make a train reservation. It’s not important at all to be on the 2nd level on a train. It’s more important to reserve a seat near the luggage racks to you have eyes on your luggage. This past May, we took the train from Rome to Bari. Tauck picked us up in Bari to start the Puglia tour. The first hotel was quite a distance from the train station almost an hour car ride.
I too have used trainline.com for tickets in Spain. It as much easier to use than the train companies website.
My husband and I are just back from this tour and I don't have too much to add to jteiii's excellent report, except to also say that this tour is DELIGHTFUL. In our case, it was especially delightful as only 7 people showed up. Not sure what happened to the others, since this tour had been full just a few weeks prior to departure. We also had Scott, a very bubbly and enthusiastic TD who is eager to teach all about Italian culture and the history of this region which is historically a part of Savoia.
This is a part of Italy that is very different than what you will see in the usual tourist locations. Torino has a very elegant historical center. As mentioned, I was not prepared to be so impressed by the Egyptian Museum which has a world-class collection. We hired a private guide for this, and went on the day of the Welcome Dinner, having arrived one day early. (Definitely check for closures as mentioned.) Torino was not nearly as crowded as I expected, and everything seemed clean and orderly. We also on our own toured the Royal Palace, which I had heard was somewhat ho-hum compared to other European palaces, but I really enjoyed it especially the Armory room and the gorgeous baby cradle with the giant angel watching over. If we had had time we would have liked to also go to the Lavazza Museum but it is farther away.
The Principi di Piemonte is a very nice hotel and the staff there is fantastic. The concierge, Silvia, is a true gem and if you write to her in advance she can help you with anything. She was so great that I brought her a gift from home. As far as the spa, it was smaller than the Stresa hotel but very nice. The pool was also smaller.
The Boscareto Resort is fabulous. Incredible views of vineyards as far as the eye can see. And breakfast is right there on the terrace, with the sweetest staff taking care of you. I was ready to move in permanently. I agree the dinner we had there was also fabulous. The pool and spa were lovely but the pool could have been heated 3-5 more degrees. A little tough to get in to, but refreshing once I did.
The Grand Hotel des Iles Borromee in Stresa is really over the top as far as decorations. And I thought the staff at reception was a little snooty. But the dinner there was very good. The restaurant staff, however, is not with it. There are plenty of them wandering around the dining room, they just did not seem to be willing to help and it was not always easy to get their attention. There are plenty of large hotels along the lake. I let Tauck know that it might be time to look at another option. I will say that their spa and pools are beautiful. The best of the trip.
Regarding weather, it was warm. At the start of the trip in mid June, we were getting highs of about 85. By the end it was 90. I was grateful that this was a pace level 2 trip with free time every afternoon (or morning), so that I could use the pools. I don't normally like to go to Europe in the summer, but figured we would be ok with weather in Northern Italy. Temps were about 15-20 degrees higher than usual during that week. It doesn't sound terrible but if you are out walking around in it, it can be draining. Fortunately a lot of the historic center of Torino is porticoed and that helped. This trip is all about the wine, as mentioned, and the heat made wine less appealing for me. Another heat negative: flies and mosquitoes. Bring insect repellant if you are sensitive. Lots of meals were taken outdoors.
Regarding food and wine, we had excellent meals on this trip, but don't expect a lot of tomato sauce over your pasta. The Savoia style is lots of cheese, cream and butter. Risotto is popular. Our favorite meal was the cooking class, which was fantastic. We made Tajarin, the skinny tagliatelle egg noodles and had it with the black truffles that we found. Yum. We tried all kinds of wines on this trip. I prefer whites and was delighted with the Arneis in the region.
The only change in our itinerary from what jteIII mentioned is that our day 5 dinner was at La Torricella, an agriturismo with a restaurant. It was lovely and the food was very good.
We arrived for this trip by an easy high speed train ride from Florence. We also departed from the Torino airport which is small and very convenient, if you can find a suitable flight.
This would be a really nice trip to add on to another tour if it works out, since it is very enjoyable and not taxing.
Many thanks to jteiii for tips offered in advance of the trip.
Northern Italian food is NOT tomato sauce based. Thanks for pointing that out. People are so shocked when they discover that Italian food differs based on where in the country you are dining!
I was fortunate to visit Alba during the International Truffle Fair. I highly recommend spending a day at this festival, which typically runs from mid-October through early December.