Piedmont Tour

Distinctive Character, Unique Locations

For this tour we stay in two locations. We start in Torino, the key city of the region. Our accommodation, the Hotel Concord, is a centrally located 4 star hotel, with all the services that you'd expect, including gym access.

Torino has grand piazzas and a sense of style, in a large part due to the central role it played in governing large areas as the seat of power and royalty.

Our next location is in the heartland of Piedmont, and is a monastery that has converted some rooms into a hotel. Staying here you get a sense of history and tradition, from its frescoed foyer through to dining in what was the theatre from the 1700s.

The Hotel Somaschi is located in the town of Cherasco and has everything you want for the modern age, from wifi through to a swimming pool.

Some reviews of our tours:

“I only really wanted to feedback how much my sister and I had enjoyed being part of the Italy with Pleasure October 2022 small group tour in Sardinia. It was the first time either of us had visited the island and the tour certainly gave us a good introduction to its history and culture, in addition to seeing a lot of the countryside whilst being driven on the tour minibus. We much appreciated the informative Sardinia Tour 2022 booklet given to us at the introductory meeting with Marco, our guide for the week, as well as the other printed handouts given out during our visits. We were fortunate in having a beautiful warm sunny week for our visit - ideal sightseeing weather - and also fortunate that the summer crowds had mostly disappeared so that we often had the archaeological sites to ourselves. We enjoyed all of the visits and also having some free time most evenings to explore our new surroundings; Marco, our guide, was always on hand to give suggestions of things to do or places to eat and to make sure that no member of the group was ever excluded. Whilst it was my first time in Sardinia, I hope it will not be my last, and I have no hesitation in recommending a trip with Italy with Pleasure.”

“The tour was absolutely fabulous. I was able to see and experience things that created once in a lifetime memories. Riccardo was phenomenal. He made sure that our trip was perfect. Any question or request we had, he worked hard to answer/meet. He was so upbeat and fun while dealing with all of our varied personalities! Thanks again for a trip of a life!”

“Everything was perfect! They packaged the hotel, all meals, daily tours to a variety of very special and interesting sites, and handled all of the myriad of details seamlessly. The agency is very customer-service focused and was a pleasure to work with.”

“The tour was terrific as was the hotel accommodation, and Andy was the best! It was well organized and we didn’t skip a beat. That last night at the farmhouse was memorable and the perfect send-off. The tour guides in each of the cities we visited were well informed and did a great job explaining what we were seeing. I highly recommended Italy With Pleasure to people I know that might be interested in travel to Italy. The small group size, and in our tour, Andy, is what makes it happen.”

See these and other reviews on Google Reviews, TripAdvisor and other review sites.

Day 1:  Torino

We start our exploration of Piedmont with an afternoon discovering the best of Torino (Turin). Our focus is on culture, history.....and chocolate!

Leaving our centrally located hotel on foot, we team up with a Torino local to take in both the highlights of the city as well as some hidden corners. Torino is a very elegant city, with wide boulevards and large piazzas.

While early Roman-era constructions are still visible, the most extravagant and important buildings come from the period when the Savoy family were in control. They ruled over a large area and the first king of a united Italy was based here. We visit the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) where we can admire the artistic richness of the state rooms.

While we are getting our fill of the past glories of Torino, we make sure we don't miss out of current day attractions, namely the specific type of chocolate made here called 'gianduia'. This is a type of chocolate that includes ground hazelnuts, and we try several examples from a local producer.

In the evening we have dinner together, having our first introduction to the cuisine of Piedmont. Throughout the week meals are in restaurants designed to showcase the region’s cuisine, with the specific venues all carefully selected by us. This is in order to provide a variety of food styles over the duration of the tour. The food says so much about the place that you’re in, as much as any town you can visit – history, culture, geography, it’s all wrapped up in the cuisine.

Meals included:

Dinner (3 courses including wine)

Day 2: Isola Bella

We leave the city today for a trip to one of the most stunning destinations in Italy, the serene island called Isola Bella (one of the Borromean Islands).

On the way we stop in to see a key section of the series of canals that support the significant rice growing area in this part of Piedmont. One of the main dishes here is risotto, made using locally grown varieties of rice.

The section of the canals that we see is a significant engineering achievement, and has floodgates that were constructed in the 1800s and are still in operation today.

Of particular note on the island of Isola Bella is the formal Italianate baroque garden, one of the most important of the style in Italy. There are a series of themed gardens, situated on a series of terraces. As you make your way through the gardens you may well come across some of the island's white peacocks wandering the grounds.

At one end of the garden you reach the theatre Teatro Massimo, a three level structure lined with statues, and set against the backdrop of the lake.

Inside the 17th century palace you can wander through a series of rooms containing significant artworks and historic tapestries. The palace was home to the Borromeo family, who in fact still own the island.

We also enjoy a lakeside lunch in a restaurant on the island.

Meals included:

Breakfast and Lunch (3 courses including wine)

Day 3 - The Stupinigi Palace, the Staffarda Abbey

Today is a day of contrasts, visiting locations that represent very different eras and lifestyles.

In the morning we visit the Stupinigi Palace, on the outskirts of Torino. Driving there we pass by the large Fiat automotive manufacturing site, which was established here in 1900 and continues to play a significant economic role.

On reaching the Stupinigi Palace (Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi) we meet with a specialist expert who will take us through the numerous halls and frescoed galleries.

This palace was a hunting lodge originally, and later became a residence of the Royal House of Savoy.

We continue on to the Abbey of Staffarda (Abbazia di Staffarda). This is a complex of buildings dating back to 1135 that was home to Cistercian monks. The key structures include the main church, cloisters, a covered market area, and farm buildings.

As well as different rooms reserved for monks depending on their status, we see an open room where pilgrims were accommodated. It is particularly interesting to see how this operated as a largely self-sufficient community.

We have lunch in a rural restaurant near the abbey.

Continuing on, we reach our hotel for the rest of our stay in the town of Cherasco. Having viewed a monastery en route, now is your chance to stay in one. Our hotel was originally a monastery, established in the 17th century.

Fortunately it is much more comfortable than the Abbey of Staffarda, having been tastefully renovated as a 4 star hotel.

While around the grounds you will see numerous aspects of times gone by, we don’t forget the needs of the present, with the hotel offering all you would expect during your time here such as wifi, air conditioned rooms, and an excellent restaurant.

Meals included:

Breakfast and Lunch (3 courses including wine)

Day 4 - Tasting Piedmont, hazelnuts and wine

Piedmont is one of the top culinary destinations in Italy, with some of the finest products originating here. We try many of the dishes specific to this region during our time here, such as tajarin (a type of pasta) and agnolotti (similar to ravioli). And today we go to the source of two key Piedmontese products - hazelnuts and barolo wine.

Before reaching the hazelnut farm we stop in at the town of Monforte d'Alba, looking out from the hilltop theatre over the expansive valley below.

On reaching the farm, we find out about the production of the tonda gentile hazelnut variety. And not only that, we try a whole range of homemade hazelnut products, including biscuits, cakes and hazelnut spread.

Moving on to the winery, which specialises in barolo. Barolo is known as the 'king of Italian wines'. Being at the source, we can better appreciate the various sub-regions that contribute characteristics to the wines. We taste a range of wines here.

As well as the producer hosted wine-tasting today, throughout the week we try different wines with each of our meals sourced from a range of locations across Piedmont.

Meals included:

Breakfast and Lunch (3 courses including wine)

Day 5 - Alba markets, vineyards and villages

Today is the weekly market day in Alba, so we mix and mingle with the locals as they stock up on food for the week. Piedmont is home to the Slow Food Movement, and you can see this reflected in some of the products here.

We also have a cheese tasting, trying delicacies such as the soft Robiola and the sheep milk Murazzano.

To work off all that cheese, we go for a stroll along a vineyard path to the town of Barbaresco (distance 2 km/1.3 miles, and for non-walkers we take you directly to Barbaresco).

Walking through the vineyards is a good chance to immerse yourself in the countryside atmosphere, and to get a feel for how this land is cultivated.

The vineyards we walk though happen to be some of the premier terrain of Piedmont, and at the end of our walk we taste the end result - the Barbaresco wine.

We also visit the town's 11th century tower, looking back over the hamlet and the river below.

Our next stop is a curious artistic creation, the Cappella delle Brunate. This century-old chapel was transformed into a vibrant work of art, considered representative of the merging of tradition and innovation in the region.

This is our final night together, so it's time for "the last supper". We enjoy an excellent meal in the town of Cherasco together, where we celebrate all of the finest food that the region has to offer. A fitting end to our time in Piedmont.

Meals included:

Breakfast and Dinner (4 courses including wine)

Day 6 - Arrivederci Piemonte

We leave the town of Cherasco and head back to where we started in Torino. We drop off in Torino at the main train station, hotels and the airport.