Piedmont is a region with a thousand peculiarities: evocative colours in every season, enchanted castles on the hills that rise gently up to reach the Alpine peaks.
Unmistakable flavours from excellent raw materials cultivated by skilled hands. Heady aromas of grape must which, with the passage of time, are transformed into leading wines on world tables.
A pearl of unmistakable beauty set in the heart of western Italy and which welcomes all those who choose it as a destination for their moments of relaxation.
This year, the Magical Christmas Village expands itself, involving the entire regional territory.
From the town of Govone, Unesco site with the Savoy manor, to the gentle hills of Monferrato Astigiano; from the Alps on the Ligurian border of Prato Nevoso to return again to the hills of Langhe and Roero. A path that brings together the characteristics and peculiarities of Piedmont in a whirlwind of experiences in the Unesco lands.
A typical productto taste, a village to discover, an event to live, a castle or museum to visit are the main attractions that the area offers.
There are very appetizing tourist destinations in Italy, niche destinations that offer the visitor places to admire but above all experiences to live.
We are talking about Langhe Monferrato Roero, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014, a territory in the provinces of Cuneo and Asti not far from Turin and Milan.
People who come to Langhe Monferrato Roero know exactly what to expect: enchanting landscapes, excellent food and wine and high level hospitality. Great wines (Barolo, Barbaresco, Moscato d’Asti and Barbera d’Asti to name a few) that accompany the rich dishes of the Langhe tradition on the tables. Countless appetizers, fresh pasta such as tajarin, ravioli al “plin” and agnolotti, raw Fassone meat and DOP cheese (such as Robiola di Roccaverano) which, in the right season, can be enriched with a grating of Alba White Truffle.
Finally, IGP Piedmont Hazelnut desserts such as hazelnut cake and bunet.
The rows of vines almost completely comb the surface of the hills of Langhe Monferrato Roero, giving different shades of colour according to the seasons: from bright green in spring and summer, to yellow, red and purple in autumn: on 22 June 2014, thanks to their cultural value and exceptional beauty, the hills of Southern Piedmont have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as “The wine landscapes of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato”.
Remarkable places of cultural interest: itineraries along Via Francigena and the beauties of the Romanesque (the Abbey of Vezzolano is the most significant Romanesque-style monument in Piedmont), medieval castles such as the manors of Grinzane Cavour, Serralunga d’Alba and Barolo, or the religious itineraries in the “Lands of the Saints” in Northern Monferrato. Lovers of Italian literature will find in the pages of Beppe Fenoglio and Cesare Pavesesplendid narratives of the places of Langhe Roero; Asti, on the other hand, is the city that gave birth to the poet Vittorio Alfieri.
Wine is also a cultural element, as underlined by the UNESCO nomination: Canelli is the seat of the extraordinary “underground cathedrals”, ie cellars dug into the tuff of the hills between the 16th and 19th centuries and remained intact to this day. The Langa, on the other hand, hosts the Wi-Mu or Wine Museum, in the Falletti Castle of Barolo. Towers and castles represent the union between culture and the charm of unmissable panoramic points of view: to obtain a spectacular panorama in an unmissable historical context you can visit the towers of Barbaresco, Viarigi, Roccaverano and the castles of Magliano Alfieri, Prunetto, Govone (another UNESCO site) as well as the Bormida Monastery. The recent history of Langhe Monferrato Roero, together with local traditions, relives in its ethnographic museums: worth visiting the rooms of the Castles of Grinzane Cavour, Cisterna d’Asti and Magliano Alfieri. On the other end, to go back to the traces of the Ancient Roman Empire, there are two thematic tours dedicated to history lovers: “Alba underground” and “Asti underground”.
Outdoor activities represent the opportunity to get to know the Langhe Monferrato Roero from another point of view: trekking, MTB and road cycling, thematic excursions, horseback riding, Nordic walking, golf and balloon flights are the sports that can be practiced during most of the year. Between paths in the vineyards, scenic roads, fortresses, villages perched on the hills and green woods, the ideal setting develops to discover and experience the area in close contact with nature. Along the itineraries, numerous points of interest allow you to stop for a gourmet break in the cellar or at a typical producer, or a cultural visit with a view of the splendid landscape of Langhe Monferrato Roero.
