Piedmont is an Italian region brimming with everything you could hope to discover – beautiful small towns, rolling hills with vineyards and medieval towers, a food and wine culture that is unrivalled.
The history of Torino as a seat of power with the Royal House of Savoy has bestowed ornate residences and stunning wealth. We visit several palaces on this tour, filled with the epitome of luxury from a bygone age.
The hill-towns that we visit are incredibly photogenic, places such as Monforte d’Alba and La Morra.
If you are a foodie, Piedmont cannot be missed as a destination.
Some of the best wines in Italy are produced here – think of Barolo, Barbaresco, and for a bit of fun even Asti Spumante is here.
Are you a chocolate lover? Torino is an essential visit for you, it is one of the world’s chocolate capitals. We make sure you get your chocolate fix.
Our tour of Piedmont provides a treasure trove of experiences for foodies, history buffs, and simply people who love good living and beautiful places.
Our Piedmont / Piemonte tour is a balance between being informative (examples of the culture and lifestyle, historical details) as well as having everything that makes for an enjoyable trip (long lunches in good restaurants, a relaxed pace). We are a tour operator that plans the itinerary in the way that you would plan to travel yourself, or with a group of friends.
Piedmont Tour Highlights
- Piedmont is unmissable for food lovers – indulge in our chocolate session in a historic cafe, a cheese tasting, visiting a hazelnut producer, as well as exploring the regional cuisine during our carefully planned tour meals.
- With Torino having a history as the seat of a kingdom, the House of Savoy, we visit both the Royal Palace and an impressive royal residence, the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi.
- We spend time in numerous towns while exploring the Langhe area, including the hilltop town of Monforte d’Alba, and the picturesque La Morra with the brightly painted Brunate Chapel nearby.
- We walk through the vineyards to the town of Barbaresco and visit the food markets in both Torino and in Alba, featuring the best of the local produce.
- Enjoy lunch on the stunning island Isola Bella, one of the Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore, with its formal gardens and grand residence.
- We visit a wine producer in Barolo, work our way through many of the region’s wines in our long lunches.
Piedmont Tour Itinerary
DAY 1: THE BORROMEAN ISLANDS
After meeting in Milan, we leave the city to start our exploration of Piedmont with a trip to one of the most stunning destinations in Italy, the serene island called Isola Bella.
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. This is 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.
In the afternoon 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.
In the evening we reach Torino (Turin), our base for the next two nights. After checking in to the hotel, it is time to start discovering this elegant and stately city.
Ron from USA writes: “The visits to the various towns and monuments coincided with some of the best and most regional meals we have ever had. Food and wine were plentiful and the selected venue’s proprietors were very committed to ensuring that we all enjoyed our multi course meals and learned as much as we wanted about the unique cuisines that changed from town to town. Italy With Pleasure selected wisely on all counts and we thoroughly enjoyed our travels with them” (from Google Reviews)
MEALS INCLUDED:
Breakfast and Lunch (including wine)
DAY 2: TORINO, THE ROYAL PALACE
Today our focus is on discovering the best of Torino, and there are many facets to uncover as a result of the city being the centre of a kingdom.
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.
While we are getting our fill of the past glories of Torino, we make sure we don’t miss out on the gastronomic features. We enjoy a morning tea in one of the city’s historic cafes, including trying the local drink the bicerin – a blend of espresso coffee and chocolate.
We spend some time in the Porta Palazzo markets of Torino, where we also have lunch.
Next we visit the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) where we can admire the artistic richness of the state rooms.
Dinner tonight is at a restaurant that showcases the cuisine of Piedmont.
Our small group tour advantage: Your tour leader is your ‘safety net’. Many people appreciate having their tour leader to be able to turn to, whether it be for help getting something from a pharmacy / drugstore, or simply where to find the best gelato! While you are far from home, you can count on your tour leader and their support team for anything that you need to deal with.
MEALS INCLUDED:
Breakfast and Dinner (including wine)
DAY 3: THE STUPINIGI PALACE, THE STAFFARDA ABBEY, LA MORRA
Today is a day of contrasts, visiting locations that represent very different eras and lifestyles.
We first visit the Stupinigi Palace, on the outskirts of Torino.
Driving there we pass by the large Fiat automotive manufacturing site, Mirafiori. Fiat has played a significant economic role in the development of Torino.
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 hunting lodge was built by 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 restaurant that is operated by the abbey, and uses products that they grow right there on the property.
We reach the town of La Morra. Now you are in the Langhe area, with its distinctive rolling hills covered in vineyards and hazelnut trees. Dotted around a villages perched on the hilltops. La Morra is one of these. We stroll through the town centre and have our first glimpse of the area where we spend the next few days.
Continuing on we reach our hotel for the rest of our stay, in the town of Alba.
Jane from Canada writes: “We have traveled a bit but have never participated in an organized tour group. Our tour participants were inclusive and a joy to get to know. Andy was an excellent guide/facilitator. He is so knowledgeable and filled with interesting factoids. He guided our group of 16 with humor and patience. He even made sure the restaurants we were scheduled to eat at knew our dietary restrictions. (Italians are so very accommodating) Each restaurant was carefully chosen, the food/wine excellent and we were treated as honored guests. The whole experience was such fun. Italy’s history is vast and ancient. This is the first time were we not ready to come home. A truly lovely adventure” (from Google Reviews)
MEALS INCLUDED:
Breakfast and Lunch (including wine)
DAY 4: VINEYARDS & VILLAGES: BAROLO, BARBARESCO
To start the day we view the Castle of Serralunga d’Alba, a 14th century fortification built by an aristocratic family to survey their estates. Here we walk up to the base of the castle and see the varied types of cultivation in the fields below us.
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 – barbaresco and barolo wine.
The family-run winery that we visit 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 winetasting today, throughout the week we try different wines with each of our meals sourced from a range of locations across Piedmont.
We have some free time looking around the village of Barolo.
In the afternoon we visit the town of Barbaresco – another wine town – and go to the top of its 11th century tower, looking back over the hamlet and the river below.
After a break back at the hotel, we see 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.
For dinner, we are in the town of Cherasco dining in a frescoed room.
Our small group tour advantage: We give the tours a personal feel. With a maximum of 14 in our groups, the feel of our tours is like travelling with a group of friends. We make our tour the style that you want, for example our focus on good restaurants – the sort of places you’d choose yourself. And not cramming too much into one day. All this gives your time with us a less commercial feel and ensures that we maintain a relaxed atmosphere.
MEALS INCLUDED: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5: TASTING PIEDMONT: ALBA MARKETS AND HAZELNUTS
Heading out into the countryside we meet a ‘trifulau’, this is the Piemontese term for a truffle hunter. Along with their dog – the key piece of the whole exercise – we walk through orchards and forests looking for truffles. The dog is highly trained and indicates to us when he has located a truffle.
This is a fascinating morning, getting to see the skill of the dog, the truffles themselves, and hearing from the trifulau all about the art of finding truffles.
We then move on to a hazelnut producer, in what is considered the best zone in Italy. Hazelnuts are a key ingredient in many of the cakes and desserts in Piedmont.
On reaching the farm, we find out about the production of the ‘tonda gentile’ hazelnut variety. We try a range of homemade hazelnut products, including biscuits, cakes and hazelnut spread. Then follow a walk through their hazelnut trees we stop in for a long lunch in a country house on their property.
This is a celebration of the finest food that the region has to offer, and is a fitting end to our time in Piedmont.
Neil from New Zealand writes: “You must use these guys if you are doing tours in the regions of Italy they operate in. They do small group tours and are simply the best we have experienced throughout Europe” (from Google Reviews)
MEALS INCLUDED:
Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 6: ARRIVEDERCI PIEMONTE
Today is the weekly market day in Alba, and we have time before our departure to 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 leave the town of Alba and head back to Torino. We drop off in Torino at the main train station and the airport.
Our small group tour advantage: Our local insights help you to maximise your time. When you are in a country or region only for a week or two you want to make the most of your time. On our tours, we give you the local insights, the understanding of what you are seeing. Without this, you might recognise that a particular feature or building seems interesting, but not ever know the full story behind it. Guidebooks will detail the main monuments or museums but tend to be quite limited when you start to see the smaller (and often more interesting) sights.
Piedmont Tour Cost and Inclusions
PIEDMONT TOUR PRICE: €2500
Price is denominated in Euros. Price listed is based on twin share/double occupancy
Single supplement of €300 for solo travellers
- All accommodation is included. Accommodation is in Hotel Concord in Torino and the monastery Hotel Somaschi in Cerasco, both 4 star hotels.
- All costs/entry fees for activities listed in the itinerary are included.
- Meals as listed in the itinerary: breakfast every morning, plus a main meal each day of 3-4 courses including wine.
- All transport during the tour is included. Travel is in our minibus with a professional driver
- 'Italy With Pleasure' provides a tour leader who will be with you for the duration of the tour, on hand to provide any support that you need
Piedmont Tour Accommodation
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 here we are based in Hotel Giacomo Morra in the town of Alba. From this 4 star hotel you can easily wander out to explore the town of Alba in the evenings.
Tour Reviews
P B, CANADA 
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.
Click here to see full review
C L, USA
We had a fantastic time on this trip. Ricardo was wonderful and we all really enjoyed his company and knowledge of the area. Another fantastic Italy with Pleasure trip. I love this company for providing a small, private tour atmosphere, with attention to detail on food, logistics and educational site visits. You guys are amazing. Until next time.... thanks so much.
Click here to see full review
MG, USA
We had a most wonderful time and a most wonderful tour guide, Mark. Mark was personable, knowledgeable and accommodating. We would love him as our guide on another tour. Each town we visited had another guide specific to the that history and culture. Everything was beautifully planned out and well executed. Our room was beautiful, our view was breathtaking, we could not have asked for a more memorable trip!!
Click here to see full review
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