Langhe Piedmont

I had never been to Piedmont before and thus was uncertain what to expect. As we drove across Italy , from France , the scenery was depressingly flat and industrial and it was not until we virtually reached our destination of Barberesco that this changed. And it was dramatic change to rolling hills of terraced vines with old towns perched on hill tops surrounded by these vineyards. It was almost too perfect. Not only was the country side stunning and the towns and villages old with ancient buildings and cobbled narrow streets, but wonder upon wonder, there was nobody there. By nobody I mean no real overt tourism, just the people who lived there. We drove into ancient towns designed for horse and foot but not internal combustion engines and parked in tiny squares to be welcomed in ancient bars. Parking restriction were left to the sensibility of the drivers. This was a time warp, back to the fifties and sixties before town centres were blighted by the motor car.

After securing digs for the first night, we returned to the centre of Barberesco and found La Gibigianna, a tiny wine bar with an outside terrace. We asked for a glass of white wine and were offered Chardonnay, or Arneis. Arneis turned out to be wonderful flavoursome wine made from the Arneis grape that is only grown in Piedmont and is seldom exported from the area. Since it was on all wine lists we saw in the area, it does indeed seem to be one of those products that is deemed too good to let others have it! Further research showed that the name means ‘difficult' as the grape is difficult. I do not care how tricky it is as long as there is plenty to drink when I go back!

La Gibigianna provided typical hospitality in that with the wine came Focaccia bread and then a plate of m ortadella . As with many things there is mortadella and there is mortadella and the difference is that between chalk and cheese. This was by far the best mortadella I have ever had. We then spotted a plate of salamis and gave up on the next door restaurant and decided to lunch here. We had a plate of salami that reworked the way I thought of salami. It is normally a dried chewy substance but not this salami. This was fresh and devoid of chew - delicious but very rich. We had also ordered anchovies and a plate of anchovy fillets the size of sardines arrived. Oh what joy. By now, of course, we were drinking the Arneis by the bottle. An ideal simple meal, typically Italian in this lovely old town where wine is not only king but bread and butter as well.

We had booked into Al Verchio Tre Stella ( http://www.vecchiotrestelle.it ) just down the road when we first arrived. This is a Michelin starred restaurant with rooms. That night we dined from their menu fantasia. The dish of real note was the wild mushrooms baked in the oven. Very simple a big portion of porcini sealed in baking paper with remarkably little else other than the funghi themselves. I noted a bay leave and I suspect a drop of water, or maybe oil, and s n' p. Otherwise the food was as you would expect with this class of restaurant, with the inevitable foie gras to start and a pleasant dish of stuff quails as a main course, followed by cheese and pud. Basically a family run operation, this is a great spot to both stay and dine.

The next day we had to move hotels and were pointed to the Villa Lauri (Hotel dei Quattro Vini website: http://www.hoteldeiquattrovini.com ) just on the outside of Neive. This is great little hotel formed from a once-decaying manor house. The rooms are top rate. Neive is an unspoilt hill top town of narrow streets which must have stayed unchanged for centuries. In this age of the motor car and intrusive tourism, Neive was a joy, devoid as it is of both of these pests. Yes there were cars but they were in manageable quantities and parking was outside the place to be visited!

That day we drove around the vineyards and ended up in the town of Alba . Another lovely old town centre where we parked with ease and had a very passable meal sitting in the cobbled streets.

That night we headed into the centre of Neive and La Contea ( http://www.la-contea.it/inglese/inglese.htm ) a wonderful restaurant and hotel run with true loving care by Claudia and Tonino. One look as Tonino as he patrols the bat outside the dining will tell you this is man who loves his food and in his word believes in " friendship and gluttony, two things that make life wiser and nicer." The beautifully designed menus give an insight to the thinking of this couple who have been here since 1971, the year they were married. They have concentrated on cooking regional Piedmont food, and making wine to suit that food. They talk about walking the hills and valleys in search of that special dish. The menu offers rabbit, eel, trout and veal tail, as well as local herbs, truffles and mushrooms.

My one complaint is that the dining rooms are fairly small and we were in a room with three other couples which was a touch claustrophobic. There is a main room and indeed the bar to eat in, and by day there is a charming terrace. All in all a great and find a suitable conclusion to out Piedmont stay.

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