Visiting the Langhe
Piedmontese hills south of Alba, between the Tanaro and the Bormida, listed as a World Heritage Site for their vineyards. On every ridge a village of brick and stone huddles around a castle, and rows of nebbiolo trace regular waves across the slopes. This is where Barolo and Barbaresco are born, two of Italy's great reds.
In the middle, Alba keeps its medieval towers and its delicatessens. To the south, the Alta Langa climbs towards hazel groves and woods where truffles are hunted by night. The Slow Food movement was born here. You come for the wine, the food and hill landscapes you take in slowly, from cellar to cellar.
You'll love it if
- You love wine and want to taste at the winemakers'
- You travel to eat well: truffles, fresh pasta, hazelnuts
- You're after quiet villages on vine-covered hills
Look elsewhere if
- You're travelling without a car: the villages are poorly served
- You want the sea or big museums
- You don't drink wine: the region lives around its cellars
The must-sees
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1 Alba, the town of a hundred towers
Alba's medieval towers still rise above the rooftops around the cathedral, and Via Maestra is lined with delicatessens, chocolate makers and truffle sellers. On Saturday morning the market takes over the centre: cheeses, hazelnuts and vegetables from the hills.
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In every village, winemaking families open their cellars for tastings. Book ahead, especially in autumn, and let them explain the crus hill by hill: Barolo changes from one slope to the next.
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3 The Barolo chapel Art
In the middle of the La Morra vineyards, a small chapel that was never consecrated was repainted in bright colours in 1999 by two contemporary artists. Come in the late afternoon: the low light sets the walls and the surrounding vines aglow.
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4 The ridge-top villages Villages
Serralunga d'Alba and its square castle, Monforte and its stone amphitheatre, Neive and its brick lanes: each village sits on its own hill. From La Morra, the viewpoint takes in all the others, as far as the Alps on a clear day.
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5 The white truffle fair Festival
From October to early December, at weekends, Alba holds its great white truffle fair. Truffles are weighed before your eyes, and restaurants across the region shave them over pasta and eggs. It's the liveliest season, and the most expensive.
The classic trap
Planning a single day trip from Turin or Milan. You'll rush through two tastings without being able to drink, since you have to drive back. Stay at least two nights, and choose a hotel among the vines: you'll walk or take a taxi home.
Our itineraries in the Langhe
| Length | Route | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Alba › La Morra › Barolo | The town, the viewpoint over the vines and the first cellars |
| 5 days | Alba › Barolo › Monforte › Serralunga › Neive | Both great wines, the castles and the ridge-top villages |
| 1 week | From Alba to the Alta Langa, via Dogliani and Bossolasco | The vines, then the hazel groves, woods and high villages |
Start in Alba: the old town, a delicatessen and a dinner of tajarin. The next day, go up to La Morra for the viewpoint and the chapel, then down to taste in Barolo. Got a week? Add Serralunga and Monforte, Neive for Barbaresco, and a day in the Alta Langa, where hazelnuts take over from vines.
When to visit the Langhe
| Appeal | Season | Temperatures | Highlight | Crowds and prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinterDec. to March | -1 to 8 °C | Fog over the vines and meals by the fire | Low | |
| SpringApril to June | 8 to 24 °C | Green vines and bike rides | Medium | |
| SummerJuly and Aug. | 17 to 30 °C | Dinners outdoors and village festivals | Medium | |
| AutumnSept. to Nov. | 7 to 22 °C | The harvest, red vines and truffles | High |
Our advice
Come in October for the harvest, the reddening vines and the truffle fair, booking early. If you prefer peace and quiet, May and June bring green hills and less hurried cellars. In winter fog often fills the valleys, but the ridges stay in the sun.
Getting to the Langhe
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By car from Turin or Milan The most flexible
Alba is about an hour from Turin and two from Milan by motorway. Once there, a car is essential to get from village to village.
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By train to Turin, then Alba Without a car at first
From Turin, a regional train reaches Alba in just over an hour. Then hire a car or book a driver for the villages.
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By plane to Turin or Milan The usual way
Turin airport is just over an hour's drive from Alba, Milan Malpensa two hours. Direct flights link both to London and other UK cities.
Once there, hire a car or, if you plan to taste, book a driver for the day: the roads are narrow and winding, and breath tests are frequent. An e-bike, hired in Alba or La Morra, is a lovely way to get from one cellar to the next.
Getting around the Langhe
A car is the simplest option: the villages are a quarter of an hour apart, on ridge roads. Buses exist but are rare. E-bikes are easy to hire, and waymarked trails link the villages through the vines, like the one that loops around Barolo.
Good to know
The drink-driving limit in Italy is lower than in England and Wales, and checks are frequent in autumn. For a day of tastings, a driver or a hotel within walking distance of the cellars is wiser. A UK or EU licence is all you need to drive in Italy.
What to eat in the Langhe
- Tajarin: thin egg pasta, served with butter and sage or under shavings of white truffle.
- Agnolotti del plin: small hand-pinched ravioli filled with meat, served in roasting juices.
- Carne cruda all'albese: raw veal chopped with a knife, with olive oil and lemon.
- Vitello tonnato: cold veal coated in a tuna and caper sauce.
- Barolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto: the reds of the hills, which you can taste straight from the winemakers.
- Torta di nocciole: the Alta Langa hazelnut cake, served with a glass of moscato.
To eat like the locals, look for a village osteria with a set menu: antipasti, tajarin, meat braised in Barolo and dessert. In autumn, white truffle is charged by the gram and shaved in front of you: ask the price first. Restaurants close early out of season and many take a day off each week.
Where to stay in the Langhe
| Area | What for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Alba | Old town, restaurants, truffle fair | The most practical |
| La Morra and Barolo | Vines, viewpoint, Barolo cellars | The most beautiful |
| Monforte and Serralunga | Great crus, castles, quiet | The most wine-focused |
| Neive and Treiso | Barbaresco, medieval village | The most charming |
| Alta Langa | Hazel groves, woods, high villages | The most natural |
How much does a trip in the Langhe cost?
| Trip | Length | Budget per person |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (simple agriturismo, shared car, osterias) | 5 days | €400 to €650 |
| Comfort (hotel among the vines, tastings, trattorias) | 5 days | €900 to €1,500 |
| Luxury (wine estate, Michelin-starred tables, truffle) | 5 days | €2,500 to €5,000 |
- The season: in spring, you often pay far less than in October for the same room.
- Tastings: some cellars offer them free, others charge, especially for the great crus.
- White truffle: allow for its price by the gram, which changes every week with the harvest.
- Meals: a village osteria's set menu is the best deal in the region.
- A driver: shared between several people, it often costs less than you'd think.
Traditions and way of life in the Langhe
For a long time the Langhe were a poor land of farmers and sharecroppers, which many left for Argentina or France. The writer Cesare Pavese, born in Santo Stefano Belbo, and Beppe Fenoglio, from Alba, wrote about these hard hills, then about the resistance of their people during the war.
Barolo, long the wine of the kings of Savoy, made the region's fortune in the 20th century, along with the hazelnut that gave birth to a famous chocolate spread brand, based in Alba. In 1986 the Slow Food movement was born in nearby Bra. Passing a castle among the vines? It may still belong to a winemaking family.