5 Great Things to do in Piedmont in 2020 – Italy

The Langhe region it is famous for its wines and UNESCO world Heritate for its landscape.

Piedmont is a mountainous region in Italy that borders Switzerland and France. It’s famous for its undulating landscapes, beautiful villages, delicious cuisine, ancient history, and classic wines. Besides those, Piedmont also has several landmark developments and baroque architecture.

Its location on mountainous north-west Italy means that it’s perfectly ringed by the Alps. So, it features beautiful lakes and offers scenic views of the Alps. Piedmont as a whole is very large. However, there are some places and things that you should absolutely not miss out if you visit this region. Outlined below are some of the top 5 things to do in piedmont in 2020

Visit the Outstanding Barolo Town.

Barolo – Piedmont

Barolo is a UNESCO-listed site and one of Italy’s most outstanding regions. Known for the production of premium wines, spending summer or even autumn in Barolo feels like a dream. Life in this small town is enjoyable, rejuvenating, and relaxing.

Located in the Langhe Wine region, Barolo features large farms of beautiful vineyards. This hilltop area has a small population and hence it’s perfect for summer holidays. The viticulture hub has been around for centuries and it has experienced significant progress over the past few years. Generally, it’s a quiet and prosperous region.

The well-preserved streets and numerous windy roads make evening strolls fun. This almost sleepy town is ideal for leisurely or romantic walks. Barolo immerses you in a completely beautiful scenery everywhere you set your eyes. From here, you can get clear views of the Alps as well as Monviso.

There is more than wine, vineyards, and nature in Barolo. The ancient castles, welcoming locals, and the authentic local dishes are some of the things that make tourists love Barolo. You can sample different meals, immerse yourself in the local culture while learning the history of this town.

Take a Trip to Alba

Italian’s Alba town is renowned for its eye-catching architecture and tasty cuisine. Located in Piedmont, Alba is a must-visit location for any serious foodie. In the whole of Italy, Alba has the highest number of Michelin star restaurants. Well, this high concentration is driven by the availability of white truffles. Every October, white truffle lovers usually normally visit Alba, just to get enjoy the annual festival.

Besides being associated with white truffles, Alba is also renowned globally for its architecture. This city’s charm is found in the extensive towers, medieval streets, and palaces. The Church of San Domenico and the Alba Cathedral of San Lorenzo are some of the religious buildings that will capture your attention. Besides those, the well-preserved Social Theater and the Dog House are other great buildings found in Alba.

Explore Bra

Sitting on the edge of the beautiful Langhe hills, Bra is a populous commune found in the province of Cuneo. Its popularity comes from the fact that it features many palaces and churches from the 17th century. Besides that, Bra is considered as the “food valley”. It’s the region where the slow food movement started.

So, why should you visit Bra in Piedmont? Well, this is any foodie’s heaven. The picturesque village features family-run shops selling tasty chocolates, organic sausages, and cheese. Bra exhibits local traditions thanks to the slow food movement. As a tourist, you will enjoy fresh local delicacies obtained from the village farms. Although Bra might not have enough to offer in terms of modernity, it’s one of the best places to sample various Italian cuisines.

If you love history, some of the places you can explore include the pollentia ruins. This is where the famous battle of the Romans and Goths happened. There is also the Sant’Andea baroque church which has history dating back to 1682 while the church of Santa Chiara is also found within this locality. Overall, this is an excellent location to catch a breath of fresh air in addition to the beautiful scenic views of the snow-capped Alps Mountain.

Eat Battuta di Fassona

Raw meat and raw sausages in Piedmont

Battuta di Fassona is a classic appetizer in Piedmont. Once the knife-cut raw meat hits your taste buds, you will easily get captivated by this delicacy. Apart from farming, Piedmont is a region that’s popular for hunting, especially game meat. So, most of the best delicacies are usually made from raw farm products or animals. Historically, the natives used to eat raw-cut meat. Well, this is because this region can get extremely cold, especially during winter. Since then, this ancient tradition has been carried over for decades and people still enjoy raw meat.

So, what makes Battuta di Fassona a delicious raw-cut meat? Well, knife-cut meats are usually rich in amplified tasty fat. As a result, they end up tasting better than ground meat. Battuta di Fassona is a delicious appetizer that engages your taste buds. Its taste is even more enhanced with the lemon juice, black and white pepper, and olive oil used for seasoning. To cater to different taste preferences, the meat is usually available in different variants. Understand that the quality of Battuta di Fassona lies in the preparation process. You can even ask for the “knife beat” so that you can fully savor this meat!

Party at the Collisioni Agrirock Festival

Attending the Collisioni Agrirock festival will be the perfect culmination of your Piedmont trip. This is the largest and one of the most loved music festival in Italy. Collision features literature, food, as well as wine. It is a versatile festival that blends different programs to create one interesting festival.

You will definitely enjoy Collisioni. The agrirock festival’s setting in a small village offers a unique experience that locals in Barolo and tourists enthusiastically wait for every year. What makes this festival engaging and authentic is the seamless combination of different components. The artistic and literary part as well as the music, food, and the Italian wine culture are some of the things that you will absolutely enjoy. During the festival, you will also get a chance to engage in wine tastings, lunches, dinners, and cellar tours. Collisioni Agrirock festival will enliven your Piedmontese summer tour thanks to the broad range of Italian cuisine and renowned artists.

Discover Bra Cheese Festival in Piedmont, Italy

Every second year, during the third weekend of September, the little medieval town of Bra in Piedmont, Italy is transformed into a place of hedonistic delight for cheese aficionados from all over the world.  The Bra Cheese festival is organised by Slow Food, and is devoted to showcasing everything to do with cheese.  The emphasis of the show is to draw attention to Slow Foods ideals of preserving biodiversity and returning to Artisanal food.  In the case of cheese making, quality cheeses are lovingly hand-made, using age-old methods and raw milk.

gorgonzola

The entire town of Bra participates in this weekend of gastronomy; the streets are lined with stalls and thronged with visitors who come to taste and buy some of the superb cheeses and other foods on sale.  But it is not just about the tasting; you can get to meet some of the farmers and cheese makers, and there are many educational workshops running every day, including some specifically designed for children.
Although the emphasis is on local cheeses and cheese makers, there is also an opportunity to taste some artisan cheeses from other parts of the world.  Gourmet offerings are not restricted to cheese, and visitors have the chance to visit stalls where other artisanal foods such as Prosciutto, (Dried, cured ham), wild Ethiopian coffee beans, pastas, pizzas and even beers are showcased and available to taste.
There is a lot to see and do!  The list of daily events (which you can download from the Slow Food website) runs to 6 pages, just for the first day!  If you are spending the weekend in or around Bra you need to do some carefully planning to attend all the workshops that interest you, and which range from ethical farming practices and animal welfare, to artisan breweries, to making jams and preserves.  Most of the workshops and tastings are free, but in a few cases a small charge is levied which is donated to a special Slow Food cause, such as the Thousand Gardens in Africa project.
The festivities and eating carry on well into the night!  From 8.30 pm you can join one of the Dinner Date venues for supper, if you still have space.  The event closes at 11pm each night so that you can get some sleep before starting all over again the next day.

Bra

What you need to know:
“Cheese” is a very popular event and you need to book well in advance if you want to find accommodation near the town.  During the event, the roads leading into Bra are closed and shuttles operate to take you from the car parks to the festival area. (Parking and shuttles are free!)  In addition to all the foods and cheeses, there is a large beer and wine tasting section.  Workshops and cookery courses should be booked well in advance.
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