Exploring Piedmont

by Kevin
(USA)


TORINO - loved the city. Few tourists, we noticed. Not much English but I got to practice my piccolo Italiano. Wonderful city. Could’ve stayed another night. It was interesting to notice that when some of the people we came across in stores, coffee places, etc. and when asked, we told them we were from Stati Uniti, the smiles and welcoming were fantastic. Loved it!

LAGO D’ORTA - peaceful. BEAUTIFUL. Few tourists. Wonderful food. Wonderful place we stayed. On the main piazza. My wife’s absolute favorite of our trip. We made a day trip to Cannobio and also to Stresa. Fantastic restaurant experience -Grotto Sant’Anna. Lago Maggiore was VERY busy. Stresa— could’ve stayed there a couple of nights, too.
> PLEASE DONT TELL ANYONE ELSE ABOUT LAGO D’ORTA! 😂😂

ALBA - probably my favorite. The city was spectacular. Vincafe and Umberto, per your recommendation, was one of the highlights of our trip. Corner room, on the Main Street, watching the nightly passeggiata, the music below us - Alba was a gem of a find for us.
Wonderful Saturday market. My wife and our friend loved it. One of the best in Europe they’ve been to, they said.
Now - the ultimate - the wine country. The vineyards we experienced, the tastings, the people that ran them, THE WINE, all incredible!!
The pictures of the rolling hills and vineyards don’t do justice to actually being there.
So much more to say - incredible place!!

VERNAZZA - probably my and my wife’s least favorite. We still very much liked it and enjoyed it.
Extremely over run by tourists, however, at about 5-6pm, they all but vanished to a very nice crowd size. Very pleasant evenings. The ocean is spectacular, the walks - in the heat - were beautiful.
Food was good. Accommodations were very nice - my friend booked a place through a connection of his that was overlooking the new beach that was made from the flood they had in 2011(?). Very nice. Anywhere to watch the sunset is grand!

Maria's reply:
Andrew and I were both so anxious to hear back from you Kevin. We both hoped so very much that you would love Piedmont as much as we do and that you would be happy with our advice. One never knows as everybody has their own tastes. However, when Andrew received your comments about the trip he was absolutely delighted as was I.

By the way, anyone wanting a quieter and more genuine experience than that offered by Vernazza and the Cinque Terre should consider the Gulf of Poets area. Here's one of the towns there that we love, a little place called Ameglia. Click on the "Tellaro" link in that article for another gorgeous town nearby, one that's every bit as lovely as those of the Cinque Terre.

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