Alba is probably most famous for its white truffles. But even if, like me, you’re not a fan, this Italian town is an excellent place to spend a night or two. Just over an hour by train from Turin, Alba is surrounded by the Langhe and Roreo hills, providing the perfect base for exploring gorgeous hill towns, castles and vineyards. Here’s how I spent 48 hours in and around the Alba countryside.
1. Enjoying a slow stroll to explore the town
Alba is a small town, so it’s not exactly packed with sights to see. However, it is a lovely place to stroll around. My friend and I caught a morning train from Turin, and after checking in at the excellent Vin Cafe, we headed to the main square, Piazza Risorgimento. The town’s Duomo, Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, is here. Pink on the outside, the interior is beautiful with some unusual striped columns.
On the opposite side of the square, you can see Torre Astesiano, one of the tallest of Alba’s medieval towers, rising behind the buildings. A walk along the street to the right of the tower will also take you towards other towers and Casa Morro, an imposing fortified building that dates back to the 13th century.
Via Vittorio Emanuele II is Alba’s main thoroughfare and runs from the Duomo square all the way to the train station. It’s lined with shops and cafes, and there are lots of pretty side streets running off it.
Also along here, and worth popping into, is Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena, a small church with a gorgeous interior, including a 48-seat nuns’ choir behind the altar.
At the other end of Vittorio Emanuele, the former Piazza Savona is now named after Michele Ferrero. That’s because Alba is also known as the home of the Ferrero family and their successful chocolate company. A huge stainless steel sculpture financed by the family and named after the town was created by Valerio Berruti and erected in the square in 2022. The sculpture is of a young girl on a circular base, which is a fountain. It’s a nice spot to sit and enjoy a drink, as we did at 100 Vini. And as the name indicates, there are a lot of wines on the menu!
2. Eating Piedmont cuisine at excellent restaurants
Eating and drinking are excellent ways to pass the time in Alba, as there are many great restaurants and bars. I mentioned that we stayed at Vin Cafe, which is a cafe bar with rooms above. The breakfast was great, as were the apertivo hour snacks provided free with drinks and the late-night cocktails.
Osteria Lalibera is a fabulous restaurant where we had excellent quality food, including a salt cod starter and a delicious vegetarian lasagne.
And at Conterosso I was able to indulge my love of risotto and have another taste of the Piedmontese dessert speciality, Bonet. The first taste was in Turin, which you can read about in my earlier blog post about that gorgeous Italian city.
3. Visiting an 11th-century castle in a stunning setting
The following morning, we picked up our hire car and headed into the beautiful countryside surrounding Alba. Our first stop was Castello di Grinzane Cavour, an 11th-century castle perched on a hill overlooking vineyards. You can explore inside the castle, going up and down narrow stairways and atmospheric passageways. You might also spot the impressive and unusual wine cellar! Outside is an open-air museum dedicated to grapevine cultivation and winemaking.
4. Discovering a beautiful wine estate founded by a King
Fontanafredda Wine Estate has a big claim to fame – it was founded by Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of Italy. He bought the estate in 1858 as a gift for the woman he loved, Rosa Vercellana. Eight years later, the King bought the first Barolo vineyard, and Fontanafredda was later developed into a prestigious wine estate by the couple’s son, Emanuele Alberto. He also created a ‘village’ with homes for the 250 people who lived and worked on the estate. As a result, it’s an interesting place to explore, and of course, it has an impressive wine shop.
5. Having lunch in the capital of wine
Our next stop was just a 10-minute drive away and probably the most famous village in the region, as it gave its name to Barolo wine. As you might imagine, there are lots of places to taste wines, including Enoteca Regionale del Barolo. The staff here explain the different types of soil where Barolo is made, and you can pay to taste a small glass of a wide range of wines. Barolo is a very pretty place, so we decided to stay a while and have lunch sitting outside LHANGAR. The cheese plate was excellent, as was the Barolo wine, according to my friend. Unfortunately, red wine and I don’t get along too well, so I opted for rosé, which was also very good.
Afterwards, we walked around the village to enjoy the fun public art, Barolo Castle and the incredible views of the surrounding vineyards.
6. Admiring the stunning piazza at Pollenzo
After lunch in Barolo, we decided to head back towards Alba and visit Pollenzo, an ancient Roman city that was the scene of a famous battle in 402 AD. It’s now just a small town, but with a big impact because of its stunning central piazza. On one side is the impressive red brick church, Chiesa parrocchiale di San Vittore Martire.
Opposite is the University of Gastronomic Sciences, which was established in 2004 by Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food movement. Petrini chose the Agenzia di Pollenzo, a 19th-century palace and former summer home of the Savoy royal family, for the campus. It’s a gorgeous building with multiple turreted towers, so it must be a beautiful place to study. UNISG offers a variety of degree courses in gastronomic sciences, food cultures and heritage, food ecologies, and food communications and management. We also discovered there is a Summer School when we got chatting to a fellow traveller at Turin bus station the next day, who had just attended a course. There’s also a vast wine shop, Banca Del Vino, in the university’s underground cellars, with endless cases of the best vintages of wines from all over Italy.
7. Meandering around one of the prettiest villages in Italy
Our final stop of the day was about 12km beyond Alba, the pretty hilltop village of Neive. It’s a small place, but its winding cobbled streets and far-reaching views mean it is often described as one of the prettiest villages in Italy. We could certainly see why and enjoyed wandering around the narrow streets, enjoying the views and visiting the tiny Chiesa di San Sebastiano church. The perfect place to end our day out.
8. Shopping in Alba’s many stores and truffle shops
The following morning, before catching the train back to Turin, we had time to check out the many shops that Alba has to offer. There is an abundance of souvenirs and foodie snacks for sale, including, of course, many products made from truffles. The best-known truffle shop in Alba is Tartufi Morra, which has a huge range of items. The owner was very friendly and offered us the opportunity to taste before buying. My friend took her up on more than I did, as I’m really not a truffle fan. In fact, I had to leave the shop while she bought some truffle salt, as the smell of all those truffle products was just too much!
So, if you’re a fan of truffles, then Alba is definitely the ideal place for you. But even if not, there are plenty of good reasons to visit this pretty town and explore the beautiful countryside around it.
To read my post about Turin and other Italian destinations, visit the Italy section of my blog.