We drove along the coastline, the Italian Riviera, on our way to Monforte!

 

When we hit Italy, our first stop was for a decent coffee,  and we were not disappointed! The Italians know how to make coffee!

 

 

We are delighted with our choice of village here in Piedmonte! It has everything one needs, 12 restaurants / wine bars , 2 Pizzerias, 2 small supermarkets, ALL within walking / staggering distance of our apartment.

 

 

Our apartment is fantastic, and our Landlord , Elena , is amazing!

 

 

 

When we arrived  our house was full of local goodies, including cakes, chocolates, wine etc etc etc! It is a 2 bedroom apartment , and to our delight has a great coffee machine!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our village is a hill top village, typical of the area! It is quite a steep walk to the top and we try to walk it every day to keep the kilos under control!

We went to Alba, about 20 kms away for the day. it was founded by the Romans , and during the Middle Ages it became the “One Hundred Towers Town” but only a few remain.

On the recommendation from Alison and Anthony at Scopri, our favourite restaurant in Carlton, we had lunch at Osteria del Arco! The food was great , and so was the wine! The challenge which we have accepted , is to try ALL the wines in the area! It will be quite a challenge given that the wine lists always come in 2 volumes…….quite lengthy!

 

We are following our usual routine, one day touring, one day looooong lunch, one day rest.

We had a rather coolish day, only 18 degrees, with some showers. As well as clearing the haze off the mountains, it dusted them with snow! What an amazing sight it was. We tried to capture it with the camera but the photos do  not do it justice! Sorry!

We had always thought that the Tuscan countryside was  magnificent, but Piedmonte , to our surprise is better. We will let you know if the food and wine is better as well…….so far so good!

As well as our “local coffee shop” in our village, we have another in the next village, Castiglione Falletto, and she already knows our order!

 

 

Our first touring day took us to some local villages starting at Barbaresco (above). As well as a lovely Medieval Tower, the whole area is a UNESCO listed wine area.

 

Next stop was Neive, one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, and we could see why! It was full of Palazzos, many of which date back to the 16th Century. We came across these gates to one of them!

Quite impressive!

 

 

We have also decided  that our touring days will incorporate a glass or 2 of wine! Both of these wines came from Neive, and according to our waiter, just across the road from the wine bar! You have to love the Italians, not only do you get a glass of wine, but the food comes with it as well, and it is cheap! BONUS!

 

We continued to marvel at the 360 degree views of the Alps. It was stunning!

Next stop on the tour was Treisco and of course time for another wine!

Rhonda has taken a liking to the Arneis , a local white , and Greg is trying every single available red that he can!

We had a great day and are looking forward to exploring many more of the small villages around us.

We thought you may be interested in seeing the balcony gardens that some of the locals have! We thought that they would not need a lot of watering!

 

 

So it’s ciao for now! We are out for dinner tonight! Pasta maybe?????????

It’s that time again!

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxx