Turin, Langhe and Monferrato
Elegant, subtle, delicious
I’m afraid I’ll have to begin with a disclaimer, in fact it is highly probable that, describing this area, I won’t be able to keep my usual impartiality; my family is deeply rooted in Piedmont and, since my life from the very early stages has been errant and wandering, I haven’t really had the chance to live the place day by day, as my mother and her mother before her did. I believe this is the reason why, as an adult, I keep going back again and again to those lands, trying to renew ancestral bounds and, in a way, perpetuate the blood legacy as well as a sense of profound belonging to a certain tradition.
Even if it could appear similar to many other rural Italian areas, this region of crisp, unspoiled beauty recently added to the UNESCO world heritage list, does retain a very specific identity built on a strict work ethic and on the preservation of their own natural treasures and traditions. Rolling hills covered with vineyards and woods, quiet villages overlooked by fairytale castles, home to some of the best Italian wines and, by far, to the best Italian cuisine combining the French finesse with the unrivalled Italian raw materials: few regions can offer a range of pleasures that include high mountains, authentic villages, historic towns, ravishing lake resorts and ancient abbeys within so small an area.
Starting with Turin, there’s a whiff of Paris in its elegant tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its stately art nouveau cafes, but make no mistake – this elegant, Alp-fringed city is utterly unique. No other city in Italy has undergone such an impressive and successful transformation over the last decade, from its grand past as hometown of the Italian royal family and main industrial hub to the current urban revival, with a cultural knock-on effect that has seen a contemporary art, architecture and design scene blossom in the city. A welcome dinner on the shores of the Po river in a charmingly retro rowing club, a castle in the heart of the city or an exquisite noble palace on the outskirts as wedding venue and, finally, a scrumptious farewell brunch in a farm on the panoramic hills surrounding it: if you ask me, this is the epitome of a refined, very stylish, truly unforgettable wedding week end.
Just a short drive south from Turin, lie the Langhe and Monferrato regions. Gourmets get ready to indulge, for the rolling hills, valleys and townships of southern and eastern Piedmont are northern Italy‘s specialist pantry, weighed down with sweet hazelnuts, rare white truffles, rice, delicate veal, precious cheeses and Nebbiolo grapes that metamorphose into the magical Barolo and Barbaresco wines. The vine-striped hills that radiate out from Alba, the main Langhe town, make a fabulous, untouched wedding location for those who appreciate the rural setting but, beside an unrivalled culinary experience, wish to offer themselves and their guests the utmost comfort and wellbeing: over the last years, in fact, the area has blossomed out with many luxurious resorts offering everything you could imagine, from a relaxing stay in a salt cave to a thorough wine therapy. Talking about wedding bliss!
Irene, the wedding maniac, says that: those adventurous couples who’ll dare to either avoid homogenization stepping outside Tuscany to get a lovely, sunny, countryside destination wedding, or go for a cool, urban but still quintessentially Italian celebration, will be rewarded with an utterly elegant and, above all, authentic experience. Highly recommended!
Cover photo: Gege Gatt, Photo 1: Matteo Solbiati, Photo 2: Franco Celant , Photo 3: Angelo Amboldi