Piedmont

The Langhe hills in October, when the Nebbiolo harvest has just finished and the leaves have turned and the smell of the fiera del tartufo in Alba reaches you three kilometres before you arrive — this is one of the great seasonal experiences in Italy, and it is only the most concentrated expression of what Piedmont does throughout the year. The region that gave Italy its first royal house and its first national cuisine has a seriousness about food and wine that sometimes tips into ceremony; the Barolo producers who receive visitors by appointment only, the Torinese pastry culture that still observes the traditions of the House of Savoy, the white truffle market that has no equals anywhere in the world.Our Piedmont coverage takes the region at its own estimation — which is to say, very seriously indeed.