Tell us about you and your company.
Experience Piemonte is a luxury travel company, focused on the wine region of Piemonte called the Langhe. It is home to the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines, as well as the coveted Alba white truffle. I started Experience Piemonte in 2017 after having worked for 25 years in the fashion industry. I was looking for something new to do, and a dear friend from California came to visit me in the region. I put together an itinerary for her, and she suggested this was the perfect next adventure for me.
We are still an undiscovered part of Italy, and this makes travel here still very intimate and experiential. Since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014, the Langhe region became a designated spot on every foodie traveler’s map. But there is more than just food and wine to discover. The Langhe is in an amazing geographical position: between the mountains, the sea and the great Italian lakes region. If you spend a week here, you can have a wide range of travel experiences within an hour in any direction.
A day trip to Torino, the first Italian capital, offers a mix of history, culture and culinary treats. Here you can’t miss the royal palace, the Egyptian museum, and a stroll through the city center with its aristocratic architecture and elegant palaces. A summer’s day trip to Varigotti in Liguria, a charming seaside village on the Italian Riviera, promises stunning coastal views and a swim in crystal-clear waters before a meal of fresh seafood in a local trattoria on the beach.
A vacation in the Langhe can be perfectly combined with Milan, Lake Como, Portofino or even the French Riviera, being all the above locations within a 2-hour drive.
What’s the entry level to talk to you?
A tour starts at 1500 euros per day.
What is the sweet spot of your expertise?
Each trip that I plan is highly dependent on the guest and what they are looking for when they arrive in the area. I have the most fun, and the most experience, in being able to truly personalize a trip. I think because of my background, I can make almost anything happen for those traveling with me.
I was born in the area and have lived here my entire life. My mother’s family owns a renowned winery and a 3 Michelin-star restaurant. I also have a deep connection to America and American clients. As a kid I went to summer camp in Maine, and then to summer college at Cornell. I travel frequently to the US to visit with friends and travel advisors. Not knowing how to cook, I go out every night and therefore have very close and personal relationships with the chefs, sommeliers and the winemakers. Thanks to all these connections, my clients can live authentic experiences as if they were locals. For wine lovers, I can take my guests on a visit to a big winery, and then meet a boutique winemaker that has yet to be discovered internationally. I can help navigate the different vintages, and also direct towards some new releases that will achieve their own goals, but the focus is always the same.
I want to help my guests make a personal connection with the people that make Piemonte so magical. I have planned everything from one-day trips for guests arriving by helicopter from Florence, to month-long stays in luxury villas in nearby villages. For the guests who stayed a month, we threw a dinner party with all of my friends and the guests’ new friends. For the day-trippers, we met with their favorite winemaker and toured the vineyards privately, followed by an amazing dinner in a restaurant that is home to one of the best cellars in Europe. I want to create something unique for each visit, because that’s what makes this job so exciting for me.
A favorite experience/trip/itinerary you’ve planned that best represents your philosophy?
Start your day having breakfast admiring the fog roll over the hills from your hotel, then go on a private truffle hunt with the truffle hunter and his faithful dog. Stroll through the village of Barbaresco before arriving at Osteria Antica Torre for handmade tajarin, the tagliatelle pasta made with 40 egg yolks, accompanied by a glass of Barbaresco. After lunch, drive the rolling hills towards Monforte for a winery visit in the Barolo wine-growing area. Settle into the hotel for a nice spa treatment. Meet for dinner at a tiny 10-seat restaurant owned and operated by a husband-and-wife team. It truly feels like you’ve been invited into someone’s home. Start on their patio with a glass of Alta Langa, a sparkling wine produced with chardonnay and pinot noir grown on the high hills of the Langhe region, then enjoy a 4-course dinner in front of a fireplace with a spit. Although the area has more than 20 Michelin-star-rated restaurants, I find that some of the best evenings for guests are when you sit in a small dining room, in a town off the beaten path, eating more simple but intimate meals.
A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region(s) of expertise…
I recommend riding your Vespa or E-bike or bicycle up and down the beautiful hills of Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards. Moving from one enchanted medieval village to the next one among stunning landscapes. There is no better way to see it.
A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again…
Dai Gresy in Langa is my favorite hotel in the area. It’s not a five-star, but an authentic expression of the modern Langhe region with very good service. I like the simplicity and at the same time elegance of the decor of the 11 rooms and the lounge area. The outside patio and the infinity pool have breathtaking views over the Barbaresco vineyards. The à la carte breakfast and the dishes that are served with the aperitif are made with locally sourced ingredients or farmed on the property.
A couple of the most memorable meals in your region…
The chef’s table at Piazza Duomo by chef Enrico Crippa, a 3 Michelin-star restaurant in the center of Alba. Or dinner/Sunday lunch at Da Filippo Oste in Albaretto Torre, a small 10-seat restaurant run and owned by Filippo and his wife, Silvia. The table in front of the fireplace with the rabbit or baby goat on the spit is an absolute must!
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
As travelers we should always try to immerse ourselves in the culture and the habits of the locals and try to understand their history and their way of living. It’s the essence of travel.
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