What are the Langhe, and why are they a UNESCO site?
The Langhe are the hill country south of Alba, between the Tanaro river and the Ligurian Alps: Nebbiolo country, home of Barolo and Barbaresco, of the white truffle and the Tonda Gentile hazelnut. Since 2014 the "Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the way centuries of winegrowing shaped the land, with geometric rows, ridge-top villages and castles guarding the valleys.
What is the best one-day route?
8.30am, leave Pino Torinese. Towards Chieri, then the country roads of the Chieri and Asti areas heading for Alba (your navigator will pick between the main road and the A21/A33 motorway depending on traffic). About 40 minutes to the first vineyards.
9.30am, La Morra. The highest village in the Barolo zone, with a belvedere square looking over the whole basin: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga, and the Alps behind. Coffee, photographs, and the Barolo Chapel by Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett among the vines a few minutes away.
10.30am, first winery. Always book: Langhe wineries receive by appointment, and a visit with tasting runs an hour to an hour and a half. Between La Morra and Barolo the choice is wide, from cooperatives to family estates.
12pm, Barolo. Castello Falletti houses the WiMu wine museum, with the regional wine shop in the cellars. The village is small, half an hour is enough.
1pm, lunch in Alba or Grinzane Cavour. Grinzane castle, where Camillo Benso di Cavour was mayor, has a regional enoteca and a restaurant; Alba, with its Via Maestra, cathedral and medieval towers, has trattorie for every budget. Tajarin with butter, hand-cut raw beef, and truffle in season.
3.30pm, Barbaresco. Ten kilometres north-east of Alba. The medieval tower, with the Tanaro and the Roero from the top, and the regional enoteca in the former church of San Donato. A second winery, if time allows, in Neive or Treiso.
5.30pm, back. Barbaresco to Pino Torinese is about 45 minutes. Dinner at the B&B, delivered by the partner restaurant, or in a trattoria near Chieri.
When should you go to the Langhe?
September and October for the harvest and the colours. From 10 October to 6 December 2026 for the 96th Alba International White Truffle Fair, with the truffle market at weekends: high season, so book wineries and rooms early. Spring for the blossom and empty roads. Summer is hot, but the evenings on the hill are lovely.
Where to stay between Turin and the Langhe?
Anyone combining the city and the vineyards without changing base sleeps in the middle. Paradise – Nature & Wellness in Pino Torinese is ten minutes from central Turin and about forty from Alba: Mansarda Paradise for groups of up to eight, with a hot tub for the return from tastings; The Green Space, ninety square metres with kitchen and garden, pet friendly. Breakfast and free parking included. Book on WhatsApp: +39 338 993 03 39.
Book directly on WhatsApp, breakfast and parking included.
