Piedmont (Piemonte)

Nestled against the Alps (its name means "foot of the mountains") in the northwest corner of Italy, Piedmont is known for its excellent food and wine. Barolo, which vies with Brunello di Montalcino for the most coveted Italian wine, comes from this region. Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti and Moscato d'Asti are also very popular.

Turin (Torino)

Capital of Piedmont and home to great castles, universities, churches, and the famous Shroud of Turin (Santa Sindone in Italian, only shown occasionally on the order of the pope). Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, and is also home to Italian automaker Fiat (Fiat is actually an acronym: Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino!). Many believe that the best gelato is in Turin, since it was allegedly invented here (which makes more sense than fellow claimant Naples, since Turin has easier access to natural ice!); it's also famous for gianduja (chocolate with hazelnuts). See Wikitravel's Turin page for more.

Ovada: L’Archivolto - restaurant rec'd by NY Times; Piazza Garibaldi 25, 014-383-5208

Cassine: Agriturismo La Timida - agriturismo rec'd by NY TImes, Strada Ricaldone di Sotto 28, 014-471-5371

Barolo Area (Langhe)