Barbaresco, Barolo and Alba

Monday dawned with little proimise for good weather: overcast, cold and rainy. And the promise was kept. But hey it's March, and in any case there was little tourist traffic and no snow and we were in some of the finest wine country in the world. As someone we know often says, "We were just happy to be there."

After a leisurely breakfast we got some tips from Giovanna about what to see and do and headed off for a day of exploration -- who knew what surprises were awaiting for us. (photo: enoteca in Barbaresco.)

From the Cascina dell Rose we drove back in the direction of Barbaresco but stopped short of the village and took a different turn to the right, skirting the other side of the narrow hill, toward the village of Neive, eventually passing around the hilldeciding not to stop in Neive and back toward Barbaresco. We found a place to park -- not terribly difficult given the absence of tourists and presence of rain.

Of course in addition to this still being somewhat "off'season" it was also Monday so most places in Barbaresco were closed (a recurring theme in Alba as well). But the enoteca was open so we got a chance to peek inside this beautiful deconsecrated (?) church and browse the wines produced in Barbaresco. (See photo above. OK the photo isn't so great but take my word for it; this church was beautiful inside. Photo below: Barbaresco from the front door of the enoteca. In case you're wondering that's a big sundial on the building directly ahead.)


It was still early so we opted not to taste anything -- a mistake I won't make the next time -- and soon afterwards we we on the road again back in the direction of Tre Stelle. We slipped past our B & B and took the winding road which eventually began twisting and turning spiralling downward to the valley floor and the town of Alba.

Again we found a place to park near the city center with little effort and walked -- umbrella out and up of course -- following the signs toward the centro storico. We found the information office, which was about the only place open. The office is very new and well laid out with several staff available to assist the traveler. It became clear to us that Piemonte, perhaps as a consequence of the recent influx of interest from the Olympics in Torino, is spending a great deal of time and effort and imagination in promoting the region. We thought the tourist office in Alba particularly well planned and thoughtfully laid out with ample information available to help the casual tourist find his way around this wonderful part of Italy.

We strolled around Alba in the rain, popping in to a small church where there was a small photographic exhibtion hung out in the center where the pews would normally have been. The theme appeared to be of women around the world at work, with children, just being themselves. Very nicely done and quite touching as well.

We also saw banners and posters for a recent joint US-Italy jazz festival as well as an International film festival in town as well. Quite a little town Alba we thought.

Since it was lunchtime Susie and I, along with pretty much everyone else in a 2-km radius, gravitated toward the one place apparently open, the Vincafe, a wonderful little wine bar and trattoria serving quite a large number of local wines by the glass as well as delicious local cuisine. I had the veal in tuna sauce (again) and Susie another local quich-like dish, and we both had the farro soup (a vegetable soup really), with a glass of Arneis. It was all very delicious, and so good for you.

After lunch we strolled in the rain back to the car and left Alba hoping to return very soon. (No, really I mean it!)

After some aimless driving around the countryside we at last came up with a plan and headed off to the other Big Red country: Barolo.

This village is somewhat larger than Barbaresco and a bit more oriented toward the tourist -- space alone dictated the limitations in Barbaresco we thought. Anyway parking proved little problem and we were soon strolling through the quiet (very) streets of the village heading toward the enoteca locate din the castle at the edge of town.

Upon entering the enoteca one has the option to pay a small fee to tour the castle (we skipped it) or walk down the stairs to the enoteca proper. We opted for the latter and soon found ourselves in a wonderful, very open and cozy space where a woman was just discussing the characteristics of some of the local wines with another couple -- in fact the only other people in the enoteca. We stopped and listened and paid our €5 each for a tasting of three wines (glasses not included).


Before long we struck up a conversation with the other couple, Jonas and Suzanne from Sweden. (They had driven down on a long holiday skiing and just touring heading toward the sun and sea.) The four of us talked about the wine, about Piemonte, about Italy and about traveling, about how important traveling is, allowing us to see the world through different perspectives. It is amazing how much we are all alike and yet how different we can be at the same time. Truly astonishing.

The four of us said goodbye, they heading south toward the sun and the Ligurian Sea and us north to the Alps and France. We went our seperate ways. I wonder though, is it possible we will ever see them again? Why did our paths cross in the first place? Coincidence? Random act of what force? Does it really matter? We met a couple of nice, amiable, funny people with whom we shared some stories and smiles. That's enough.

Before leaving Barolo Susie and I stopped at the nearby museum of corkscrews (fee) where we browsed the small giftshop selling items with the logo of the museum before moving on back to the car and the B & B.

That evening, our last evening we had dinner at the Villa Rabaya just at the edge of the village of Barbaresco. The food was good -- I had veal roast in a wonderful mushroom sauce and Susie had pasta. The wine was of course spectacular. The views from this restaurant were dramatic to say the least and must be truly incredible in the summer time with the windows and doors open. You can see for miles and miles it seemed.

We were the only ones there.

Wish you had been there,

Steve