A week in early July in Piedmont

We stayed in a B&B/winery outside of Alba for 5 nights in 2019. Our time was largely focused in and around Alba, so I’m not sure how close they are to Bra, but below are the things we did and particularly enjoyed:

• Tour, wine tasting, and lunch at Azienda Bajaj. This was our favorite experience of the trip and one of our favorite travel memories ever. Adriano (the winemaker) and his family treat all visitors like part of their family and have such passion for not only their wines but also the produce that they grow.
• Tour and wine tasting at Tenuata Barac
• Dinner at Ristorante Enoclub
• Day trip to the village of Neive

After Alba, we headed to Florence, so I don’t have any additional guidance on where to go with your final 3 nights, but I hope you have a great trip!

Why are you not dropping the car in Turin? You could visit the city after the Park and take a direct, high speed train to Rome. The train ride will be 1 hour longer (3:15 from La Spezia vs 4:20 from Turin), but you'll have more options of direct trains and two railway companies to choose from.

More, you won't have to drive back to La Spezia on the same boring highway through the Maritime Alps twice in a week.

From the Orta Lake, The obvious place where to drop a car would be Milan's Central station, where you can get on a direct train to Rome. The no-stop ones take around 3 hours. Novara would be a second best, if you want to avoid driving in big city traffic. Orta-La Spezia is a 3 hours drive, passing close to Milan's and Reggio's stations, both served by high speed trains to Rome.

Thank you Erin for your specific recommendations. And Dario what a brilliant suggestion about NOT returning the car to La Spezia; i usually don't consider dropping off a rental at a different city because of "drop off fees" but sometimes they are minimal, or worth the expense. I'll check out that option.

We spent some time in the Aosta area last summer after our time in Cinque Terre and really enjoyed our time there. We visited the Parco Nationale Gran Paradiso and wished we had more time to explore. We also enjoyed the Skyway Monte Bianco. My trip report is below and it includes more detail about what we did. Let me know if you have any more questions!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/italy-and-switzerland-trip-recap

Piedmont has a lot of great and varied places. The Langhe wine region you've got covered. Lake Orta is one of my favourites, though many people here think it's too dull. Turin is a wonderful city. But one more area I love is Val di Susa, west of Turin. Avigliana is a beautiful town with two small lakes, walks through nature preserves and Piedmont's provincial symbol is Sacra di San Michele, a 1000-year-old church and monastery on a mountaintop along the Via Francigena pilgrimage trail. It is light on tourist crowds, at least foreign tourists. I highly recommend the Certosa 1515 ex-monastery for lodging and excellent meals, it's just down the mountain from Sacra di San Michele and above the town of Avigliana.

When we visited, I took the train from Florence to Turin, then picked up a rental car there. There is also a commuter train from Avigliana to Turin, but a car is useful. 3 nights in that area is not too much.

Kathryn - Thanks for posting this question about Piemonte and the Alba area. My wife, her elderly mother, and I will be in the Alba area for 4 nights during mid-July. Not a lot written about this area. However, after reading more and more about it, I don't quite understand why not. We are staying at an agriturismo just outside Alba. We have day trips planned. Mostly wine and village based tourism as my MIL isn't really up to hiking or more physical pursuits. We definitely know the town of Barolo is on our list of places to visit along with a winery or two.

Erin - thanks for the advice on Azienda Agricola Bajaj. We have been corresponding with the owner, Adriano. He is most hospitable and quick to respond. We're planning a lunch and wine tasting the afternoon of our arrival to the area after we drive from our family visit in Samoens, France.

Looking forward to hearing what others might suggest. Safe travels!

@Two Wandering Nurses - aw I’m so glad you’re heading to Bajaj! I hope you have the best time! My family still talks about our incredible experience there.