Help planning Piedmont area

Bra and Barolo are both small towns which we easily visited from our base in Alba. Alba is larger and it is the perfect location from which to visit many of the wine villages. They are easier to get to than the towns in Tuscany which are more spread out. We spent a week in Alba and then drove down to Santa Margherita Liguria from there. I can’t imagine how you will explore this region using public transportation to go from village to village. Like Tuscany and Umbria, the Piemonte requires a car to see it best.
Stresa or Ranco on the other, SE side, of the lake, closer to Malpensa, are both nice places to visit on Lake Maggiore.
They work well with a short drive to MXP Malpensa.
I have no idea how car rental prices are in France now, but they were always much cheaper than Italy which is why we often picked them up in Nice. You might want to check the prices in France. You need to return it back to France if you rent it there or pay a steep drop off fee...

Lisa Anderson is a guide that works in Piemonte. There have just been about 4 posts/videos from her that you can see on Adventures with Sarah website or Facebook page. Lisa is also a part of the Guide Collective which you can also find on facebook or http://guide-collective.com. Lisa was a RS guide and may still be.

Thank you both for your input. Just checked Auto Europe and renting an automatic for five days in Alba is $983; Turin is $664.00. Will keep researching options.

I haven't been to that region of Italy yet but researched it earlier this year, hoping I'd squeeze in a trip (I didn't). I discovered that the Piedmont has a region-wide sightseeing pass that appears to be a really good deal for those spending a good bit of time in the area. It's not limited to sights in Turin, though it does cover a lot in that city. (There's a similar deal for Lombardy.) When I checked back in the summer I found the price was €52, or €45 for seniors, which I believe is for a full year.

https://shop-piemonte.abbonamentomusei.it/

I haven't been able to find a simple list of covered sights, but you can drill down on this map:

https://piemonte.abbonamentomusei.it/Musei

There is a direct bus from MXP airport to Turin, to avoid backtracking up to Milan.
There are direct trains from Turin Porta Susa to Alba and Bra. If you want to see smaller places like Barolo and Neive, you'll have to take local buses whose schedules are designed for students and workers. I'd just rent a car.

I haven't been able to find a simple list of covered sights

Museums: https://piemonte.abbonamentomusei.it/Musei

Exhibitions: https://piemonte.abbonamentomusei.it/Mostre

To see the list of the covered sites, you must pick a province on the right. Piedmont is divided in 8 provinces: Torino, Alessandria, Asti etc. Aosta is an undercover French agent.

Alba and Bra are in the Province of Cuneo.

Cool! That will save me a lot of effort when I add that information to my travel notes.

Yes, car rental prices are so annoyingly high. I don't think its going to improve any time soon. Dealerships are going to get cars before the car rental companies. It is very challenging to plan a trip for some of these places where a car is very helpful.

I truly appreciate all of the input. If car rental prices go down, we will rent a car. If not, the hotel we are staying at, has given us information on tours we can take from Alba. Not sure we want to spend any time in Torino.

You might want to stay long enough in Torino for a cup of the best coffee you'll taste. Maybe with a bit of milk and chocolate in the cup to mix. Are you familiar with the magnificence known as Bicerin?

I would look at car rentals from Turin or Milan even, over Alba. Do you have to have an automatic? Hertz is only $400 for a week from Milan for a manual. I do recommend a car for the countryside in Piemonte. Otherwise, if you do use public transportation then Alba definitely makes the most sense. I highly recommend Anna for winery tours in the area. She can come and pick you up at your Alba hotel and take you out into the countryside for the day. https://www.italianna.com/

Stresa is a great place to go on this trip also. We did the same thing.

Not sure we want to spend any time in Torino.

I guess you have visited many cities founded by the Romans 2,000 years ago that managed to remain the capital of an independent kingdom from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the arrival of Napoleon I.

Nevertheless, such a long history left interesting traces some may not expect in Italy's Detroit.

Nigel and Dario: message heard about Torino loud and clear. Have added it to our itinerary. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction 😊. April - thanks for the tour guide recommendation.