Help to Plan a Spring Piedmont Itinerary :)

Lake Orta would be my choice - I spent a week there this summer and loved it. I have been to Lake Maggiore several times, and it's very striking, but Orta is so peaceful and beautiful. One of the top three meals of my vacation was at a local agriturimo, Il Cucchiaio di Legno. I also stayed there three nights; great room and fabulous breakfast. It's easy walking distance to the main piazza at Orta san Giulio as well as to the Sacro Monte there.

I've been through Val d'Aosta fairly quickly. I enjoyed a lunch and walkabout of the town of Aosta, but didn't have time to stop at any of the fortresses, sadly. I liked it, and would go back, but what about Val di Susa instead? I stayed at a really amazing ex-monatery near Avigliana called Certosa1515, just down the mountain from Sacra di San Michele. San Michele is an ancient and famous pilgrimage stop, as well as the setting for Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose", and is the "provincial monument" of Piedmont. We spent hours just wandering around it, with only a half dozen others. Certosa has been a monastery since 1515, and when the last of the cloistered nuns couldn't manage it any more, they gave it to a humanitarian group run by Father Ciotti, who has fought the Mafia and supported poor and sick people for decades. The history and the current story of this place are remarkable and the hospitality and warmth we experienced were unforgettable.

I've also spent a fabulous day driving through the Langhe region with friends, stopping at wine cantinas and enjoying the views. Neive is a must-see. Barbaresco was more fun that Barolo, both worth a stop. And for a great meal, stop in Cherasco at Osteria La Rosa Rossa. Cherasco is also a gorgeous town to walk around, with a cute little museum and another converted monastery, this one to a luxury resort.

Great choice to spend time in Piedmont. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

I know it's not on your list of things to see and do, but Torino is quite interesting, and quite different from other Italian cities, as well as being off tourist radar. So, it may be easy to go right from MXP to Torino (there's direct bus service), stay there 1-2 nights, then pick up your car on the way out of Torino.

Thanks so much for all of these great tips!!

I am so excited!! Just today I booked our flights minutes ago. On kayak for 5/23 departure and 6/2 return from NYC to Milan round trip, nonstop I got a price alert that tickets went down to $448 each ahhhh!!

I'll definitely consider everything you've both said and PM for you for more info as I plan if it's alright :)

Right now I'm thinking of getting a car service straight to Stresa to see if we can relax lakeside and then pick up a rental by Stresa and then swing by Orta before heading to Aosta...and then Piedmont region.

I was in the Piedmonte this past September and loved it. We started our trip in Stress on Lake Maggiore which was nice but was more of a resort town compared to some towns on Lake Como. We did a day trip over to Lake Orta and Orta San Guilia which was just as beautiful. Wit a rental car I'd say stay on Lake Orta and go visit Lake Maggiore for a day.

I stayed in Asti for their Palio horse race which is older then the one in Siena but smaller. It was nice to see. We stayed in Asti but went to Alba, Barolo and plenty of wineries. Asti was the largest city in the region and it felt like a worker city once we got outside the historical center which was a few small blocks. Alba had a nicer feel to it as a whole. I'd stay in Alba if it wasn't for the Palio.

We were referred a great local guide Marco (at Meet Piedmonte) for our wine tours, country village tours and truffles. He was amazing and put together a nice custom itinerary. I would call them back anytime I'm back in the region. Here is their website http://www.meetpiemonte.com/en/

Hi everyone and thanks again for all of these great responses!

As of now I am fairly certain we will stay right outside of Alba May 24 - 28, then in either Courmayeur or Aosta May 28-30, and then in either Stresa or Orta San Giulio May 30 - June 2.

I had 2 other questions:

1) I am hearing that half of Courmayuer is closed down in May! I found one hotel which is open, and they said that the cable car, the spa at nearby Pre Saint Didier, etc are all open, but that many restaurants and things to do will be closed. My first choice was Courmayeur but now I am questioning that choice. Does anyone have experience with staying in Aosta in the spring? ...should I be skipping this area all together this time of the year?

2) I am still torn between Orta San Guilio or Stresa as I like the idea of a more peaceful and quaint Lake Orta, but was hoping to drop off our rental upon arrival and like that there's more to do in Stresa. Is Stresa an incredibly touristic area to the point of not being authentic at all? Any additional feedback or ideas of places to stay would be appreciated!

:)

i don't know anything about Courmayeur. As far as the difference between Stresa and Orta San Giulio, that's tough to answer. I believe that Stresa's main purpose has been to support tourism, at least since the beginning of the 20th century. So tourism is its authenticity. It's very nice but the whole lakefront is lined with hotels. From Wikipedia: "for centuries Stresa has been a popular retreat for Europe's aristocrats, who have endowed the town with a number of villas. Tourism increased substantially after tunneling of the Simplon Pass allowed train services from north of the Alps to pass through Stresa in 1906."

Orta san Giulio also lives off tourism, but has very few large hotels. I would not run out of things to do there. I barely got to see other towns on the lake and in the hills, but the ones I did see were very interesting (Miasino, Carcegna, Omegna). For 2 or 3 nights, you will definitely not be bored. Even in a week, I wouldn't have to repeat any sights. And I didn't have a car there.

I don't want to put down Stresa, but I've been twice, one-half day each, and that was enough for me to see Stresa, Villa Taranto and the Borromean Isles. I didn't get to other places on the lake. I spent three nights at Orta, and another five nights nearby, and I would go back for more. They really aren't far apart, and both are worth seeing, so if it were my trip, I might spend some time with the car tooling around Lake Maggiore, then settle in at Lake Orta once you've returned the car.

Not a clear answer, I'm afraid. My bias might not be the same as yours, and you won't really go wrong either way.