I guess I'm going to Piemonte

... except for a day seeking out Asti wines, but we both agree that 1 day on a wine tour is enough

Asti (Asti Spumante, Moscato d'Asti, Barbera) ... not bad. But don't forget to consider Barolo, The King of Wines ;-)

Yo fellow Canuck Allan,
There is a long-time poster over on the Fodors forum who goes by 'maitaitom'. He and his wife have travelled extensively and have a blog. Piedmonte is apparently their all-time fave place. We met the two of them for lunch in Carpinteria (near Santa Barbara) this past February and can vouch for their friendliness and approachability.
I am sure that if you were to either go over his related blog posts or Fodors posts, you could learn more about that part of Italy. One assumes that his blog allows for questions. He knows wines, among other things.

We ourselves have only ever been to the far north of that area. We especially enjoyed Lago di Orta. Some folks prefer Stresa.
One thought: might it be a good idea to make a deliberate contrast with Big Cities by basing in a small town or village somewhere throughout your journey?
Good luck.
I am done. the Albertanz

We spent about 8 days in Piemonte about 15 years ago. We chose Alba as our base and were happy with that choice. Our B&B was VILLA FAVORITA. Although it now has new owners, reviews are still strong. One of the best meals we had was at OSTERIA DELLA POSTA. I recommend booking all meals in advance.

The wines you might want to seek out are not the frizzante Asti, but the reds: Barolo, Barbaresco, etc.

We ended our trip with about three nights in Turin, a lovely city. We picked up and dropped off car at Milano Malpensa.

https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/le-langhe-and-turin-a-week-in-the-land-of-barolo-bagna-cauda-and-bicerin-781768/

We stayed in Turin for five nights and then went to Aosta. Turin was fantastic and I wished we could have spent a couple more days in the city, let along more time for day trips.

We flew direct from the US to Milan. From Malpensa, you can take a direct bus to central Turin, avoiding the need to take the train into central Milan and then the train to Turin. (Departing, we drove our rental car from Aosta to Malpensa.)

I’m going, too - so take notes. LOL.

I was in Turin for a few days in October and it’s lovely. Once I started researching, I knew I hadn’t planned enough time, so I will be back - probably fall of 2027. When I go, I will probably include a week in Verona and a week in/near Bologna, as well. So I will try to fly in to Milan. Last fall I flew to Turin from Bucharest and out of Turin to Salzburg (not a plan I recommend - just to say Turin has an airport).

You could also combine this area with Switzerland, if that appeals.

I've been wanting to do Piedmonte for a while, but keep running up against the lack of direct flights to Northern Italy. I assume you are trying to fly West Jet? Here is my goal, but I have to wait until retired as it takes too many weeks the way I would want to do it.
Direct to Paris, train to Lyon
Lyon to Turin - Man in seat 61 has some good info on this, and there was a video I saw a while ago on his site
then when done Piedmonte, make my way to Rome to fly home.

KLM flies to Turin from Amsterdam Schiphol. We spent a week in Turin last year and absolutely loved it. We flew via Amsterdam to Venice for our 6 days in Padova, then train to Turin and flew back to AMS. We love Schiphol and choose it for European connections if we are not going to France or the UK.

I'm gathering information of a trip to that area myself. One thing I've uncovered is that the region has an annual sightseeing pass that might pay off for folks staying more than a few days. I believe it covers primarily museums. The Piemonte pass also covers some things in the Val d'Aosta area.

Although I find major-city sightseeing passes don't usually pay off, often having short durations, I find some regional and national passes can be very worthwhile for those inclined to travel slowly.

https://abbonamentomusei.it/en/

We found the Torino + Piemonte card valuable for our time in Turin. I would definitely recommend it if you will visit a lot of the sites covered.

Where we were there, Turin offered a "chocolate pass" that allowed you to try the chocolate specialities at several top chocolatiers and cafes. See if they still offer that...

A Turin chef was once shown during during an episode with Tony Bourdain telling the latter that the city's pastries were the best in all Italy.
Any foodies here care to comment?
I am done. the sweet

Heading to Asti, Torino and beyond in September. I’m following your comments and recommendations.

I've been wanting to do Piedmonte for a while, but keep running up against the lack of direct flights to Northern Ital

You can fly direct to Milan - there is a bus drom the airport to Turin

Thanks for the help so far. Probably the earliest we'd go is September, if not then it will likely be May 2027. We're simultaneously planning two trips; this one and also London to Bamburgh. I'm anxiously waiting for tickets to go on sale for the Bayeaux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum. If I manage to get tickets to that then the England tour takes priority.

As for how to get to Peidmonte; Rome, Florence and then Piemonte, or start in Lyon or Nice; there appears to be no bad answer.

Season may have some effect. We came via Milan one May and encountered a green but rainy spring (foiling our plans for countryside ambling). If you go in early fall, take truffle season into account, such as Alba’s festival in October.

Visiting Piemonte in December 2018 we first spent 3 nights in Saluzzo, mostly to visit the Manta Castle and see its painted rooms (these frescoes include secular subjects like an early 15th century fountain of youth — startling and amusing even for those not fond of art), the kitchen, and the views over the countryside. Castello della Manta.

We used 6 nights in Alba and 3 nights in La Morra as bases to drive to Castello Grinzane Cavour⁩, Mondovi, Barolo, Barbaresco, Neive, and Bra. I can’t find my notes about Piemonte, but it was all food, wine, castles, museums, medieval towns, and winter scenery.

Then 4 nights in Torino after returning the rental car — we especially loved the Egyptian museum and the car museum. The car museum was more proof that Italians can create an interesting and fun museum for people with no interest in the subject.

We took the bus to Malpensa, then the hotel’s shuttle to La Pista hotel for the night before our early morning flight home.

If you enjoy full-bodied white wines, seek out Nascetta and Timorasso, both made from rare indigenous grape varieties brought back from near extinction, and also try my favorite white, Arneis.

Eat and bring home hazelnuts. They are the best. There were still truffles in the street markets in December.

Oh, nancys8, I couldn’t remember but I bet it was you I heard about Osteria della Pista from! I stayed there in Jan 2020 for a night before flying home and the area told me I needed to come back with more time. Thank you! We took a train to the small station and then the hotel shuttle to the airport the next morning.