Since everyone on here is so helpful, I wanted to see if anyone has recommendations for the Piedmont Area. I'd like to stay there for 3 days next year after Milan. Like to visit some of the wineries around the area. What is a good town to stay in for those 3 days? I won't have a car and just the train system.
Thanks,
Milano is in Lombardia, the region east of Piemonte. If you like bubbly, in Piemonte, Asti is not far from Torino. Barolo and Barbaresco are the big wines of the region. Tours by public transportation can be challenging, your hotel may have suggestions.
We were in Piedmont two years ago. The Langhe wine area is not well served by public transportation. We rented a car and drove through the region, stopping at the towns of Cherasco, Barbaresco, Barolo, Neive. It was terrific, but not what you asked for. I suggest taking the train to Bra, home of Slow Food and a nice medium sized city. Then check out the wine and food tours from italianna.com which start from there. The owner is a transplanted Californian. I follow her blog, and the tours look great, I haven't taken one personally but the online reviews are solid.
You will love the region and the wine. If you do end up driving, the roads are well maintained and well marked, but watch the speed limit. There are very innocuous looking grey metal boxes on the sides of the roads. About the size of a mailbox, but they contain speed cameras. Why would you rush, though? It's so beautiful. Have a great trip.
I just found something that might suit you perfectly. There are now hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses in the Langhe Roero wine region, with several different routes. HOHOLanghe. Italianna would offer a more personal tour, using her connections, but this could be cheap and cheerful. The buses all leave from Alba, which has train service, so that could be a good base for you. The train trip from Milan takes from 2:45 to 3:30, depending on departure time, with two changes.
We just recently spent three days in the Piedmont region before joining the RS Village Italy Tour. We flew into Milan, trained to Asti, then caught a bus to Nieve. It is a charming, very small town in Barbaresca and near Barolo. We engaged a wonderful wine guide for a day of visits to the many fabulous wineries, His name is Robert Alexander. We had a wonderful time, visited four wineries, had lunch with Robert and his wife, Leslie, in their BBQ house outside Nieve. Highly recommend this adventure. The travel connections to and from Milan take most of a day but we felt it was worthwhile to enjoy the villages and wines of the region. There is an app, Piedmont, that he and Leslie have available which provides excellent info. we stayed in a nice B&B in Nieve but I am unable to remember its name. There are not many accommodations right in town. Charming for a stroll and dinner.
