Discover Piedmont’s recipes, the Langhe wine region and the city of Alba in a unique travel cookbook.

In this heartfelt Alba and Langhe cookbook, you’ll find Piedmont’s recipes, specifically from the Langhe wine region and the city of Alba. Get ready to dive into a circus of truffles, hazelnuts, wines, and the recipes of hard-working and life-loving people. Italian Fall traditions, Christmas inspiration, and more seasonal delights will complete this unique, made-in-Italy travel cookbook.

Discover Piedmont's recipes, the Langhe wine region and the city of Alba!

alba and langhe Simposio

THE ALBA AND LANGHE COOKBOOK

Piedmont’s recipes are earthy, rich, and delicious. Perfect for your fall and winter kitchen adventures. The landscapes of the Langhe wine region were born to be contemplated while sipping from a glass of robust red wine. The city of Alba is the perfect nest for resting after wandering around, tasting grapes, truffles, and hazelnuts, and going up and down the suave hills of Piedmont. Experience it all, page after page, recipe after recipe, picture after picture!

Piedmont's recipes, the Langhe wine region and the city of Alba are waiting for you!

INSIDE SIMPOSIO’S ALBA AND LANGHE COOKBOOK:

Browsing the pages of Simposio’s Alba and Langhe cookbook, you’ll find Piedmont’s recipes, interviews with locals, dreamy landscapes, and amusing folklore.
Plus, you’ll have plenty of reads about Fall celebrations, superstitions, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve in Italy.

Get ready for:

  • a Piedmontese Bucket List;
  • an Open Air Circus in the Langhe wine region and the city of Alba with the Clown, the Dog Tamer, the Wild Man, a couple of sorcerers, and the Vine Master;
  • jewel-towns like Barolo and Neive
  • the story of a partisan writer
  • a mini course of truffle mushrooms
  • a portrait of Madame Barolo

 

  • Piedmont recipes such as:
    • Hazelnut Cake
    • Brasato Al Barolo
    • Barolo Tagliatelle
    • Chickpea No-Crust Pie
    • Rice Pie
    • Rice & Spinach No-Crust Pie
    • Acciughe Al Verde
    • Tajarin
    • Ragù Langarolo
    • Bagna Cauda
    • Agnolotti Del Plin
  • Italian fall celebrations like San Martino, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve;

 

  • Seasonal Italian recipes include:
    • Hazelnut Oil Cookies
    • Grape Jam
    • Ricotta And Grape Crostini
    • Stuffed Pumpkin
    • Persecche
    • Kale Eggs In Purgatory
    • One-Pan Mushroom Pasta
    • All-natural Beet Cough Syrup
    • An Italian Charcuterie Board

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alba and langhe
alba and langhe recipes
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alba and langhe truffles

ABOUT ALBA AND LANGHE, PIEDMONT

Before you read the Alba & Langhe wine region cookbook, here are some tips and information to plan your visit or simply know better this extraordinary land.

alba and langhe places

WHERE IS ALBA AND GETTING THERE

Alba is a town in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Northern Italy.

I heartily suggest going there by car to explore the surroundings. The Langhe hills have recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site: they are a spectacular landscape of nature, vineyards, hazel trees, perched towns, and castles.

You can fly to Turin’s airport and rent a car there, it’s about an hour’s drive, but a beautiful drive. From Rome and Milan, you can reach Turin by train.

WHEN TO GO TO ALBA AND LANGHE

Alba is a perfect Fall destination. The Alba White Truffle Festival is usually held between the end of October and November, and it is joyful, engaging, and delicious.

Plus, Fall is the perfect season to taste Langhe wines, eat local products, and enjoy all those tones of red, brown, orange, and green: the best foliage panorama I’ve seen to date in Italy.

alba and langhe

ALBA ACCOMMODATIONS

Hotels in Alba are costly, so if you are looking for something more affordable, and, guess what, more picturesque, look for “locande” (guesthouses) or bed & breakfasts in the countryside.

You’ll have to drive a bit, but waking up facing a vineyard is worth every mile. Plus, it’s always a good occasion to talk to locals and let them guide you by suggesting authentic businesses, restaurants, wineries, etc.

When we planned our trip, we consulted the list from the truffle fair website. Of course, the earlier you book, the better.

ALBA RESTAURANTS

I’m sharing the list of the best restaurants in Alba (and surroundings) I prepared for our trip. All of them were collected through friends’ and friends of friends’ recommendations.

alba and langhe wines

THINGS TO DO IN ALBA

Alba is a small, pedestrian town; in a day, you’ll visit it all.

But here’s a list of things you should absolutely do:

  • Have an aperitivo with local wines, polpette (meatballs), roasted potatoes, and fried polenta.
  • Wander through the narrow streets and visit the churches – the gothic San Lorenzo, the baroque Maddalena, and San Domenico, my favorite.
  • Visit Beppe Fenoglio’s house, a brilliant Italian writer, dramaturg, and partisan (this is important, keep it in mind for when you’ll read the Simposio).
  • Visit the Slow Food Market on a Saturday or Sunday morning and explore local specialties.

If you go there during the Alba White Truffle Festival:

  • attend a Truffle Course: remember to book in advance – lessons are in Italian and English;
  • have lunch at the fair: it is crowdy, and you might be in line for quite a bit, but the food is local, authentic, and really really good;
  • shop for wines: the fair is full of producers that will let you taste their scarlet treasures and that ship worldwide.

THE LANGHE REGION

Here are some of the most beautiful places to see in the Langhe region:

  • Barolo, yes, where the Barolo wine is produced;
  • Pollenzo, where the Slow Food University was founded in 2004, it is the only university dedicated to Gastronomic sciences in the World;
  • Neive, the cutest perched town in the region;
  • Castello di Grinzane, to shop for wine and Grappe, visit the Langhe museum, and see where the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba gathers for its meetings and rituals (you’ll learn more about them through the book);
  • Cherasco, to try the “baci di Cherasco” (kisses), hazelnuts covered in dark chocolate;
  • La Morra not only is a beautiful town, but it is also home to the Cantina Comunale (Municipal winery), a place where locals discover, taste, and buy local wines.
alba and langhe chocolate and hazelnut cream

ALBA WINES, WINERIES, AND VINEYARDS

Don’t leave the Langhe valley without tasting at least a Barolo, a Barbaresco, and a Dolcetto.

But if you have time, complete your tasting experience with a BarberaAsti SpumanteNebbioloMoscato d’Asti, GrignolinoErbaluce, and a Gattinara.

Don’t miss a wine tasting (book at least a few days in advance). Here are all the vineyard suggestions we got from friends and friends of friends:

We will learn more about how to taste and enjoy these wines on Simposio!

CHOCOLATE PARADISE

Piedmont is the first Italian producer of chocolate: Novi, Ferrero, and Venchi are located here. But you can easily buy all of them online or at Italian shops. While in Alba and Langhe, you should take the opportunity to taste (and buy) artisanal chocolates, spreads, and creams. You’ll need to check in an extra suitcase, trust me!

For Nutella aficionados: sorry, the visit to the factory is not available anymore.

When and if you visit Gherasco, there’s a delicious chocolatier that uses the world-famous Venezuelan cocoa to make his masterpieces: Riccardi.

alba and langhe foods

SPECIALTIES YOU MUST TRY

Piedmont has 341 traditional specialties. It is the fifth Italian region with more traditional products. (The first one is Tuscany)

Too many for a trip of a few days, right?

Don’t worry, I selected the unmissable ones for you.

  • Piedmontese beef: not only it is autochthonous and delicious, but also an ancient variety with a long, long story.
  • Alba’s white truffle: more delicate than the black truffle, so don’t expect a dizzying flavor. You need to concentrate and have a clean palate to really appreciate its taste. It’s pretty impossible to take it back home with you, so feast on it as much as you can while you’re there!
  • Hazelnuts: buy a sack at the market (I told you you’ll need an extra suitcase!), try the spreads, the cakes, and the cookies made with hazelnut flour!
  • Robiola cheese: a soft-ripened stracchino-like delight. Try it with truffle flakes!
  • Agnolotti del Plin: pinched agnolotti stuffed with pork and beef (We’ll make them in the cookbook and savor them in three old-world ways).
  • Tajarin: tiny stretches of egg pasta, imagine spaghetti, but way thinner, fresh and eggy (we’ll learn to make them on SIMPOSIO). Try them with white truffles and butter or with beef ragù.
  • Paste di Meliga: corn flour cookies so fragrant they’ll melt in your mouth. So you’ll need to taste another one, and another one… and another one!
  • Alba’s torrone.

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Enjoy the Alba and Langhe Simposio!

Claudia