Head for the Hills in Italy

If you’re headed to a city, especially the ones I featured last time, I highly recommend that you also visit a nearby region to give you a best-of-both-worlds experience. You don’t have to speak Italian to enjoy it, you’ll get a more authentic feel for the place, and in our experience, it’s always less expensive than the city.

After a visit to Venice, rent a car and hit the highway E70 west to the Valpolicella Wine Region for a few days. You don’t have to love wine to enjoy this area. The people here are friendly, the towns pretty, the food phenomenal. But the wines are AMAZING. It’s only an hour or so by car and a pretty easy drive. We went in March. It was cold and rainy the entire time. We still had a great trip.

We stayed at Villa Monteleone and you should too. It’s in a great location, quiet and overlooking Lucia’s vineyards. It is super-comfortable, reasonably priced, and Lucia is an excellent hostess. She’ll recommend where to eat, make reservations for you, and every restaurant will be terrific. You are free to roam her vineyards, and try (and buy) her wines. Lucia will help you make appointments with other winemakers or arrange other activities in the area.

You do not need to speak Italian to enjoy what is probably the most memorable and fabulous meal I’ve ever had. We drove in the rain up a mountain, (it was probably just a hill), and were relieved to find the owner Natalina still serving lunch at Trattoria Da Nicola. They have no website, +39 045 776 0180 is her phone number. Please go. I will not forgive you if you visit this area without dining here. We have told all of our friends that if we win the lottery, we are taking them here for dinner. I spoke no Italian when we came and Natalina did not speak much English. She’ll just cook you what she thinks is good and you will love it!

A stay in this area puts you close to Lake Garda with its diversions and beauty. You can also fly out of Milan, which is usually cheaper and has more flights.

Speaking of Milan… We did the opposite structure for our trip to the Langhe hills near Alba. We spent 6 days in the Langhe and a weekend in Milan. We had met a winemaker from this famed food and wine region and tucked away the notion of visiting this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We stayed at Ada Nada and again, you should too. Anna Lisa has rooms in the main agriturismo building, but she also has a small casa up in the vineyards that we rented. I would get up early, drink coffee and take pictures from the patio. We ended our days drinking wine on the patio with a sublime sunset view.

Anna Lisa will give you a tour her family’s winery. She can also make dinner reservations, suggest activities, and her breakfasts are terrific!

She recommended we visit Silvio Pistone and his sheep. Silvio is a shepherd who makes wonderful natural cheese. We met him and his sheep, an endangered species native to the Langhe, and enjoyed a cheese tasting meal in Silvio’s fairy tale cottage. (Read my published story about Silvio here.) He speaks very little English but guides can translate for you.

Small independent wineries dot the landscape and are open for tastings. It’s better to email the ones you want to visit in advance for appointments, although depending on the time of year, you may be able to show up. This story reveals some of our favorites in the area. Every town has an enoteca where you can try hyperlocal wines. If you prefer to leave the driving to someone else, you can hire Piedmont Food & Wine Tours or Sonia Speroni.

Alba smells like chocolate. It is home to the Ferrero factory where they make Nutella and other confections. Alba has a large market on Saturday mornings, and, like the rest of the region, Alba boasts high-quality restaurants. The SlowFood movement was born in this area, and Alba hosts the White Truffle Fair each fall. If you’re into food, wine, and gorgeous scenery, this is your place.

When we told some Italian friends we were going to Grottaferrata for a weekend they looked at each other quizzically and asked us why. Forty minutes by car from Rome and convenient to Rome’s Fiumicino airport, Grottaferrata is a hill town with views of olive trees and grape vines in the foreground and Rome in the background.

We stayed at Tenuta Cusmano, as should you. Maurizio there is a gem and will take excellent care of you. Tenuta Cusmano is peaceful and gorgeous, with a garden area around the outdoor pool. Just off the main road through town, yet silent at night, and the views of Rome are stellar.

Maurizio suggested we drive around the nearby lakes and see Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer residence, although Pope Francis did not use it. (In October 2016 it ceased being a Papal residence and is now a museum.) Maurizio recommended where to eat local foods, where the best views were, and even where to park.

Wine has been made in this area since the 5^th century BCE. Frascati is the local white wine made here, enriched by the volcanic soil. We could have toured wineries in the area but instead, we drank it paired with fabulous seafood. We had such a great lunch at La Cavola d’Oro we returned the following evening for dinner. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a three hour lunch and espresso, avoid tourist crowds, and get a glimpse into Italian life, head for the hills near Grottaferrata.

Buon viaggio!