Slow Cooking Piedmont™

Tie on your aprons and step into the enchanting Langhe region, nestled in the heart of Piedmont. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a dream destination for every food and wine lover. Discover this rich land and culture where rolling vineyards produce the world-famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines, the fertile farms grow prized white truffles and an abundance of hazelnuts. Join us in Langhe where you will learn to make handmade pasta with farm-fresh eggs while sipping and swirling world Barolo, Gabiano, and Barbera d’Asti wine. Indulge in Piemonte cooking class and authentic Barolo wine Cooking Vacations experience.

Discover local cuisine starting with antipasto, veal served in a white wine sauce with capers and small white fish. Pasta and risottos follow and are always delicious – risotto con nociolle, roasted rice slow stirred with broth, served in a light cream sauce and garnished with toasted hazelnuts. You’ll prepare handmade agnolotti, small pillows of pasta stuffed with veal and herbs served in a cream sauce. Main courses are impressive like Brasato al Barolo, a tender cut of prime meat slow cooked in a Barolo wine. Desserts span from Savoiardi, delicate sweet biscotti named after the Royal family to Baci di Dame, translating to kisses from the women, which are a buttery cookie filled with Piedmont chocolate cream. Moscato wine is always served with traditional delicious desserts from Piedmont.

Piedmont’s cuisine preserves Old-World traditions emphasizing farm-to-table products referred to zero-kilometer, zero miles distance from the producer to the table. This region is also the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement and home to the first Università del Gusto piemonte, or University of Taste, where food heritage and innovation blend seamlessly. Today, the università del gusto continues to attract culinary travelers and food enthusiasts from around the world.

Slow Food is an organization founded in Italy by Carlo Petrini, Italian activist and author in 1986.  Its mission is to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and support farmers, farming, artisans and livestock of the local ecosystem, and traditional cooking methods.  Slow Food supports small artisans and sustainable food and wine focusing on food quality, not quantity. The Slow Food movement protects the farmers and artisans from globalization.

Piedmont

Beyond the majestic snow-capped Alps lies Piedmont, a culinary paradise where rolling green hills draped with gentle vineyard produce Italy’s most famous Barolo wine. This enchanting region offers breathtaking views and delicious food far from Italy’s tourist crowds. Torino, Piedmont’s capital, is a charming city that delights visitors with its renowned chocolate tradition, historic Fiat, the famous car bank, and the magnificent Royal Palace. Stroll through the stunning Baroque palazzos including Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo.

Piedmont Cooking Classes

Tie on your apron with our Chef Tonino for a traditional Piemonte cooking class, and learn how to prepare recipes using farm-to-table ingredients. You will prepare antipasto, pasta with seasonal sauces, a main course, and dessert. Under the guidance of the chef, learn new techniques while discovering local cuisine. Following each cooking class, everyone enjoys the food they prepared in the class together at the table with a toast of local wine. Guests may also enjoy exclusive tastings like Barbera paired with local delicacies.

Piedmont Accommodations

The Villa is tucked in the rolling hills of Piedmont’s wine country surrounded by rustic charm with refined elegance. The architecture reflects the region’s heritage, featuring exposed brick walls, vaulted ceilings, and hand-hewn wooden beams that speak to its farmhouse roots. Interiors are thoughtfully restored preserving original details while introducing subtle modern touches. Each room offers modern comfort beds dressed in soft Italian linens inviting guests to unwind in comfort after a day of cooking or touring. The overall ambiance is luxurious and elegant while nature awes with blue skies and rolling green hills and gardens blending history and hospitality.  An ancient wine cellar offers a glimpse into the past of Piedmont’s wine history while home to a collection of the region’s Barolo, Gabiano, and Barbera d’Asti wine. Breakfast is served daily and includes local artisan breads, cakes and biscotti along with fresh seasonal fruit, yogurts, granola, jam, cappuccino, tea and juice.

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Barolo Wine

Barolo, called “the king of wine and the wine of Kings,” is the driving force in the Langhe wine-growing area and the excellences of the Piedmont Region. This wine which can only be produced with only 100% Nebbiolo grape is a symbol of pride for the 800 producers in the region. As tradition and production regulations dictate, the municipalities where Nebbiolo grapes become Barolo are only 11, spread over an area of approximately 1,700 hectares: Cherasco, Verduno, Roddi, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Castiglione Falletto, Diano d’Alba, Barolo, Novello, Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba, the 11 essences, the faces, that have made up the DOCG Barolo since 1980. Each municipality, area, sub-area, vineyard and parcel are magical and heterogeneous expressions, which are hidden within each single vintage and bottle. In 1600, the Nebbiolo grape was already being used to make wine consumed by the nobles and Royals of the House of Savoy. Then, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour called French oenologist Alexandre-Pierre Odart, requesting that the wine be refined. In 1873, Barolo won its first award.

Barolo wine must age for at least 38 months, starting from November 1st of the year the grapes are produced, of which 18 in wooden barrels, while the term “Riserva” appears on the label after 5 years of aging. The color is a fresh and lively ruby red, which tends to orange over time. On the nose, the unmistakable aromas of Nebbiolo grapes of rose and red fruit jam are accompanied by the woody and vanilla notes. Barolo pairs best with roasts, braised meats, venison, rabbit, goat and lamb. It goes well with aged cheeses, such as Bra duro and Castelmagno. It’s often served for dessert with dark chocolate, bugie, thin ribbons of flash-fried sweet dough dusted with Confectioners’ sugar, paste di meliga, crumbly polenta biscotti, and marrons glacés, sugared chestnuts. A wine once savored by nobles and royalty, Barolo remains today a treasure of the Langhe and a centerpiece of our Barolo wine Cooking Vacations.

Itinerary ~ 4 Days, 3 Nights

Day 1: Arrival and Check In

• Round trip transfers from Asti train station to the property.
• Check in and relax. Enjoy your Cooking Vacations Welcome Bag with Prosecco toast.
• Later, enjoy a wine tasting and discover Barbera Riserva, Nebbiolo, and Moscato.
• In the evening, enjoy your Welcome Dinner featuring a Chef’s Tasting Menu featuring a full course menu with local fare including antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert.

Day 2: Cooking Class 1 and Poolside Aperitivo

• Breakfast is served.
• Following breakfast, tie on your apron for your Cooking Class and learn to prepare a full course menu with fresh seasonal products. Following the cooking class, everyone enjoys the foods prepared in the class with a toast of local wine.
• Following the cooking class, take a swim in the outdoor swimming pool with a poolside aperitivo.
• Welcome Dinner featuring a Chef’s Tasting with a full course menu including antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert, included.

Day 3: Truffle Hunt, Lunch, Wine Tour, and Tasting with Truffle Traditions

• • Breakfast is served.
  • Following breakfast, meet your driver for a visit to Costigliole for an authentic truffle hunt with two trifulau, Giorgio and Natale and two dogs Brio and Lizzy. You will walk through their secret part of the forest learning about the truffle hunt.  Depending on the season and weather, you may or may not find a precious truffle.  Following, enjoy a truffle snack prepared by Giorgio on the terrace.
  • After your truffle hunt, enjoy a traditional lunch, included.   After lunch, return to the property.
  • In the later afternoon, meet your driver for your wine tour. The excursion includes a visit to a local winery, vineyard and cantina with wine tour and tasting, along with a driver and English-speaking host.
  • Later in the evening. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner at the Villa with a Chef’s tasting menu including antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert with wine included.

Day 4: Check out and Departure

• Breakfast is served
• Transfer to Milan Airport or Asti Train Station
• Arrivederci!