Vacapedia Vacation Rentals Blog

When people dream of a destination, they usually dream of Italy. I wonder why?

But few dream of the northwest corner of Italy, the part that’s near France. Called Piemonte (Piedmont in English, I suppose), the region is home to the best foods, best wines and some of the best cheeses in Italy (160 or so in all). And hey, the landscapes are dreamy and filled with vines and hilltop castles.

If I were going, I’d want to stay in a Palazzo. That’s one over there to the right. It’s called Palazzo Marchesi di Novello . It’s an 18th century palazzo with a 20th century pool, no doubt.

The palazzo is near Cherasco. Cherasco is about chocolate, some of Italy’s best. Giancarlo Torta of Barbero di Cherasco makes chocolates the old fashioned way, without all the crap they allow in chocolate so the industrial folks can make a killing selling sub-par stuff.

And the region is known for its wine, which also means it’s know for its food. You can’t get a bad meal here, as far as I know.

Wines? We’re talking Barolo and Roero and Barbaresco. Italy’s best wines, as far as I’m concerned.

Take your rental car into the Langhe and you’ll be surrounded by vines. Hills poke up through them, topped with castles.

Life doesn’t get much better than this. If you can afford it.