WHERE NOW | OUT OF TOWN
© MARCO SARACCO | DREAMSTIME.COM
Discovering Piedmont
Avant-garde wineries, a legacy of world-class cuisine and marvelous landscapes. All of these things have earned the areas of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato UNESCO World Heritage status, resulting in an elite tourist destination. BY CHIARA ZACCARELLI
20 W H E R E T U R I N I AU G U S T 2019
T
his is UNESCO’s official reason for adding the wine-growing regions of the LangheRoero and Monferrato to its world heritage list in 2014. “An exceptional living testimony to the historical tradition of grape growing and winemaking processes, of a social context, and a rural economy based on viticulture. The vineyards of the LangheRoero and Monferrato are an outstanding example of man’s interaction with his natural surroundings.” This area is protected as a ‘cultural heritage’ which is symbolic, because man has managed to shape it, giving it the unique characteristics that it boasts today. In this area, the vineyards of several of the world’s most famous wines, including Barolo, Barbaresco, Asti Spumante and Barbera,
stretch as far as the eye can see, in a display of changing colours and softly rolling hills. Although geographically the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato are neighbouring regions, they all have different morphologies, and cultural characteristics. The region’s varied landscape provides fertile soil for an impressive array of local specialties: from superlative wine, to the prized white truffles of Alba, porcini mushrooms and IGP hazelnuts. Located just an hour’s drive from Turin, these regions can be accessed by car (several of the larger centres can also be reached by train). Other options include one of the many organized wine and tasting tours on offer. Ask your concierge. THE LANGHE The Langhe are situated between the Tanaro River and Liguria, between the provinces