Two nights in Turin and four in the Langhe, timed to the truffle season rather than the calendar. Growers who still pour their own wine, a truffle hunt at dawn with a trifolao and his dog, and the arcades and historic cafes of the first capital of Italy.
Arrival at Caselle or by train from Milan, and transfer to the hotel in the centre. The afternoon is free under the arcades. Welcome dinner at a historic restaurant, opening with vermouth as the city invented it.
Morning walk through the arcaded centre, Piazza San Carlo and the Palazzo Reale, with a stop at one of the eighteenth-century cafes. Independent lunch. Afternoon at the Egyptian Museum or the Mole Antonelliana, by choice. Evening free.
Departure for Alba, arriving in time for the truffle market on a market morning, with the traders explaining grade, weight and price. Lunch in the town. Arrival at the base in the Langhe in the afternoon, where the group stays for four nights.
A day across the Barolo communes, from La Morra to Serralunga, with two tastings at growers who still pour their own wine and explain why one slope is not the next. Lunch at an osteria that cooks for the harvest workers.
Out before dawn with a trifolao and his dog, in the woods above the vineyards, for a hunt that follows the dog rather than a schedule. Late breakfast at the farmhouse. In the afternoon, Barbaresco and a tasting in the village tower cellars.
Morning across the Tanaro into the Roero, with its sandy soils and Arneis whites, then east into the Monferrato for the infernot cellars cut into stone beneath the houses. Farewell dinner with white truffle shaved at the table.
Morning transfer to Turin or Milan Malpensa for onward flights, with a stop at Cherasco for those with later departures.
Splendido private tours
