Another amazing experience

Fantastic wine. Incredible food. Beautiful scenery. Wonderful people.


Written By: Laurel B.
Rating:
Location: Cambridge - MA - US
Review Source: Website
Type of Traveler: Friends
Itinerary: Barolo

Full Review

What a trip! We did the Barolo/Mangialongo trip in August 2023. This was my fourth trip with CDV.  If you are a wine lover please take this trip. The villa where stayed was amazing. Set in a gorgeous vineyard in the heart of the Piedmont we woke up to a scrumptious buffet of every type of breakfast food you could imagine. Our first few days were super hot, but no worries….just pop down to the pool in the garden and cool off.  Every day was a wonderful adventure whether we were cooking at the villa (and drinking wine) or visiting a small vineyard where we had a private tour and lunch…and more wine. The Mangialongo was so much fun…even in the pouring rain. We walked from vineyard to vineyard sampling the local wines and food. It was slippery and messy but after a few glasses of wine we were singing and dancing along with everyone else. We had a wonderful day in the alps where we visited the tiny village of San Pietro and learned about its famous “babaciu.” We had lunch at a local bar/tavern next to a kid’s soccer field. The owners brought out heaping plates of local cheese, charcuterie, frittata, bread.  But the group favorite were the boiled potatoes that we slathered with the local parsley/anchovy sauce. Cooking with Marina and Monica will blow your mind…and their wine is fantastic. Speaking of wine did I mention that we had our own local wine expert with us the whole week? Alessandro was such an incredible addition the group. What a wonderful way to learn about wine and the Piedmont. Even our van drivers knew their wine and were happy to make recommendations. Which reminds me, our driver (sorry, I am blanking on his name 😕) saved our last night of the trip. We were on our way to a local festival when we came to a complete stop on the highway as there had been a deadly accident involving a motorcycle. We were stuck over 2 hours and missed the festival. Now we are hungry and cranky. Our driver mentioned he had a cousin who had a pizzeria in the area. Ok, let’s go. Well the pizzeria was this incredible place with a huge terrace overlooking the sparkling lights of the Piedmont valley. We were welcomed with open arms, food and wine. I think CDV may be adding this spot to the itinerary. All the towns we visited were wonderful. Torino is a fascinating city and I can’t wait to get back there. Thank you CDV for another great trip. Where are we going next?


Sample Photo from this Itinerary