Easter Monday in the Langhe

An Easter Monday in the famous and beautiful Langhe: after a mega lunch at the typical Langhe farmhouse "Il Noccioleto", where I ate splendidly and until I felt sick, among cherry trees, green hills, vineyards, lots of people celebrating, famous and delicious wines... a 4-hour lunch in a place at the top of the hill of Novello, deep in the Langa, in a cosy, warm, sunny and very "country" spot, typical Langa food and excellent service. From Novello we set off for Barolo,..... we took a little walk to digest it in the village of Barolo. A small hilltop centre, in the heart of the Langa, with attractions: a fine medieval castle you can visit and in good condition, wine shops, cellars, wine tastings, wine production, samplings, in short the famous wine of the Langa, which is a bit the red gold of the place that made it famous.....

there are shops and workshops selling, besides the most prized Piedmontese wines and grappas, also typical Langa foods, that is truffles, mushrooms, cheeses, handmade egg pasta, chocolates, cheeses and vegetables in oil, jams, condiments, oils, spices...... wine-related objects such as corkscrews, tasting glasses, grappa glasses...... the landscape from the top of Barolo, along the hilly expanses of the Langa, if the weather is fine, is very characteristic: hill after hill, yellow, green, brown, vine cultivations, orchards, maize, grass, fodder...... The restaurants of the Langa are excellent, I'd say almost all of them; in places like Barolo you really can't go wrong if you're a hearty eater.... roasts, braised meat, kid, lamb, mushrooms, tagliatelle, ravioli, vegetables, asparagus, peppers, creams and soups..... there's an embarrasment of choice.....

of course the prices are Langhe prices, since a typical lunch with good wines can reach 50 euros or more per person. Meanwhile yesterday Barolo was teeming with people who, partly to digest and partly for pleasure, were taking the Langa stroll.... the villages of the Langa have the typical feature of being small, quiet centres with very limited traffic, so green and sunny they are the ideal place for walks and tastings. The Langa is made up of hill towns and little villages; let's say the best-known city for being close to the Langhe is Alba (CN), which is large and beautiful, but the real Langa is the tiny villages of La Morra, Verduno, Novello, Grinzane Cavour, Serralunga d'Alba, Barolo, Diano d'Alba,......... take a trip there......if you can.......

asphalt roads winding around the hills planted with wine vines, from which come the famous red and white wines that everyone enjoys on Italian tables. Barolo, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Arneis,...... in Alba there's also the famous Ferrero plant (the chocolate one) producing sweets on an industrial scale that we find in every supermarket. Lovely, the Langa, eh??????????? Among narrow alleys, ups and downs, little hill houses, small wooden workshops, green trees, squares and little parks, Barolo winds its way.