Villa La Favorita

A word of warning about staying at the Villa La Favorita. You might never be the same again after an evening’s truffle hunt in the surrounding hills or forced to try some of the Nebbiolo d’Alba wine made on the estate.
Whilst there are plenty of organic fruit trees growing in the extensive gardens you’ll need to get hold of a pomegranate, fig, peach, pear, apple, cherry or apricot pretty quickly before it gets made into marmalade to be served as part of your delicious country-portion breakfast. This beautiful residence was built one hundred years ago and has recently been restored to focus on the simple pleasures; the wine tasting is complementary, cooking lessons are available in the evenings and the 40km strada di miele or honey trail leads you through some of the most interesting villages that produce the sweet stuff as well as pass happily through the beautiful scenery in this quiet north-west corner of Italy.
Whilst others battle with crowds in more well-known destinations, your home from home here is found a 10 minute walk away from the historic centre of the Piedmont town of Alba. Drop down the hill and you’re in the centre of an undiscovered medieval town that’s rich in culture and oozing all the good flavours from the foothills of the Alps. There will be a few Italian tourists here but that’s only because they get to hear about this type of place and they don’t like letting on to the outside world. We found out and couldn’t keep it a secret, it’s a true Italian agriturismo with six rooms (all with views), a Labrador called Sally, a vineyard and a wonderful owner who will invite you to join in as much or as little as you want.

On request it is possible to follow an authetic piedmontese cooking class and eat, in the evening, what you have prepared in the afternoon.