View Full Version : An Italian Vacation
Our trip to Santo Stefano Belbo in the Piedmonte region of Italy not far from Alba (Nutella) and home of Barolo, Asti and Barbaresco wine.
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And a few pictures of our friends house which they have lovingly restored over the last 15 years using local material and tradesmen.
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Bigman80
17-08-2019, 16:38
Looks beautiful. I'm going to have to get over there at some point
Very beautiful country especially if you keep away from the tourist hotspots. Food and wine is so much cheaper. We were paying 8 euros for a three course meal and on our last night we had amazing pizza at 3 Euros each.
A few more pics.
My friends vineyard, he contributes grapes to the local cooperative. 1000Kg this year
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559491101_6d393e0a77_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ35Vc)P1060543 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ35Vc) by Jsy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/), on Flickr
In the town below his house (Santo Stefano Belbo) the market sells a wide variety of fresh fruit, veg, meat and fish, and Tractors!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559492211_e86f486367_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36fk)P1060407 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36fk) by Jn Flickr
We stayed a week with my friend who also runs two self catering luxury apartments at his house.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559492741_4b93c83a09_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060395 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36pt) by
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36wT]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559493171_9c01d285a3_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060361 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36wT) by , on Flickr
The view from his patio is a bit better than mine!:)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36Ed]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559493596_1360d14e1a_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060297 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36Ed) by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/]Jrl], on Flickr
Great pic, thanks for sharing. I’m off to Amalfi coast soon for a wedding.
Will be lovely but too many tourist for my liking.
Spectral Morn
17-08-2019, 19:03
Moved, a tour of Pathos, Opera, Sonus Faber would belong in blank canvas but not holiday snaps.
Moved again to where it *actually* should be!:lol:
Great pics, Jim. Looks typically of that region of Italy, which I've only really passed through before. Love the vineyard in particular. Did you sample any of his wine?:)
Hope you had a great time.... No foodie pics, though?;)
Marco.
Very beautiful country especially if you keep away from the tourist hotspots. Food and wine is so much cheaper. We were paying 8 euros for a three course meal and on our last night we had amazing pizza at 3 Euros each.
Yet you didn't take any pics of the scran?:doh::D
Food and wine is much cheaper in most parts of Europe, as it's seen as essentials and what folks spend most money on, unlike here... 'Luxury goods', electrical stuff, cars, etc, are generally much more expensive there than in the UK, as that's what folks here spend most of their money on!;)
Live to eat, not eat to live is the European way......
Marco.
Moved again to where it *actually* should be!:lol:
Great pics, Jim. Looks typically of that region of Italy, which I've only really passed through before. Love the vineyard in particular. Did you sample any of his wine?:)
Hope you had a great time.... No foodie pics, though?;)
Marco.
Err my friend has a huge wine cellar so we did try one or two:) I have foodie pics but they have my friends on them and I want to keep them private.
As you can imagine we ate some amazing stuff including on our first night a Piedmonte banquet which was cooked by out hosts. He regularly does private dinners with up to 10 courses with accompanying wine in local rented mansions!
Err my friend has a huge wine cellar so we did try one or two:) I have foodie pics but they have my friends on them and I want to keep them private.
As you can imagine we ate some amazing stuff including on our first night a Piedmonte banquet which was cooked by out hosts. He regularly does private dinners with up to 10 courses with accompanying wine in local rented mansions!
No worries, but you could crop them out, and just show the food:)
In any case, yes I can imagine the food and wine you had would've been top notch, especially the "Piedmonte banquet"!:eek::D
Marco.
No worries, but you could crop them out, and just show the food:)
In any case, yes I can imagine the food and wine you had would've been top notch, especially the "Piedmonte banquet"!:eek::D
Marco.
The slices of salami with specs of black truffle were mind-blowing!:)
Haselsh1
18-08-2019, 06:41
Stunning place ! The closest I have been to mainland Italy is Sardinia, still a beautiful place though. I would love to go at some point.
The town I was near ( Santo Stefano Belbo) was beautiful but so were many of the other places I visited including Canelli, Nizza Monferrato and Alba. Alba is a gourmet mecca and has some amazing restaurants and food shops specialising on local food. On the street was a vendor with a glass box containing 20 black truffles the size of a satsuma. I could smell them 100 yards away down the street!
Nice one, Jim. Sounds like Alba is somewhere I have to visit! Indeed, the whole of that area sounds like it's worth exploring... Easy too, as it's much closer to get to (for me by car) than Tuscany - about 5 hours!
Next time you go though mate, take some close-up pics of the grub you've eaten (minus folk;)), as with all the foodies here, including me, it would make these threads even more interesting for us:cool:
Marco.
when i was younger the wife and i were intending going to the Piedmont region of Italy. Alas she took unwell and that was that. Looks a great place.
Nice one, Jim. Sounds like Alba is somewhere I have to visit! Indeed, the whole of that area sounds like it's worth exploring... Easy too, as it's much closer to get to (for me by car) than Tuscany - about 5 hours!
Next time you go though mate, take some close-up pics of the grub you've eaten (minus folk;)), as with all the foodies here, including me, it would make these threads even more interesting for us:cool:
Marco.
I will ask my friend to send me some pictures of his Piedmontese cooking he does for his clients. He sells wine by the way so if your after something special he will have something. I just bought 3 bottles of some very nice Italian wine which I will post up for you when I have a chance.
Alba is the heart of the fabulous Hazelnut growing area hence Nutella business situated there but it also a Mecca for truffles. Honestly the Pasta and local produce speciality shops are something else in Alba. I bought some of the truffle salami in a local butcher / deli and bought to back home. The vacuum packed Hazelnuts were sublime. And of course the wine of that region is some of the best in Italy, Barolo is from that area.
I flew to Milan and drove 2 hours west to get to the region. We saw so much superb Italian life out there. People watching was entertaining especially the local and national police all turning up at their favourite cafe for a swift Macchiato or expresso. The uniforms are way more stylish compared to UK Plod. A lady officer in long black shiny leather boots and peaked hat with long black hair was like someone off a film set!
Alba is the heart of the fabulous Hazelnut growing area hence Nutella business situated there but it also a Mecca for truffles.
!
Shame about their hi fi kit though.
Some of it is good, but tends to be a bit coloured sounding. Looks-wise though, the speakers especially are stunning! They do anything with wood really well.
Marco.
I thought Alba products are now made in China, along with Bush.
hifinutt
18-08-2019, 17:55
Fabulous pics , last year we took 2 days to get to stresa in Italy on lake magiore . we went by eurostar and then train all the way . really good holiday but very hot . This friday we got utterly drenched walking up a beaufiful walk near Helvellyn and we didn`t miss the boiling heat a bit !!!
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this was the view from the hotel and chatting over the fence to an older chap we found out he played with pink floyd once and roxy music !
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Looks great place Phil and must have been good by train?
hifinutt
19-08-2019, 14:50
Yes it was a holiday of a lifetime , very very good value with at least 22 trains and boat rides included , probably more than that . downsides was having to talk every night to total strangers for 6 nights for at least 2 hours over dinner !! 2 nights yes but 6 nights was just a bit much
the guide was just superb , took a lot of the stress out of it and the company is marvellous in the way theu look after you . highly recommended [ if you like trains!!! ]
this is the holiday and i can`t recommend it to highly
https://www.raildiscoveries.com/tours/lake-maggiore-tour-italy/#19LMS
anthonyTD
21-08-2019, 09:02
Smashing picks James, and dare i say it; a few look very much like south wales, when the sun is out! :eek::D
A few more pics.
My friends vineyard, he contributes grapes to the local cooperative. 1000Kg this year
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559491101_6d393e0a77_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ35Vc)P1060543 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ35Vc) by Jsy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/), on Flickr
In the town below his house (Santo Stefano Belbo) the market sells a wide variety of fresh fruit, veg, meat and fish, and Tractors!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559492211_e86f486367_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36fk)P1060407 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36fk) by Jn Flickr
We stayed a week with my friend who also runs two self catering luxury apartments at his house.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559492741_4b93c83a09_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060395 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36pt) by
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36wT]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559493171_9c01d285a3_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060361 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36wT) by , on Flickr
The view from his patio is a bit better than mine!:)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36Ed]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48559493596_1360d14e1a_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/)P1060297 (https://flic.kr/p/2gZ36Ed) by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/162281319@N03/]Jrl], on Flickr
Smashing picks James, and dare i say it; a few look very much like south wales, when the sun is out! :eek::D
Aye, depending on what you're drinking!!:lol:
;)
Marco.
anthonyTD
21-08-2019, 09:49
Hey, cheeky! :eek:
A...
Aye, depending on what you're drinking!!:lol:
;)
Marco.
Do they have vines then in South Wales?:D:eyebrows:
;)
Marco.
anthonyTD
21-08-2019, 11:20
I was relating to the views!:)
Got plenty of Ivy, does that count ? ;)
Do they have vines then in South Wales?:D:eyebrows:
;)
Marco.
Yesh, if you can turn it into booze!:drunk:
:D:eyebrows:
Marco.
No need for ivy ;)
https://llanerch.co.uk/
Nice one, Simon. Bookmarked!:thumbsup:
Marco.
anthonyTD
22-08-2019, 07:43
:)
I have often said and heard from others, Britain can hold its own where beauty is concerned, when the sun is out of course! :D
A...
No need for ivy ;)
https://llanerch.co.uk/
I do agree, but I also like it here when it snows... Said beautiful hills and mountains can look even more stunning, when snowcapped during the winter!:cool:
Marco.
I do agree, but I also like it here when it snows... Said beautiful hills and mountains can look even more stunning, when snowcapped during the winter!:cool:
Marco.
Even more snow in Italy!:)
Yup, especially up in the north!:)
Marco.
great photos! I always dreamed of visiting Italy, it is so beautiful there. Have you had problems with a foreign language? When I was in China it was very difficult for me, because very few Chinese speak English. Therefore, often had to use Translate (https://www.translate.com/) service, or other applications.
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