Barolo Country
We spent only one night in Alba and took a morning tour of the UNESCO region of Barolo before moving on, but we packed a lot in during that short time. One thing we couldn't pass up on was our afternoon Aperol Spritz in Alba's medieval city center.
We are in the area of Piedmont known for Nebbiolo wine. This area includes the towns of Nieve, Barolo, Serralunga, Barbaresco, Montforte D'Alba, Alba, and La Morra, which have been added as a whole to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Map of the Barolo region with a list of the main wine producers
The Nebbiolo grapes in the fields around the city of Barolo were ready for harvesting. The grapes hang low on the vines in a Guyot trellis system. The white grapes were already harvested, the red ones will be collected within the next few days.
Luckily we arrived shortly before harvest so all the vines still had grapes
We took a tour of the five main cultural cities including Barolo. Here we are approaching the township of Barolo from our tiny car. The town boasts a population of 750.
Barolo and its hills of grape vines
These are the vineyards around the town of Neive. We stopped at this quaint town for lunch and a stroll on our way to Alba where we overnighted.
Nebbiolo grapes outside the town of Neive
This was the tiny car we puttered around the region in, currently parked in La Morra in a square with a great view of the vineyards, weather permitting. The top speed for this marvel was maybe 15 km per hour?
This puttering and loud contraption added character to the tour
The villages often sit on top of the hill, with the vineyards sloping down on both sides
Here's a good perspective of the vineyards with the town Serralunga off on the hilltop in the distance
We took the elevator to the top of the Torre di Barbaresca which was the highest point in the area and with great views of the Langhe River and the Roero River. In one direction you get the famous Nebbiolo grapes of Barolo while in the other you get the Arnais grapes for the delicious white wines
Despite the rainy weather, we had a great time visiting Alba and the region of Barolo for the short time we allotted. It's on our list of places to return to.
Greetings from Serralunga d’Alba