We are going back into the fray next March and I am looking for advice for a group of 3 with private 3 day tours during a 4 day trip. Last year we stayed in the town of Barolo and it was great. Our thinking this trip is hit Barbaresco harder (2 days) while not driving ourselves so a town with great enotecas, tasting rooms and restaurants is our want. For some reason I feel Alba is a bit too commercial for our needs, Considering La Morra and Castiglione Falatto which we had visited and had great meals and winery visits in last trip. I am leaning La Morra unless I get some insight from you here and my tour operator in the region this week.
I think our only revisit will be Burzi. We love those guys. Thanks for your time
If wanting to hit Barbaresco harder, you could always stay around there, and it makes a quick hop into Alba very easy indeed, say for the weekly (or is it twice weekly?) street market.
Alternatively there are some nice places between Barolo and Barbaresco. They’ll feel like tourism isn’t affecting them, and helps make the longest journey shorter, but it does take away the option of strolling to some appointments (which can be a brilliant thing to do for an afternoon visit, allowing the designated driver some time off-duty, and allowing them to drink freely).
La Morra has lots of producers, very much covering the full range of styles, from ultra-modernist to ultra-traditional and everything inbetween. Some good dining and accommodation options, with good potential to walk to/from the evening meal.
We’ve not stayed in Castiglione Falletto, but did walk there from Serralunga d’Alba. It seemed pleasant enough, with a good regional enoteca in an old building. Serralunga has a lovely central area to walk.
In terms of being touristy, La Morra has a bit of that feel, but less than Barolo (you shouldn’t see coach parties in La Morra), and Castiglione Falletto a bit less touristy again. We’ve also enjoyed staying in Monforte d’Alba, which has some lovely dining options. Verduno is quieter still, yet handy for La Morra, and offers an alternative route to Barbaresco, by heading for the main Alba-Cuneo road near the Campari factory.
No bad options IMO, and it’s not the worst idea to find accommodation you love the look of, and then flexing the wine/dining choices around that.
Worth checking out the Langhe, roero & moferrato tourist office site for accommodation, as they usually have a very extensive listing and can offer advice / guidance / booking based on your preferences. We personally prefer apartments, but places like Boasso/Gabutti in Serralunga and valdispino in santa vittoria d’alba have included breakfast, making them more flexible to those used to hotel living (we enjoyed both).
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Thanks, Ian, great info.
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Actually I love to stay in Alba, it is centrally located to everything and don’t think is too commercial at all. I feel like is the less touristy place in the area and also allows you to go out to dinner without driving, which can be difficult in the smaller villages. It also has a couple of good cocktail bars if you want a drink after dinner .
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Alba is also where the truffle fair and donkey palio are held. 
I will also be heading to Barolo next March/April - may I ask which tour operator you’re going through?
My current thinking is to book a private driver for two days and try to reach out in advance to some of my favorite producers for visits/tastings - but I’m also interested in the thought of a curated, yet tailored experience.
Hi K, hope you had a great time! Were you able to find a driver or did you go the curated route?
My wife and I and 2 young kids are going to be in Turin in September and looking into doing a day trip or 2 out to barolo/alba. I think driver would be the best route for us instead of tour since we have a 1 year old and 3 year old with us.
Hi Nick! My wife and I ended up contacting all producers ourselves to set our weekend of tasting and hired a driver for one day.
Saturday, we tasted at producers in Barolo town and just walked from our spot (Cascina Adelaide, Marchesi di Barolo, and Brezza).
Sunday, we hired a driver through Mauro Giacosa to take us to various villages within the Barolo zone (Vietti in Castiglione Falletto, Marcarini in La Morra, and G.D. Vajra in Vergne). All together on Sunday, we had the driver from ~9:30 AM until 5:30 PM, and our driver (Eugenio) was a huge help in making a lunch reservation for us while we enjoyed our second tasting. The vehicle was a nice Mercedes van with plenty of room (should work with your little ones), and cost us around 440 EUR charged by credit card the day-of.
Hope you enjoy your trip, Barolo is absolutely stunning.
-Kyle
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There are now direct hourly trains from Torino Lingotto to Alba. They leave 41 minutes past past the hour and take about 70 mins. €21 each way for all of you (if they charge for children that young).
As it’s direct, that feels manageable with kids (and something of an adventure). A taxi to Barbaresco is modestly priced, with wineries such as La Ca’ Nova and Produttori (del B) part of the village (albeit at opposite ends), plus others very much walkable.
Alba itself is appealing ideally returning to it for a late lunch or around 3:30pm when everything starts to open up again for the evening passeggiata.
So for instance you could catch the 8:41am train, arriving at 9:51am and take a taxi from the rank outside the station, getting you to a Barbaresco wine appointment by 'just after 10am. Stroll to another in the village for an 11:30am appointment and afterwards either lunch in Barbaresco before getting a (pre-arranged) taxi back to Alba, or book the return taxi back to Alba after the 2nd visit, then lunching in Alba
alternatively give yourselves an extra hour in bed, catching the 9:41 train, and limiting yourselves to a single winery visit (sensible with kids in tow), and perhaps sparing 30 mins to visit the famous landmark tower Torre di Barbaresco | Una piccola torre d’assedio
Back in Alba, there’s loads of history, some superb food shops and street food options, and the main streets are pedestrianised. It has a really nice feel. Oh, and a few good wine shops. Late afternoon/early evening is a lovely time to grab a gelato.
Last train back is just after 8pm, but you may find that merely an hour or two at Alba is sufficient for the kids’ energy levels.
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Thanks Kyle and Ian! Appreciate the info.
I saw one website showing around 800 euros for the day for driver, so 440 euros is much better. And Ian, I did notice that there is a train from Turin to Alba so that is a great option. Maybe one day train to Alba and do Barbaresco and another day could do a driver and head to Barolo. Only issue with taxi is no car seat, which I don’t think is required, but more if it is ok with my wife.
Definitely interested in Marchesi di Barolo, Borgogno, G.D. Vajra and Poduttori del Barbaresco.
We are parenting in a different location, so overall just hoping to enjoy the scenery, walk around and taste some great wine, don’t need to do a full tour (maybe truffle hunting tour if available which our 3 year old might enjoy).
When our 3 year old was 7 months old we went to Tuscany and did some Brunello wineries and had a great time (although 7 months old a lot easier).
Now that I’ve re-read your post, the driver may be closer to that 800 EUR figure if they’re picking you up in Turin. Our driver picked us up in Barolo town and just went to surrounding villages for the day - YMMV.
Yes, true, could be the difference there. I’ll reach out to Mauro Giacosa to get a quote.
I will add a note of caution to visiting Marchesi di Barolo. We did visit them a few years ago, knowing full well they weren’t especially good, but still having a soft spot for them as the first Barolo my partner tasted. One of the most underwhelming visits, clearly touristy commercial, and the selection of wines pretty poor / poorly kept (despite the lady recognising our interest in wines and the region and slipping a couple of extra glasses in). Produttori themselves can also be underwhelming as a visit, but the wines remain good/interesting so I wouldn’t talk you out of it. Not sure about Borgogno under the Farinetti (Eataly) ownership, as that might also have pushed them towards ‘commercial’.
Meanwhile don’t short change Torino. It’s my favourite city in Italy, and possibly my favourite big city anywhere (Melbourne the closest rival). Some other day trips include the nearby Basilica di Superga (with it’s steep rack railway), plus the ex-royal hunting lodge at Stupinigi, La Venaria Reale (another royal estate), plus loads in the city itself, including some quirky museums (Egyptian, Napoleonic countermining, Mountaineering, Automobiles, fake medieval village - that’s surprisingly good), some historic cafes, artisanal chocolates, plus you’ll be right in the middle of Porcini / other mushrooms season (but too early for truffles). Parco Valentino and the giardini reale behind piazza Castello both worth earmarking for giving the kids some greenery in amongst the rest of the city. It’s a city we like being in, as well as the appeal of seeing new things. It feels very familiar and that familiarity extends to knowing rather too many of the street names.
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Thank you that is good to know. And yes, we are excited to check out Torino as well! Have been reading up on it and it looks awesome.
We are going to be in Verona first for a friend’s wedding, and then will take the train to Torino.
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We stayed here at Cascina Reine 20 years ago and had a great time.
It’s only a 20 minute drive between the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco.
Fwiw, last time we were there, we stayed at Le Torri in Castiglione Falleto, somewhere in between.
p.s. whilst in Verona, http://www.bottegavini.it/ worth considering. It’s often busy enough to make booking sensible, and look it up on google maps / streetview, as whilst central, it’s handily tucked away.
Whilst it’s ostensibly a wine venue, that side of of wasn’t so impressive to me (and the utterly oversized glasses felt more like ostentatiousness). However I was surprised by how well the food shone. Classic trattoria style dishes rather than modern inventiveness, but everything we had was as good as we could remember having of that classic.
Are you going to take in the opera whilst there?
Thanks that looks great, will be sure to book ahead.
For opera I am not sure if they have anything after the festival? It looks like the 2025 season ends September 6th and we arrive on the 11th. Looks really cool being held in the arena.
Also, Ian I saw from another Barolo and Barbaresco thread that Albino Rocca and Mauro Molino look like good options to go for a visit.
As always, Ian is spot on with his Italy recommendations. Marchesi di Barolo was easily the worst visit I had in multiple trips to Barolo. I’ve been to Produttori twice and, while I love the wines, it’s not a visit I would recommend. I also enjoyed the one time I stayed in Torino and my wife and I are not fans of big cities.
Albino Rocca is well worth a visit. Just down the road are two other to consider, Sottimano and Giuseppe Cortese.
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