Italy’s Piedmont Region allows travellers to vacation like royalty without spending a fortune
Located in the breathtaking foothills of the Alps, Italy’s Piedmont region welcomes visitors to vacation like a royal without spending a fortune with fine dining, spa treatments, and castle accommodations that are high value and easy on the pocketbook.
Home to the House of Savoy and a leading force behind Italian unification, Piedmont features picturesque natural landscapes, majestic 14th century castles, fine cuisine, and award-winning wines. Piedmont is sure to make travelers enter a voyage in time to some of Italy’s greatest cultural, historic, and natural landmarks.
Sleep like a royal in castles throughout Piedmont
The Castello di Pavone – one of the most exclusive castle hotels in Piedmont – stands above the medieval village of Pavone, located 18 miles north of Turin. Built between the 8th and 14th centuries, the castle holds a medieval adventure for its guests while pampering them in luxury and comfort. Stroll through the courtyards and gardens, or enjoy a candlelight dinner at the castle’s restaurant featuring regional cuisine. Double rooms start at $193 USD per night and Regal Suites start at $325 USD per night. www.castellodipavone.com
Castello di Razzano – A fairy tale escapade begins in Castello di Razzano’s luscious Italian garden surrounded by the peacefulness of Monferrato. Castello di Razzano is a centuries old residence featuring eight suites each furnished with a lounge, bedroom, en-suite bath, balcony, and tea area. The hotel’s wine cellars produce their own Castello de Razzano wine label. Visitors can enjoy their time with long nature walks in the rolling green hills or stay active at the tennis court or golf course. Doubles start at $150 USD and Superior Suites begin at $277 USD. All guests enjoy a complimentary breakfast.
www.castellodirazzano.it/inglese
The Castello di Santa Vittoria sits on a promontory dominating the medieval village of Alba, famous for the Alba White Truffle: reputed to be one of the world’s most delicious delights. Inside the ancient walls of Castello di Santa Vittoria are quiet interiors with antique-style furnished rooms and panoramic views of the woodland valleys. Visitors can dine in the hotel’s elegant “Al Castello” restaurant and feast on the infamous Alba truffle, cheese, mushrooms, and wine. Rates start at US$320.00 per room/per night. www.santavittoria.org
Eat like a royal at these fine dining establishments
With a rich cultural history, fine architectural heritage, and deep-rooted traditions in food and wine, it is fitting for travelers to eat like kings in Piedmont and enjoy the distinct flavors of Piedmontese gastronomy.
Combal.Zero at Rivoli Castle: Chef Davide Scabin holds a two-star Michelin award and brings a whole new meaning to Piedmontese cuisine with his modern design and avant-garde palate and concots dishes like “Zuppizza” – a liquid pizza reconstructed from the bottom up, featuring mozzarella soup, a dollop of tomato and miniature basil leaves, and toasted bread chips. www.combal.org/index.htm
Guido Ristorante at Pollenzo Palace is located on the grounds of the Slow Food Association’s University of Gastronomic Sciences, in the 12th century Neo-Gothic Pollenzo Palace, travelers will enjoy modern cuisine in the elegant atmosphere of Guido Ristorante, considered a veritable temple to the culinary arts. Guido Ristorante pays homage to the regional cuisine of Piedmont and applies the philosophy of the Slow Food Movement, which combines the pleasure and responsibility of good, clean and fair cuisine. www.guidoristorante.it
Il Dolce Stil Novo Alla Reggia at the Venaria Reale Palace offers two dining rooms that overlook beautiful flower gardens, ponds, and water gardens at the Venaria Reale Palace, the former hunting lodge of the Savoys where guests can feast on local Piedmontese cuisine and seafood specialties. Chef Alfredo Russo awarded with a Michelin star, uses his own Piedmontese roots to infuse his creations with a mixture of tradition and textures to give a real experience of taste to each bite. www.dolcestilnovo.com
Relax like a royal with these spa and liesure activities
Bagni di Vinadio is where army officers during the reign of the Savoy kings went to cure their aches and pains. The therapeutic qualities of Vinadio’s sulfuric waters were already highly regarded in ancient Roman times. Housed in the original 19th Century building, the hotel and spa offers a host of health and beauty amenities including an indoor spa swimming pool, a mud treatment department, a vertical hydromassage tub, therapeutic massages and beauty treatments. The thermal water spring has high sulfur, calcium, lithium and mineral chlorine content, particularly suitable for treating dermatological problems. www.bagnidivinadio.it
Garessio: Famous for the San Bernardo springs, Garessio has been host to famous historical figures including Napoleon. San Bernardo Springs Park has a wellness center with a complete medical center and fitness facilities. The Rocciaviva waters are well known for their benefits in improving conditions of liver and bile tract as well the purification of the digestive and urinary tracts. Garessio is only open from June to mid-September. www.garessio.net
Additional information on Piedmont, former royal palaces and attractions is available at www.torinopiemonte.com.