Everything about Food and Wine
Italy 2026 - Day 8, Piedmont - Milan
From Milan to Lake Orta, Lake Como and Piedmont, then finally back to where we started.
Fabbrica Pizzeria
Good pizza, good wine, good friends and one last night before reality called us home.
Trattoria Vecchia Stazione
After returning our rental car at Orta Miasino station, we had some time before the train back to Milan and stopped at Trattoria Vecchia Stazione, the little bar and bistro by the station.
The €15 daily menu was wonderfully simple: tagliolini with speck and radicchio, orecchiette with cima di rapa, grilled braciola, roast beef all’inglese and a few homely sides. Nothing fancy, just decent local cooking at very friendly prices.
After days of destination restaurants and long lunches, there was something very satisfying about a humble meal beside a tiny train station.
Sometimes good food just needs to arrive before your train does.
Tenuta dei Fiori
This was the day I had been looking forward to most, and it eventually became my favourite day of the entire trip.
We spent the whole day at Tenuta dei Fiori in Calosso. Valter and Yvette had already harvested almost all their vineyard plots, but knowing that we wanted to experience a proper grape harvest, they deliberately left one special plot for us, the Gamba di Pernice.
This rare ancient Piedmontese red grape is the heart of Calosso DOC, one of Italy’s smallest appellations. It is also known as Gamba Rossa, meaning “red leg”, referring to the distinctive reddish stalks of the bunches.
Armed with secateurs, gloves and probably far too much enthusiasm, we headed into the vineyard. Cutting bunches looked easy until we actually started doing it. Suddenly everyone became very serious about finding the perfect bunch. For a few hours, we were honorary vineyard workers, although I suspect our productivity would not have impressed any professional harvest team.
Ju
Italy 2026 - Day 6, Alba, Barbaresco, Piedmont
Day 6 was a slower one, centred around Alba, a town that already felt a little more personal to us.
Ostu Di Djun
Some restaurants give you a menu. Ostu Di Djun gives you an experience.
Osteria taStè
Food tastes slightly better when you are looking across the vineyards of Barbaresco with a glass of local wine in front of you.
FuocoFarina
Coffee, very good pastries and a leisurely morning in Alba. Sometimes breakfast does not need to be complicated. It just needs very good bread.
Vigneti Massa
Some wines you remember because they are good. Others become attached to a place, a person and a moment in your life. For me, Vigneti Massa will always be the latter.
Borgo Rinaldi
Borgo Rinaldi is where Chef Claudio Meschiati runs a rustic cucina di campagna home restaurant.
Italy 2026 - Day 4, Lake Como
Two beautiful villages, two different personalities and countless photographs later, we headed back with another wonderful day of memories.
Giardinetto
A long dinner after a long day, but a memorable way to close our stay around Lake Orta.
