Gastronomically, Piedmont is often judged to be the most interesting region in Italy. Its wines are superb, the food grown there is varied and among the best of its kind, and the cooking is sophisticated and often complex. Moreover, the region is the centre of the Slow Food revolution which is transforming gastronomy in Italy and beyond.

There is also another winning feature: many Piedmontese in the food and wine business have a desire to share their passion, and welcome interested visitors with generous amounts of their time and produce. In part this may be because visitors are relatively few, despite the high reputation which Piedmont enjoys. (That in its twenty-year history MRT had not sent a tour there until 2008, except to its capital Turin, is an illustration of this neglect.)

For this tour we have bypassed Turin in favour of spending time in the countryside, seeing the origins of the food and wine and meeting the producers. But this bucolic exile is not at the expense of culinary excellence; you will find excellent restaurants, from simple rustic trattorias where Granny’s recipes are still gospel, to Michelin-starred and innovative establishments, all serving some of Italy’s finest food.

The study and enjoyment of wines is a large part of the tour. The study and enjoyment of wines is a large part of the tour. Barolo is the dominant wine – noble, austere and complex, and the Nebbiolo grape is used for the elegant, tarry Barbaresco, and various other DOCs. We meet makers, chosen as much for their charm and communicativeness as for their wines, in some cases study their vines and the wine-making process, and taste the results. Among the foods we investigate, truffles are significant – Alba is something of a truffle capital – but the mountain cheeses, particularly the prestigious Castelmagno, make an equally powerful impression.

Landscape is another of the great pleasures of the tour. As its name suggests, Piedmont reaches from high pastures to alluvial plains, and much of it is intensively cultivated. The Langhe hills are among the most beautiful in Italy, the flanks almost entirely carpeted with vineyards, the summits sporting castles, little mediaeval towns or ancient farmsteads.

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