Travel Tip: Barolo Hotels
For wine country travel, Piedmont is one of Italy's most rewarding destinations
Note: This is an excerpt from "Best of Barolo," an article by Robert Camuto which originally appeared in the April 30, 2011 issue of Wine Spectator.
Barolo is more than one of the world's great wines and a partner to one of Italy's most varied and refined cuisines. It's an evocative landscape of gently rolling hills covered by a quilt of vineyards and topped by medieval villages with winding cobblestone streets and views to the Alps. Spread across 11 villages in the Langhe hills southwest of Alba, the Barolo wine appellation is the flipside of flashy, fashionable Italy. We suggest the following hotels for your visit.
Note: When calling the following establishments from North America, dial 011 and then the telephone number. Prices in this story have been converted to U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at press time ($1 = .75 euros) and rounded to the nearest dollar.
Corte Gondina Hotel
Via Roma 100, La Morra
Telephone: (39) 0173-509-781
Website: www.cortegondina.it
Rooms: 16
Rates: $126-$192
A friendly and cozy family-run hotel in the heart of La Morra, this is a favorite of Barolo regulars. Young owners Bruno and Elena Viberti converted this 19th-century house to an inn decorated in beige and white tones and furnished with period-style furniture and artwork.
Impeccably tidy and tasteful, some of the well-appointed guest rooms are on the small side, so consider the superior or deluxe options. Generous breakfasts include local jams, cheeses and salumi and homemade cakes and tarts. Common rooms are warm and welcoming and a small spa will be added to the pool area by fall.
Il Boscareto Resort & Spa
Strada Roddino 21, Serralunga d'Alba
Telephone: (39) 0173-613-036
Website: www.ilboscaretoresort.it
Rooms: 39
Suites: 9
Rates: $313-$1,130
The exterior of this establishment has been called a concrete eyesore, but the inside of the area's first five-star resort is gorgeous, more so for its views over La Ginestra and other prized vineyards. Opened in 2009 by the Dogliani family, owners of Beni di Batasiolo winery, Il Boscareto is a cocoon of sleek design, with glass stairways, dramatic lighting and lots of warm woods and picture windows. Rooms in earth and wine colors are spacious and luxuriously appointed. There's a full-service spa and indoor pool that opens to the air in summer, as well as a spacious cigar room stocked with Havanas, grappas and distilled spirits.
Villa Beccaris
Via Bava Beccaris 1, Monforte d'Alba
Telephone: (39) 0173-781-58
Website: www.villabeccaris.it
Rooms: 22
Suites: 1
Rates: $215-$560
This romantic 18th-century estate nestled at the top of Monforte d'Alba is a favorite for weddings, honeymoons and traveling couples. An opulent ambience is created by period antiques, light-toned billowy curtains, Murano glass light fixtures and 19th-century ceiling frescoes in rooms and common areas. A panoramic atrium serves as breakfast room and light grill. The vaulted brick cellar stocks more than 100 local wines plus a selection of Champagnes and Italian sparklers. In addition to a pool and sundeck, the estate contains nearly 2.5 miles of wooded walking and jogging trails.
