With riding out of the question it was time to head out of Milan and sample some food, wine and culture around Italy. We choose Piedmont, the province just to the west of Milan that is famous for its gastronomy. First stop was Turin and we parked the car on the outskirts and caught a tram in. We liked it immediately – it has a very elegant feel with many fine old buildings and a gracious, relaxed air after the bustle of Milan. It also has some very famous old cafes – we had a drink called al bicerin. This is a hazelnut hot chocolate with cream and a rocket strength expresso shot. It's very thick and almost black in appearance and with the sugar and caffeine combined it packs quite a punch.
We also tried some excellent gelato from a famous shop in one of the porticoed streets. Caffe Fiorio has been open since 1780 and served up the best hazelnut I have ever had.
Afterwards we headed south to the red wine region of Barolo. We camped near the town and that night ate a fantastic restaurant in the Hotel Brezza. They served us a set menu based on us being vegetarian and it was great. Highlights were a spinach flan and a heavenly pannacotta desert. They also have quite a large winery and we tried several of the robust reds the village is famous for.
The next day we headed back to Milan via some more red wine regions, this time through Barbaresco. This tiny village is famous for its red wines also, these a little smother than the Barolos from just down the valley.
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