italy day 3

Day 3 The Piedmont Region. Saturday




We picked up the rental car Saturday morning, and we were then off to Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. We had arranged a bed and breakfast in Castagnole Lanze, which is half way between Asti and Alba. The drive is on the Autostrade, so there was not much to see except the Mercedes and BMWs flying by our little Ford Focus. We exited the Autostrade and had lunch in a little town called Alessandria. Again, the local charm is amazing as well as the food. The foothills of the Alps (Piedmont) begin here and the scenery is beautiful. Thank you Steve, for being such a good driver. We arrived at the bed and breakfast with only minor detours and were greeted by the nicest Italian couple imaginable. Gloria and Vittorio showed us our rooms and asked what we would like to do for our 2-day stay. Of course, we were here is to visit the local wineries and wine producers of the region. Gloria said, freshen up and we will take you to visit our friend Guiseppi, who is a local winemaker. A half hour later, we were with Vittorio and Gloria tasting wine and grapes of the local vintage.



Gloria then offered to allow us to join them for a local wine and food festival later that night in a neighboring town. The festival is in the medieval setting of the town of Colossa. There are thousands of local people, and it seemed that Steve, Jessica, and I were the only tourists. We bought coupons for food and wine tastings and spent the night enjoying a very local festival. Truly a unique experience.