I was thrilled to visit the gorgeous region of Piedmont as I’ve only visited a few cities in the past.

The drive from Tuscany to Piedmont was a little over 5 hours but surprisingly it went by quickly and I got a lot of work done in the car.

We even got some epic views of the sea when driving along the coast.

I’ve only visited Turin and Alba, both wonderful cities in the region so I was ready to explore other towns. We stayed in the small town of Treiso where the views of the Langhe, the famous wine production area, were unreal.

The hotel, Dai Gresy, was also a stunning property on top of the hill overlooking the rolling vineyards. The hotel was fairly new and beautifully designed with an outdoor pool, indoor spa, and a tiny fitness room. Service was also impeccable.

After admiring the hotel grounds, we drove to Nieve which is a nearby town that people recommended. We met a cute Japanese Akita with the same temperament as Shiba Inus aka aloof and unbothered.

After strolling the town, we headed back to the hotel before our dinner reservation at Campamac in Barbaresco. While we were the first to arrive at the restaurant, it quickly filled up.

Campamac is a more upscale osteria serving Piemontese classics with a pretty concise menu which made selections easy.

We started off with a complimentary appetizer of a fried zucchini flower and a tartlet with liver mousse.

As some of you may know, I love cheese. Like adore it in all flavors, shapes, and sizes so this was right up my alley. This was a tasting of 4 cow, 4 goat, and 4 sheep cheeses served with a jam.

I knew we had to get the tasting of traditional Piemontese appetizers. The beef tartare was simply dressed with salt and olive oil and honestly that’s all it needed because the meat was so tender and supple. Vitello tonnato is a classic Piemontese dish of thinly sliced veal served with a thick and creamy tuna sauce flavored with anchovies and capers. That might sound like an odd combination but somehow it works and when executed well, it’s really delicious. Lastly was the insalata russa or Russian salad which is basically a potato salad with several additions that can vary.

Agnolotti del plin is a stuffed pasta from this region and this did not disappoint. Their version was stuffed with wild goose and each agnolotti was coated in a scrumptious meat jus. Incredibly savory.

Tajarin is another pasta hailing from this region where the strands were long and delicate. The tajarin was served with a simple meat sauce and I savored every morsel.

Talk about a stunner of a bistecca! This dry aged beef was perfectly cooked to our liking, medium rare to medium. While it did come with a variety of sauces on the side, the meat was so good with just some flaky salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Perfectly light and crispy.

We both loved this dessert that was reminiscent of the Piemontese chocolate called gianduiotto shaped like ingots that are typically wrapped in gold colored foil.

It was served with a hazelnut gelato and a chocolate and Barbaresco reduction.

The food and service at Campamac was sublime and was one of our favorite dinners during our roadtrip.

The following morning started off with a run in the countryside which was difficult with all the constant hills. At least we got to reward ourselves with complimentary breakfast where we chose from a solid array of choices. We shared the omelette, hazelnut pancakes, poached egg, ham and cheese toastie, fresh fruit, and assorted breads and pastries.

After an enjoyable breakfast we spent the afternoon in Barolo known for their red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. The town was small and charming and we stumbled upon a wine shop and ended up buying a bottle of Barolo as a gift for my parents.

Since it was a gloomy day, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed before our dinner reservation at Osteria Le Rocche which was more of a casual family oriented restaurant.

We got vitello tonnato again and the sauce was actually encased by the meat. While the flavor was good, the slices of veal were too thick and needed to be cut much thinner.

The beef tartare with pretty solid, tender and seasoned nicely, but the random fruit sauces on the side were not needed.

An interesting but tasty appetizer with a roasted sweet onion with an earthy sunchoke and anchovy sauce.

I had to get tajarin again and while the pasta itself was great, the meat sauce slightly lacked some depth of flavor.

These agnolotti were stuffed with meat but served in a butter sage sauce which was delightful.

I preferred this tajarin over the other one as it was made with enkir flour which imparts a nutty flavor that paired nicely wih the sweet leeks doused in butter.

This is a traditional cake from the region that has a crumbly texture but in a good way. It really was quite good with the hazelnut flavor and the luscious zabaione.

This is another Piemontese dessert that’s pudding like. Their version was firmer than traditional versions I’ve seen where it’s almost like a chocolate crème caramel texture. Regardless, it was still yummy!

For our final day we started off with another lovely breakfast.

The sun finally came out this day and we were able to marvel at the amazing views again.

We spent a few hours walking around Asti, a larger town about 30 minutes away from our hotel. For some reason a lot of the shops were closed during our visit so we mainly just walked around and admired the piazzas and churches.

Of course the main reason for visiting this region was to finally dine at Piazza Duomo, a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to for over a decade. We ended our time in Piedmont with a culinary treat as this was our final dinner and most definitely a memorable experience.