If you like chocolate, wine and Italian food, then you're going to love what we have to
share with you today in Piedmont, Italy.
We're Jana and Brett. Since our honeymoon nine years ago, we've spent more than 24 months
living and traveling in Europe.
So far, we've ventured to 25 countries, but our goal is to visit every country in Europe and
to explore every nook and cranny of the Alps.
We are nuts about food, which is why we're starting this Piedmont food tour with hazelnuts.
You really can't drive anywhere in this region without seeing acres upon acres of hazelnut trees.
And as you'll soon find out, hazelnuts are kind of a big deal here in Piedmont.
What happens when you combine hazelnuts with chocolate?
You get Baci di Cherasco. Baci–which means "kisses" in Italian–are bite-sized pieces
of chocolate mixed with hazelnuts.
We took a delicious tour to taste six chocolates, including Baci, and a local amaro.
If you're looking for things to do in Cherasco, don't skip the chocolate at Pasticceria Barbero.
Speaking of hazelnuts, Ferrero Rocher–
the company that makes Nutella–is headquartered here in Alba, but unfortunately the recipe's
a giant secret and they won't even let you tour their production.
However, you can taste all kinds of different hazelnut spreads from hazelnut farms in the
area.
And trust me, they're way better.
I may eat through an entire jar of Nutella in one afternoon, and I might eat a whole
chocolate bar in one sitting.
But this region of Italy would encourage us to slow down.
No, really.
It would tell us to SLOW DOWN.
And that's because Piedmont is the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement.
The Slow Food Movement was launched right here in 1989 to keep local culture and traditions
alive, to enhance gastronomic pleasures and to encourage a slower pace of life.
And we got to experience this for real,
over a four and a half hour meal with eight courses.
Are you drooling yet?
"Wine" not hit that subscribe button?
Piedmont, isn't only known for the Slow Food Movement.
It's also the home of the famous chain called Eataly.
Eataly stands for eating Italy because in one megastore, you can eat, shop and learn all
about high quality Italian food.
And although it was first planned, dreamed and launched here in Piedmont, there are 35
Eataly locations across the world.
If you know anything about Italians, then you understand their love of pasta and pizza,
which you should definitely sample at Eataly.
But Italians also love their coffee,
Which brings us to our next destination in Piedmont: Lavazza.
I really didn't develop a taste for coffee until we lived in Rome, Italy for about six
months in 2017.
But since then, I have really come to enjoy a creamy cappuccino or even a straight espresso.
Now, in my opinion, seeing the Lavazza symbol on a building does not mean you're going to
find the best coffee you'll ever see in Italy, but it is a signal that you're going to have
good quality at great prices.
If you're a coffee enthusiast like me, I definitely recommend that you visit the Lavazza Museum.
It's fun, it's informative, it's interactive.
And of course, you get a tasting at the end.
But coffee isn't the only drink Italians enjoy.
Piemonte is one of the most famous Italian wine regions.
The most popular Piedmont wines are Barolo, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, and Roero Arneis.
But we prefer to taste at family vineyards like Marsaglia because you have a wonderful
experience with an amazing family who just is passionate about their wine.
However, if you just want to take the local wines, of course there are cooperatives, but
we're always going to encourage you to go to a family vineyard.
Beer? In the middle of wine country?
Yep, we stumbled upon this beer garden and couldn't resist.
Welcome to our 30th European country!
All right, I've got to say, ____ is nothing like what I expected.
I was excited about this, but I had no idea!
They would not let us pay.
This is just the reality of travel.
Lame.
For real.
I really like ____ food.
It's simply delightful.