Piedmont

I was in the middle of changing jobs and had a 4-day weekend as a result.  I was feeling a little stir-crazy and wanted to get out of town for a few days.  Well, August in Italy is the month that all Italians go on vacation.  Some stores are shut down, many restaurants are closed, most tourist attractions are closed and everyone heads to the beach.  Since this was a last-minute trip there weren't any beach accommodations to be found.  But then I had this brilliant idea to check out the Piedmont region of Italy.  A kind gentleman that came into my office some weeks ago lived there and was raving about it.  Basically it's the wine region right across the border from France where similar grapes are grown.  The town of Asti is located in Piedmont which is a famous type of wine and is usually found in the champagne/sparkling wine section of the wine shops.

When we were in Tuscany we stayed at this amazing agriturismo and so I found a website which listed similar places in the Piedmont area.  But because I'd never been to this area of Italy I was really shooting in the dark on where to stay and what there might be to do.  My friend Maggie was coming with me and she was bringing her dog Tucker so we needed to find a place that would accommodate the 2 of us plus Tucker.  Normally I'm sure this is very easy but since I was reserving this during holiday season it was hard to find agriturismo's that were open.

But we finally found one that looked good on-line and was very reasonable.  We started out on our 3-hour drive with directions, an address and our GPS.  We exited off the Autostrata in the town of Asti and decided to check out the city center and grab some lunch.  It was relatively easy to figure out where the center was, to find parking and find a place for lunch.  We were there around riposo so not many places were open but we weren't picky.  We decided we would definitely come back to this little town and explore some more.

Now off to find our agriturismo.  With a couple of wrong turns and a slight detour down a dead-end dirt road, we arrived without incident.  The agriturismo was exactly what a real agriturismo should be.  A farm.  Complete with cows!  The property was quaint and well kept and simple.  The rooms were small, basic but clean.  There was a pool up on the hill overlooking the valley.  If there was a place for rest and relaxation, this was it.  Maggie and I started our afternoon by laying at the pool until he sun started going down. 

While we were relaxing, Tucker was exploring and attempting to make new friends.  There was a little dog there that absolutely hated other dogs but for some reason Tucker made it his mission to befriend this dog.  It would've been funny except when we were trying to snooze we were woken up by growling and barking. 

We had dinner outside in the yard and were served a 4-course meal complete with wine produced at the farm.  It was so delicious but I could hardly move afterwards!  Each course was more delicious than the first.

The next day we researched markets to find one that might be open.  It was tough to know since it was a month where many markets weren't running.  We chose to start out and hope for the best.  We ended up in a little town that I don't even recall the name of.  There was no market but it was an adorable town and we found a place to have coffee and a brioche on the square.  Delicious!

None of the shops were open so we didn't stay long but we found that there was an antique market in Turin, which was not far away.  So we headed that direction.  Turin of course is the city that houses the famous Shroud of Turin and was also the host to the 2006 Winter Olympics.  We drove by the Olympic stadium and some other Olympic buildings.  Unfortunately, the Shroud won't be on display again until 2025.

So our day was spent exploring the city of Turin although we hadn't done much research so we just wandered wherever our legs took us.  We found a piazza with  fountains, old Roman ruins, narrow streets, old churches, street side cafes and what I would call a flea market.  I don't think this was the antique market mentioned on the website.  There were piles of used shoes, old TV remotes, ancient cell phones and every kind of charger known to man.  And the creepy thing was that we were the only Caucasian women meandering through this market.  This dawned on us a bit of the way through and once it was apparent we steadily made our way out.  We just had to laugh about it afterwards.

We had lunch on one of the piazzas and then made our way back to the countryside.  Dinner that evening was another 4-course affair and while I promised myself I would not clean my plate.....I did anyway.  It was just too good! 

The next morning we packed up.....with several bottles of wine we purchased from the region and headed back home.  While the weekend wasn't as I imagined it to be (it was a little quiet with it being holiday) it was a great way to spend quality time with my friend, explore a new part of Italy and slow down.  I will definitely go back with my husband for a festival weekend and to see some more of the sights in Turin.

Monaco & Monte Carlo

My friend Maggie and I took a Saturday and went to Monaco and Monte Carlo to rub shoulders with royalty and the rich and famous.  It was a gorgeous summer day to spend on the French Riviera.  Sunny and warm and thankfully we thought to bring our swimsuits.

We stopped in a little seaside town in France to have some breakfast.  We walked the beach and toured the market.

The beach was a bit rocky. :)

After our pit stop we made our way to Monaco where we browsed the city and took a tour of the palace.  We also saw the changing of the guard.

Outside the museum of modern art

The city

We waited for the bride and groom to appear but we ran out of time.

Views in in the park

Statue of a woman and her soldier......very fitting.

After Monaco we went to Monte Carlo and could look down from a hilltop and see part of the Grand Prix race course.  At this point in our day we were sort of tired and decided to find some chairs on the beach and relax.  The sun was warm and the drinks were cold.  I took a little siesta while Maggie read.  We also had a good view of the topless women making out with their significant others. How does one look innocently out on the ocean full of magnificent yachts and not appear to be staring?? It can be quite uncomfortable at times.  For us.....not for them it seems. 

After we had enough sun we went in search of food.  But on our search we made a quick stop into the casino to see how lucky we were.  I won 16 euro and Maggie won a little too.  Basically it paid for our lunch at this delicious French deli. 

The city of Monte Carlo itself is just beautiful.  There are ocean-front resorts, high-rise hotels and clubs on the rooftops.  I can see that it would be a lot of fun at night and especially during the weekends of the race.  The casino was elaborate but it was much smaller than I imagined it to be. The atmosphere inside was nothing like the casinos in Vegas.  There was no music, bars or clubs inside.  In fact, we had to check our bags and purses.  The won't allow any cell phones inside either.

I would love to visit this area again and maybe check out Nice.  The French Riviera is a wealth of natural beauty coupled with the beauty of the towns and villages.  It has the ability to make a person relax and allow oneself to indulge....just a little.