Torino & The Langhe Region
Chocolate, Wine & Quiet Grandeur in Piedmont
A Culinary Guide to Italy’s Royal Capital
Piedmont’s capital hums with understated elegance. Once the seat of the Savoy dynasty and the first capital of unified Italy, Torino blends Baroque boulevards, covered arcades, and a café culture that leans toward the serious. This is the birthplace of gianduja — the silky chocolate-hazelnut blend crafted in the 1800s when cocoa was scarce, and resourceful Torinese chocolatiers folded in local hazelnuts. That tradition lives on in the iconic gianduiotti, soft-set chocolates wrapped in gold foil, shaped like little upside-down boats, found in every corner of the city.
But the most famous indulgence? The Bicerin — a layered ritual of espresso, melted chocolate, and cream, still served in historic cafés that line Torino’s stately piazzas.
Beyond chocolate, Torino is a gateway to Piedmont’s wine country — Barolo, Barbaresco, and Nebbiolo circulate as freely as coffee, and the aperitivo tradition rivals anywhere in Italy. Expect generous spreads of tramezzini, focaccia, and alpine cheeses with your early evening drink, all against a backdrop of snow-dusted peaks.
Beneath its regal surface, Torino hides an experimental side — contemporary bistros, bold wine bars, and an industrial history woven into the city’s creative fabric.
Stories from the Vineyards: A Landscape of Art, Truffles, and Emotion
The Langhe doesn’t just offer fine dining and DOCG wines — it offers immersion. This is a region where every plate and every glass is part of a larger conversation between terroir, artistic beauty and endless memory.
At Ceretto, wine meets contemporary art: tasting rooms become glass sculptures, and even a country chapel transforms into a riot of color by Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett. In these hills, elegance isn’t showy — it’s intuitive, stitched into the land itself.
In Alba, the truffle becomes ritual. Trifulau and their dogs guide you through fog-laced woods at dawn, where the prized white truffle is unearthed like buried treasure. Soon it appears on your plate — shaved over buttery eggs or golden tajarin — a fleeting scent of the forest that binds memory to taste.
At Piazza Duomo, Chef Enrico Crippa builds a world within a plate. His garden is harvested twice daily, and dishes like Journey Through History turn vegetables into an emotional language. It’s cuisine as meditation — rooted, elegant, ephemeral.
And then there’s Marchesi di Barolo, the historic estate that gave Barolo its name. Tucked in the shadow of the castle in Barolo town, it was here that the visionary Marchesa Juliette Colbert and her husband refined the powerful Nebbiolo grape into a wine of noble structure and grace. Walking through their cellars with Andrea (our wonderful young guide), you feel the lineage — vaulted brick tunnels, immense Slavonian oak barrels, and bottles bearing vintages that span generations. Every sip of their Cannubi or Sarmassa feels like drinking from the roots of Langhe itself: elegant, deep, storied.
At Palás Cerequio, a wine relais by Michele Chiarlo, you wake to golden slopes and end your day tasting from a cellar lined with names like Gaja and Conterno — where terroir meets timeless hospitality.
These aren’t just bottles or bites — they are acts of memory, artistry, and devotion to land.
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Where to Eat & Drink in Torino
Classic & Essential Tables
• Tre Galline – A historic trattoria, beloved for agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato, and deeply traditional Piemontese flavors.
• Consorzio – Contemporary nose-to-tail cooking with bold Slow Food roots; loved by Katie Parla and discerning locals. Book well in advance.
• Ristorante Del Cambio – Torino’s most historic fine-dining address, with 18th-century Savoy grandeur and refined Piedmontese classics.
• Porto di Savona – A Torinese institution since 1863, along Piazza Vittorio Veneto, serving timeless regional plates.
Local Favorites & Wine Bars
*Magazzino 52 – Wine bar-meets-bistro with an exceptional natural wine list and thoughtful small plates.
• La Piola da Cianci – No-frills, traditional spot in the historic center; affordable, lively, and reliable.
• Osteria Antiche Sere – Cozy neighborhood osteria with rustic, soulful Piedmontese cooking.
• Piola 1706 – Approachable, old-school spot for classic regional specialties.
• Trattoria Piemontese – A hidden gem with honest, satisfying Piedmontese fare.
• Rabezzana – Wine bar and restaurant with deep roots in Monferrato and Langhe wines.
Michelin-Recognized Dining
• Carignano – Refined Michelin-starred dining inside the Grand Hotel Sitea.
• Vintage 1997 – Longstanding Michelin address for elegant, classic Piedmontese dishes.
• Unforgettable – Inventive, contemporary tasting menus with artistic presentation.
• Condividere – High-concept, sharing-style plates, international influences.
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Torino’s Chocolate Pilgrimage
• Guido Gobino – A benchmark for gianduiotti, pralines, and luxurious chocolate; factory tours available.
• Maravija – Sleek, modern chocolate atelier crafting bold flavors and meticulous confections.
• Domori – Obsessively focused on single-origin cacao purity; small but mighty boutique.
• Guido Castagna – Award-winning gianduja creations with higher hazelnut content; silky, rich, unforgettable.
• Ziccat – Traditional, old-school chocolate shop; beloved for their authentic gianduja.
• La Perla di Torino – Boutique chocolatier specializing in hazelnut-forward truffles and pralines.
Cheese Stop
• Latteria Bera – Beloved cheese shop with impeccable regional selections; ideal for gifts or market provisions.
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Day Trip: Bra & the Heart of Slow Food
An hour from Torino lies Bra — birthplace of the Slow Food movement, where traditional methods and biodiversity still reign.
While in Bra:
• Giolito Formaggi – A temple to raw milk cheese and one of the most respected affinatori in Italy. Fiorenzo Giolito’s selections highlight the full Alpine arc: Castelmagno aged to crystalline depth, Robiola di Roccaverano wrapped in leaves, and tomes from Langhe caves you’ll never see on supermarket shelves. The space feels more like a vault than a shop — hushed, curated, reverent.
• Slow Food International Headquarters – Visit for books, workshops, and global food culture insights.
The drive winds through vineyards, hazelnut groves, and medieval towns — the perfect pairing of scenery and gastronomy.
The Langhe: Wine, Hazelnuts & Hidden Tables
Must-Visit Wineries
• Marchesi di Barolo – The soul of Barolo, this storied estate still leads with elegance and depth. Book a cellar tour and tasting, and don’t miss the Cannubi — a Barolo of balance and regal structure, born from the vineyard that started it all.
• Fontanafredda – Expansive, picturesque estate with deep Savoyard ties and a gorgeous wine village.
• Produttori del Barbaresco – Legendary cooperative producing benchmark Barbaresco.
• Cantina Carlin de Paolo – Family-run winery with a restaurant on-site.
• Cantina Roggero – Boutique producer of Nebbiolo wines and organic hazelnuts.
• Salvano Wines – Well-regarded Langhe and Roero producer.
Dining with a View
• Osteria da Gemma (Roddino) – Rustic, family-style osteria famous for generous, traditional lunches.
• All’Enoteca (Canale) – Michelin-starred, modern Piedmontese menus rooted in tradition.
• Casa Nicolini – Honest cooking with classic Langhe views near Barbaresco.
• La Cantina – Vineria con Cucina – Wine-centric eatery perfect for relaxed, regional meals.
• Agriturismo Brusalino & La Torricella – Farm stays with hearty, seasonal cooking.
• Locanda in Cannubi – Elevated dining tucked amidst the Barolo vineyards.
Langhe Hazelnuts & Markets
• Alta Langa Azienda Agricola Bio – Organic tonda gentile hazelnut farm; available for tastings by appointment.
• Weekend markets in Canale and Alba for hazelnuts, cheeses, and seasonal specialties.
