Located on the westernmost corner of the country, the region of Piedmont is mostly known for its wines and food. Motherland to internationally known Barolo, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, and of some of Italy’s most delicious cheeses — especially if you like sheep and goat cheese — we often forget it’s also a place of immense natural beauty (hello, Alps and Langhe hills!), great artistic interest (there isn’t quite anything in Italy as elegant as Turin city center, to be honest) and history (this is where unified  Italy was conceived, let’s not forget).

The province of Cuneo, known locally as la Granda,  “the large one,”  because of its extension, is the home of white truffles and offers some of the most picturesque views on the Alps you can imagine. Those idyllic, timeless photos of villages perched on top of rolling hills, with snow-capped mountains embracing the horizon are usually taken here.