A snowcapped peak juts from the cluster of hilltops that tickle the azure sky. Cozy homes composed of stone and wood offset seemingly neon greenery splashed with colorful flora. The unmistakably Alpine backdrop here in Trontano brings to mind The Sound of Music – though I’m not in Austria.

Seeking relief from the blazing sunlight, I step under a plush pergola – or tòpia as it’s called in the local dialect. I glance up at pea-sized opaque green beads that will blossom into Nebbiolo – or Prünent, as the varietal is called here in Valli Ossolane, one of the wine DOCs of Alto Piemonte, or Upper Piedmont.