Friday 14th November Having already tracked down exit 6 of Malpensa airport’s terminal 1, we left the restaurant at 19.20 to position ourselves there and soon found Doris Lau Parry, who describes herself as a global nomad, lives in Chiswick and writes a weekly column for the Hong Kong Times. Melania Battiston arrived soon … Continue reading Piemonte 33: Monferrato Canavese : 14 – 16 November 2025
italy
Piemonte 31 : Stresa for Taste Alto Piemonte : 7 – 11 November 2025
Friday 7 November 2025 Today we set off for a fortnight’s research for David’s new writing project, The Wines of Northern Piemonte: Annual Report Spring 2026 sponsored in part by Nebbia e Luce. It begins at Taste Alto Piemonte, an annual event this year held in Stresa on Lago Maggiore, 80 km north of Milan. … Continue reading Piemonte 31 : Stresa for Taste Alto Piemonte : 7 – 11 November 2025
Two days in Siena – and three Italian Cathedrals: 5 – 7 September 2025
Friday 5 September After we had tasted and talked with Guiseppe Gorelli at his winery close by Montalcino, we drove through the Friday late afternoon traffic to a car hire in the industrial estate in the south of Siena. We arrived at 17.53, just in time to hand back the car to two efficient and … Continue reading Two days in Siena – and three Italian Cathedrals: 5 – 7 September 2025
Radda and Montalcino: 1 – 5 September 2025
On Monday afternoon we rescued our big ugly jeep from the tiny carpark outside the gates of Volterra, and drove to Radda to stay in the Palazzo San Niccolò, one of the four star hotels on the tiny via Roma. I had remembered the parking issues from an earlier trip; like so many medieval settlements … Continue reading Radda and Montalcino: 1 – 5 September 2025
A weekend in Volterra : 29 – 31 August 2025
Friday 29 August - my birthday We travelled to Gatwick on the 09.38, arriving in plenty of time for a 14.20 flight - which annoyingly was delayed by an hour. Nonetheless we reached Pisa car hire (Locauto) around 18.30 and headed for Volterra, in a clumsy Jeep, bigger than we would like, and parked in … Continue reading A weekend in Volterra : 29 – 31 August 2025
Verona for VinItaly: 3 – 10 April 2025
Thursday 3 April An unusually late flight with BA from Gatwick (17.50) to Verona meant a long morning’s packing and sorting out - including watering Chris’ houseplants and emptying bins while she languished in Basingstoke hospital after her fall early on Tuesday morning, breaking a vertebrae. The UK was enjoying the long spell of high … Continue reading Verona for VinItaly: 3 – 10 April 2025
Valtellina and Lake Como: 6 – 9 March 2025
Thursday 6 March An early start to catch the 08.05 to make an uneventful journey by train then Jubilee line to Canning Town and its platform 1 for the DLR to London City Airport, where we arrived in enough time - but of course without tickets - for an earlier flight (11.45) to Milan Linate. … Continue reading Valtellina and Lake Como: 6 – 9 March 2025
Piemonte 28: Turin and the Langhe 25 January – 2 February 2025
Saturday 25 January: Torino e Grandi Langhe 2025 We travelled to Gatwick from Andover on the 09.06, which involved a change onto a very full train at Basingstoke and the tedium of the slow Richmond loop, to reach Clapham Junction. The onward train was quick, and we arrived (not for the first time) very early. … Continue reading Piemonte 28: Turin and the Langhe 25 January – 2 February 2025
Piemonte 27: 10 days in Gattinara – December 2024
Thursday 27 November 2024 Stansted is perhaps the least inviting airport for those living on the diametrically opposite side of the huge M25 circle, but by using the 09.06 train from Andover, changing at Clapham Junction for Vauxhall and the Victoria line to Tottenham Hale, followed by half an hour on a Greater Anglia train, … Continue reading Piemonte 27: 10 days in Gattinara – December 2024
Piemonte 25 : Novara for the Alto Piemonte tasting: 10 – 13 May 2024
The drive south east from Gattinara along the SP 299 was straightforward, following a tributary of the Agogna across endless rice fields. We intended to leave the Fiat Panda (hybrid) at the Maggiore depot in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Novara, and arrived there after a 40 minute drive (extended slightly by my … Continue reading Piemonte 25 : Novara for the Alto Piemonte tasting: 10 – 13 May 2024
countrymouse 
You must be logged in to post a comment.