Peaks, ports and palazzi: 5 highlights

We’ve just come back from a little over a week in north west Italy: Turin and Piemonte, and Genova and its coastline to the east. We didn’t have universally good weather but we didn’t have our programme materially affected and thankfully were spared the heavy rains in Emilio Romanga on 16/17 May 23.

It was a good trip with a small group of just 15 people with enough variety to populate an Agathe Christie murder mystery. Included in these were two other like minded couples whose company enlivened several meals. And as with all such trips there were highlights:

Our three hotels: it’s not been a cheap holiday but I appreciate the extra we must have paid for three excellent five star hotels: the Grand Hotel Sitea in Turin, the Villa Matilde in Romano Canavese and the Grand Hotel Savoia in Genoa. Not only did they have the expected facilities but they also delivered excellent breakfasts and more than your usual welcome drinks.

The Palace of Venaria: for me this was the standout attraction and deservedly a UNESCO world heritage site. In my 1998 edition of Lonely Planet’s guide to Italy it merits just a single paragraph and says that ‘it is slowly being restored with Fiat money’. Well it’s been money well spent because the result is spectacular and worth whatever admission you pay justs for visits to the Great Gallery (photo left) and the Chapel of Sant’Uberto. There’s an excellent exhibition which tells the story of what was originally a hunting lodge and provides the historic context of the Savoia line. Brilliant.

Italian service: I’ve not noticed this so much before but wherever we went every interaction we had with Italians was positive. Many spoke English and they all spent time to help us make our menu choices. From the lady at the Berbere Pizzaria who served us late on our first night through the staff who served us with humour and good grace at the Villa Matilde to the man who squeezed six of us onto a table for four for lunch at the Trattoria Carabas on our last day we were always delighted.

Food and wine and beer: food wise this trip didn’t quite meet the heights of Sorrento last year but we never had bad food and it was always served with gusto. Full marks though to Tabui in Torino and Ristorante da E Gemeli (photo right) in Portofino. I also enjoyed some fine wines, but sadly not very much Barolo, and excellent local beers. I didn’t have a single Peroni but did enjoy Benediktiner, Angelo Poretti, Birra del Borgo, Birra Courmayeur and Menabrea.

Caffé Nazionale in Aosta: in the centre of Aosta on the piazza Emile Chanoux is a splendid Hotel de Ville reflecting the French heritage of Piemonte. In the eastern wing of the building is the very excellent Caffé Nazionale which houses a Michelin rosette restaurant in a small but perfectly formed circular space. Outside there’s a terrace café overlooking the piazza where we enjoyed a lunch of open sandwiches with an excellent bottle of beer from Courmayeur. What a pity we couldn’t stay for dinner! 

It’s always the small stuff that makes the difference. Like British Airways thinking that a choice of still or sparkling water and a 10g pretzel constitutes in flight service. But thankfully Mert and his Merc met us at Gatwick and got us back to Cambridge within two hours of walking off the plane.