← Torino City Marathon·1 night

Alba and the Langhe: One Night in Truffle Country

A flat medieval town in the Langhe in the middle of the white truffle season, with a taxi ride to a wine village the next morning.

Duration1 night
TransitTrenitalia regional or Intercity train, about 1 hr 30 min from Torino Porta Nuova
DepartsTorino Porta Nuova

After the Torino City Marathon: One Night in Alba

The Route: Torino Porta Nuova → Alba (1 night) → Torino Porta Nuova → Caselle Airport (TRN) Logistics: Direct train from Porta Nuova, about 19 services a day. A taxi covers the wine villages. Marathon Month: November Duration: 1 night

Torino Porta Nuova ──(train ~1 hr 30)──> Alba ──(taxi 15-25 mins)──> Barolo ──(taxi)──> Alba
                                          │
          Caselle Airport (TRN) <──(Arriva bus)── Torino Porta Nuova <──(train)──┘

The Torino City Marathon ends on Sunday 29 November and Alba is the town people think of when they think of white truffles. This is a quiet trip for the Monday after the race, by a regional or Intercity train that takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from Porta Nuova (the fastest service takes 1 hour 28 minutes) with roughly 19 trains a day. Advance fares start at around EUR 8 (approximately GBP 7), and tickets are sold at trenitalia.com or at the station.

November in Alba. The white truffle season runs through the autumn and Alba's Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco runs from 10 October to 6 December. The market in the Cortile della Maddalena opens only on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9:30 to 19:30, with an entry fee of about EUR 6 (approximately GBP 5). The Monday and Tuesday after a Sunday race fall between market weekends, so the market itself will be closed. The truffle shops, restaurants and the town itself stay open. Mist is common in the Langhe in late November, and the vineyards are bare, so expect brown and gold hills rather than green ones. In most years the fog lifts by midday, though conditions vary.

Night One: Alba

Alba is a compact town of brick towers and arcaded streets on the plain beside the Tanaro river. The old centre is flat, and the pedestrian streets around Via Vittorio Emanuele II are easy walking on cobbles and flagstones. A slow loop of the centre takes about 45 minutes and passes the cathedral, the market area and the shops selling truffles, hazelnut cakes and local wine.

Shops sell fresh white truffle by weight, and prices depend on the week and the size of the tuber, so ask to see the scale. For visitors, the sensible purchase is a small piece shaved over a plate at a restaurant, not a whole truffle.

Where to stay: Palazzo Finati is a small bed and breakfast in a historic palazzo in the centre, in the centre of town. Hotel Calissano is a central hotel that suits a runner who wants a lift and a larger room (check that it has one). Both fill during the truffle season, so book early and ask about cancellation terms.

Where to eat: Piazza Duomo is the three-Michelin-star restaurant of chef Enrico Crippa, on the cathedral square, with a tasting menu that changes with the season and a price to match. Reserve weeks ahead. For something simpler, ask the hotel for a trattoria that serves tajarin, thin egg noodles, with butter and shaved truffle, and vitello tonnato.

Day Two: Barolo

Barolo is about 11 km from Alba, and a taxi takes roughly 15 to 25 minutes. Local buses are infrequent, so check times with the tourist office or take a taxi and ask the driver to return at a fixed time. The village is small and sits on a hill, so expect inclines. The WiMu wine museum in the Castello Falletti and the village's wine shops give a short, mostly indoor visit. Check opening days, because small villages shorten winter hours.

Getting to Caselle Airport (TRN)

Return to Torino Porta Nuova by train, which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, then take the Arriva airport bus from Porta Nuova to Turin Caselle Airport (TRN). The one-way bus fare is EUR 7.50 and buses run every 15 or 30 minutes. For an early flight, stay in Turin for the last night instead.