Fun things to do in Piedmont region: truffles, underground cathedrals, and quiet hills

Piedmont rewards curiosity. In Italy’s northwest, vineyards fold over the Monferrato hills, cool air settles in deep wine cellars, and the scent of white truffles and roasted hazelnuts marks the seasons. Time moves slowly here; food and craft shape both rhythm and landscape.

Among the most fun things to do in the Piedmont region are often the simplest ones, tasting, walking, pausing; moments that link Turin’s arcaded streets and riverside parks to Monferrato’s vine-covered ridges, Canelli’s underground cathedrals, Alba’s truffle woods, and the high paths of the Alps. Every step feels anchored in balance and ease.

1. Turin: arcades, museums, and riverside calm

Turin, the regional capital, sets the tone.

The city’s heart unfolds beneath eighteen kilometres of arcades linking cafés and shops from Piazza Castello to Via Po, framed by the UNESCO-listed Savoy Royal Residences.

Nearby, the Egyptian Museum ranks among the world’s finest, while the Mole Antonelliana houses the National Museum of Cinema with a panoramic lift into its dome.

Following the arcades down toward the Po River, Parco del Valentino opens a green corridor along the water, complete with a riverside castle and the 19th-century Borgo Medievale.

For a taste of local life, Porta Palazzo, one of Europe’s largest open-air markets, fills a whole square with colour and voices, and nearby cafés serve bicerin, a layered drink of coffee, chocolate, and cream.

Starting here offers a glimpse of what many mean by the fun things to do in the Piedmont region: a blend of culture, grace, and everyday rhythm that naturally leads into the hills beyond.

From the arcades and river of the capital, the road eases east into the first wine hills.

2. Monferrato: villages and vineyards

East of Turin, the Monferrato hills undulate in vine-lined ridges dotted with castles and stone villages such as Casale Monferrato and Cella Monte.

Terrace squares open to wide horizons, lanes wind past dry-stone walls and chapels, and the appeal is measured rather than showy.

Beneath many historic houses lie infernot: small wine chambers hand-carved in soft tufa, usually in the 19th century, prized for their constant cool and darkness.

These intimate cellars belong to the UNESCO-listed Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato.

A short drive south, the slopes deepen and the vineyards give way to another hidden world below ground.

3. Canelli: the underground cathedrals

South of Monferrato, the town of Canelli hides a second landscape beneath its streets.

In the 19th century, local wine houses carved vast vaulted galleries into the tufa hillsides. These so-called underground cathedrals maintain steady temperature and humidity, ideal for aging sparkling wines, from Asti Spumante to metodo classico styles, and today stand among the highlights of the same UNESCO site.

Inside, brick arches and long, echoing corridors trace a story of patience and precision. The air is cool and faintly sweet with yeast and stone, and thousands of resting bottles shimmer in the half-light.

For wine lovers, walking these cellars is one of the most evocative ways to feel the region’s heritage made tangible.

To explore both sides of this landscape, the villages above ground and the vaulted cathedrals below, our itinerary Piedmont: Monferrato & Canelli – The Underground Cathedrals brings them together in one curated journey through vineyards, cellars, and the timeless rhythm of the region.

4. Crossing Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato by historic train

Among the most scenic ways to cross the wine hills are the heritage trains that run on select dates along historic railway lines linking Asti, Alba, Canelli, and Nizza Monferrato.

Restored 20th-century carriages move at an unhurried pace across the UNESCO Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont, pausing in village squares, cellar districts, or small markets.

Seen from their windows, the ridges, bell towers, and endless vines unfold like a slow-moving panorama.

5. Alba and the truffle woods

Continuing southwest into the Langhe, Alba anchors a landscape where truffles set the rhythm of the year.

In oak and poplar woods nearby, trifolai (local truffle hunters) work at dawn with their dogs, guided by silence, scent, and instinct. Hidden just below the soil, the white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico) remains Piedmont’s most precious find.

Peak season runs from October to December, when the International Alba White Truffle Fair fills the streets with fragrance and visitors.

From Alba’s truffle woods, the road climbs into the higher ridges of the Alta Langa.

6. The hazelnut hills of the Alta Langa

South of Alba, in the higher hills known as the Alta Langa (the upper part of the Langhe region), farms cultivate Nocciola Piemonte IGP, the tonda gentile: a protected-origin hazelnut prized for its aroma and delicate crunch.

Around the small town of Cortemilia, often called the capital of the hazelnut, family producers roast and grind the nuts on site. Visitors can taste roasted kernels, pralines, and torta di nocciole, a traditional flourless hazelnut cake.

The same nut anchors Turin’s gianduja, the classic chocolate-and-hazelnut blend found in local pastries and bars.

7. The Sacra di San Michele: stone guardian of the Susa Valley

West of Turin, the land rises toward the Susa Valley, where forested slopes turn to rock and legend.

At the edge of a sheer ridge on Mount Pirchiriano stands the Sacra di San Michele, a monumental abbey whose origins date to the 10th–11th century. Once a major stop along the Via Francigena, the medieval pilgrimage route from northern Europe to Rome, the abbey has long watched over travellers crossing the Alps.

Its Romanesque and Gothic lines seem to grow from the mountain itself: towers cling to the cliff, and steep stairways lead upward through stone halls and chapels carved into the rock.

Inside, the sculpted Porta dello Zodiaco (Zodiac Door) and the Scalone dei Morti (Stairway of the Dead) recall centuries of devotion and artistry.

From the upper terraces, the view opens vast and clear across the Alpine chain; a panorama that has inspired pilgrims, writers, and painters alike.

Often cited as one of Umberto Eco’s inspirations for The Name of the Rose, the Sacra remains not only a monument of faith but also one of Piedmont’s most commanding symbols.

8. Piedmont on the table

All roads here lead to the table. Piedmont’s cuisine reflects the land itself: generous, deliberate, and rooted in the seasons.

In autumn, white truffles and slow-braised meats fill the menus; in winter, sauces and roasts return warmth to the table.

Among its classics are vitello tonnato (thin veal with a silky tuna-caper sauce), carne cruda all’Albese (hand-chopped raw beef with olive oil and lemon), and agnolotti del plin (small, pinched ravioli filled with roast meats). Each dish balances richness with restraint, shaped by long traditions and patient hands.

For dessert, bonet (a baked cocoa-and-hazelnut custard scented with amaretti) closes the meal on a note both rustic and elegant.

In the glass, reds range from Nebbiolo’s great expressions, Barolo and Barbaresco, to the softer Barbera and Dolcetto, while whites such as Roero Arneis and Favorita bring brightness that suits antipasti and river-valley fish.

9. The Alps of Piedmont: peaks, forests, and quiet valleys

Beyond the hills, Piedmont rises into the Alps: a world of peaks, forests, and high valleys still within easy reach of Turin.

To the west, the mountains around Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx open into broad ski slopes and classic alpine villages, where wooden balconies overlook snowy meadows.

Further east, above Alagna Valsesia, long runs descend between glaciers and the timbered houses of old Walser hamlets, linking Piedmont to the valleys of Monte Rosa.

For quieter scenery, places such as Val Maira and Alpe Devero lead through larch woods, high pastures, and clear alpine lakes; a reminder that the fun things to do in the Piedmont region also include stillness, light, and space.

Fun things to do in the Piedmont region, unhurried and generous

From Monferrato’s terraces and Canelli’s vaulted cellars to Alba’s truffle woods, the Alta Langa’s hazelnut farms, the Sacra di San Michele, and the Alpine valleys, Piedmont unfolds in layers that invite time, not haste. Because its beauty lies in the details: a scent rising from the soil, a brick arch cool to the touch, a vineyard fading into evening light.

The best fun things to do in the Piedmont region aren’t just sights; they’re quiet encounters with a place that endures through balance, continuity, and care.