Province CN
Alba, CN
A town at the centre of the Langhe wine country, built on the Roman settlement of Alba Pompeia. It is the commercial and gastronomic capital of the surrounding Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards, the home of Ferrero, and the main market town for white truffles.
Sights
- Duomo di San Lorenzo, a Romanesque cathedral notable for an inlaid wooden choir of 1512
- Chiesa di San Domenico, 13th to 14th century Gothic with surviving fresco cycles, used for exhibitions and concerts
- The medieval towers, survivors of the town once called the city of a hundred towers
- Museo Civico Federico Eusebio, archaeology and natural science covering Roman Alba Pompeia
- The excavated Roman remains beneath the modern centre
Things to do
- Visit the Saturday market in the old town
- Order tajarin and, in season, have truffle shaved over it
- Walk or drive out into the Langhe vineyards, a UNESCO cultural landscape since 2014
- Taste Nebbiolo-family wines at a town enoteca rather than driving between cellars
Annual events
April to May
Vinum
Piedmont wine fair staged in the town streets.
October
Palio degli Asini
Donkey race between the nine town boroughs, preceded by a large medieval costume parade, on a Sunday tied to the truffle fair's opening weekend.
October to December
Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba
The white truffle market, with tastings and cooking events, running across the autumn weekends.
When to visit
October and November for truffle season, though the town is at its busiest. Late April for Vinum and quieter vineyards.
