Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ristorante Rabayà
TRADITIONAL ITALIAN
€€
( 0173 63 52 23; Via Rabayà 9; set menus €30-45; lunch Fri-Wed, closed mid-Feb-early Mar)
One in a quartet of Barbaresco restaurants, the Rabayà on the fringe of the village is first
rate, with the ambience of dining at a private home. Its antique-furnished dining room has
a roaring fire, but when the sun's shining there's no better spot than its terrace set high
above the vineyards.
Try Rabayà's signature rabbit in Barbaresco, followed by a platter of local cheese.
WINE-TREKKING
The three main villages of the diminutive Barbaresco wine region - Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso -
lie several kilometres east, northeast and southeast (respectively) of Alba; however, by combining a
short bus ride with a little leg work you can make a wine-tasting tour of all three without ever having
to get behind the wheel of a car. Start by catching the hourly Asti-bound bus from outside Alba train
station. The bus stops in Neive, one of Piedmont's prettiest villages, studded with baroque palaces and
crisscrossed by a web of footpaths. The village proper lies a little uphill from the bus station and is ac-
cessed by passing beneath the arch of San Rocco. Despite its obvious Barbaresco bias, Neive is known
as the village of 'four wines', meaning there's a quadruple-whammy of tasting opportunities to enjoy.
Line up the Barbaresco, Dolcetto, Barbera and Moscato bottles in the Bottega dei Quattro Vini (
Click
here
)
. If you walk south from Neive for 6km on the
Sentiero delle Rocche dei Sette Fratelli
, you'll
end up in Treiso, the region's highest village, which is known for its lighter-bodied Barbaresco. Im-
bibe the flavours at the
Bottega dei Grandi Vini di Treiso
(Piazza Baracco; 10am-1pm & 2-7pm
Thu-Mon) . Equally enticing is the shorter 5km trek northwest from Neive over gentle vine-striped
hills on the
Sentiero Barbaresco
to Barbaresco village. Producing 45% of the region's wine, tiny Bar-
baresco has over a dozen
cantine
(wine cellars), two
enoteche
(wine bars/shops) and a Michelin-
starred restaurant called
Antinè
( 0173 63 52 94;
www.antine.it
;
Via Torino 34; meals €50;
11.30am-2.30pm & 6.30-10.30pm Thu-Tue) . Stay for the afternoon and you'll find ample opportunity
to taste, pair, discuss and get mildly inebriated on the local plonk, though you might want to save
enough energy to retrace your footsteps to Neive afterwards. Alternatively, you can trek directly back
to Alba (approximately 5km) along a path that roughly tracks the Tanaro river. Helpful walking maps
of the area can be purchased from the tourist office in Alba for €5.
NEIVE
POP 2930
Ping-ponged between Alba and Asti during the Middle Ages, Neive is a quieter proposi-
tion these days, its hilltop medieval layout earning it a rating as one of Italy's
borghi più
belli
(most beautiful towns). Come here to taste the village's four legendary wines - Dol-
cetto d'Alba, Barbaresco, Moscato and Barbera d'Alba - amid sun-dappled squares and
purple wisteria.
