A day trip from Milan: a Sunday between Nebbiolo and Lake Orta

From Milan, the closest Nebbiolo country is Alto Piemonte: the hills of Gattinara are about an hour away, while the Langhe take almost two. It is the day trip we suggest to anyone who asks us for a Sunday idea, and we know it well: we are a family of Milanese origin, and Emanuele travelled this road before any of us, all the way to founding our winery in 1998.

Morning: an hour on the road

Set off in the morning, allowing about an hour to reach the time you have booked: the A4 towards Turin, then the A26 towards Gravellona Toce as far as the Romagnano Sesia-Ghemme exit, and from there ten minutes to Gattinara, with the hills rising towards Monte Rosa. At Corso Valsesia 162, parking is free on the street.

At the winery: Nebbiolo told by those who make it

A tasting lasts about an hour, an hour and a half with the cellar tour, and we lead it ourselves, Andrea or Emanuele: you taste directly with the people who make the wine. For €20 you taste three wines, always including a Gattinara DOCG; for €30 you get five, including CESARE, our Gattinara Riserva DOCG; for €40 per person you add the guided tour of the cellar, among the large oak casks where our Gattinara ages for years.

On request, we serve the tasting with a small board of local cured meats and cheeses, and the bottles you enjoyed can be bought directly at the winery, ready to load into the car.

Afternoon: Lake Orta, or the Sacro Monte di Varallo

Lake Orta is about half an hour to the north, and lunch can already be there: from Orta San Giulio, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, boats take you in a few minutes to the island of San Giulio, gathered around its Romanesque basilica, and above the village rises the Sacro Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If you prefer the mountains, head up into Valsesia instead, to the Sacro Monte di Varallo, about thirty-five minutes from the winery: the oldest of the Sacri Monti, with forty-four frescoed chapels peopled by hundreds of life-size statues.

The drive home, or a night at the winery

From Orta San Giulio you are back in Milan in about an hour, in time for dinner. If you would rather turn the Sunday into a weekend, you can stay the night in the rooms of Il Cortile, in the same building as the winery: in the morning breakfast is waiting in the Tinaia, and the lake is still there, half an hour away.

If you prefer the afternoon

The same trip works the other way round: the morning on the lake and the tasting in the late afternoon, or leave after lunch and taste before dinner, with the drive back to Milan in the evening. Tastings are scheduled every day, Sundays included, in the morning and late afternoon, and are booked online, where you can see the available times.