I visited this WHS in July 2019. I spent 4-5 days in a lovely agriturismo in the middle of the rolling hills of the Barolo vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba and used it as my base for basically half of the 6 locations of this WHS (Langa of Barolo, Castle of Grinzane Cavour and Hills of Barbaresco). Going to and from Milan, I spent another 2 day trips covering the other 3 locations of Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and Asti and the Infernot. After covering all the locations in quite some detail, I returned to Barolo for the yearly agri-rock festival/concert (together with the Giro d'Italia, this is something to keep in mind as all of Barolo is closed down and almost impossible to visit just before, during and just after the concert).

I must confess that although this WHS is the home of some of my favourite Italian wines, I was a bit skeptical to allow such a 'long' visit to 'yet another vineyard WHS'. However, now that I visited I can only urge you to try to allow much more time to this beautiful WHS than a mere day or two. First of all, the Langa of Barolo, Castle of Grinzane Cavour and Hills of Barbaresco are on one side, while Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and Asti, and the Infernot are on another and it takes a lot of time to cover them all. Those of you who rely on public transport may want to think twice here as it really isn't reliable here and will only take you to the main roads of Nizza Monferrato and Alba. The scenery here is definitely not the best with road infrastructure, industrial estates, petrol stations and modern buildings. Another thing worth considering is that of all the 6 locations, Nizza Monferrato to me really seems to be the odd one out, with nothing that special to mention. If you were to decide to still rely on public transport and want to get a better experience and overview of this WHS, I'd recommend opting for a stay in Alba instead. I'll definitely return here some day to experience the white truffle season in October-November and the auction which takes place in the Castle of Grinzane Cavour.

The best way to cover this WHS in my opinion is to take the secondary winding roads by rental car or bike from one vineyard town to the next, aiming at early morning starts (before the agriturismo breakfasts) and late afternoon drives at sunset. The Langa of Barolo (bottom right photo) is literally littered with pretty towns, castles, towers and wineries, all set in scenic vineyards on rolling hills. The best viewpoints are around Serralunga d'Alba and Castelletto, La Morra (here they also produce a great hazelnut liquor called Nocciolino Langhe), Monforte d'Alba and Novello, and Barolo itself. The castle in Barolo was a bit of a let down and a bit too overrestored for my liking; I preferred the ones in Serralunga d'Alba, Castelletto, and of course the inscribed Grinzane Cavour (closed on Tuesdays! - bottom left photo). Apart from the fully stocked winery from practically all the winegrowers of Piedmont, I really enjoyed the signposted Passeggiata Vigne Cavour at the Grinzane Cavour castle. Some of the bigger wine-growers worth mentioning for wine-tasting tours are the Antiche Cantine Marchesi di Barolo in Barolo itself and Fontanafredda (with an excellent Michelin star restaurant open for dinner only). Do visit the small wine-growers too which will gladly welcome you to their homes and vineyards in high season for a small tour and wine-tasting - I'd definitely recommend visiting Gabutti Boasso's vineyards just outside Serralunga d'Alba (they also make a great Nebbiolo jam called Cugna). 

The Hills of Barbaresco are a real treat and my personal favourite for some of the best wineries, the small town atmosphere, the vineyards scenery just next to the Tanaro river, and the excellent subzones of vineyards producing great wines (additional geographic mentions - a similar concept to the crus in Burgundy). Of the several subzones, my personal favourite for wine quality and panoramic viewpoints were Rabajà, Treiso and Neive (top left photo). A lovely place to do some wine-tasting is the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco, in the deconsecrated chapel of San Donato in Barbaresco itself, just opposite the famous tower (with the ugly metal lift).

After exploring these three locations, the day trips I spent around Nizza Monferrato (bottom middle photo) as well as Canelli and Asti paled in comparison. While the first three locations are strictly controlled to have from 50% up to 80% of their land dedicated to vineyards and wine production, the inscribed areas near Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and Asti have much less vineyards and are characterised by the presence of a lot of fruit trees and nut trees in the soft hills and vast plains, making the vineyard panorama less scenic and less evident. Although there are many towns and a few castles, none are as picturesque as the other three locations and more modern buildings are present. The best viewpoint is near San Marzano Oliveto looking towards Monviso. When compared to Alba, Nizza Monferrato has much less to offer, and unlike the Langhe and Roero, not all the towns and vineyards are inscribed. In fact, Nizza Monferrato really can be skipped if you're short on time. If you prefer white wines and sparkling wines instead of red wines, then Canelli and Asti should be your places of choice in this WHS. Canelli is worth visiting for its setting but its highlight are undoubtedly the 'underground cathedrals' of Bosca (top right photo), Coppa, Contratto and Gancia. Bosca's cellar tour is not only free of charge but also has an interesting light and music show which was launched in 2015 to celebrate with UNESCO the International Year of Light. It's better to book in advance to make sure which of the 4 cellars are open and to book a slot for the available tours.

Last but not least, the Infernot (the final t is pronounced not like in French - top middle photo) were the true highlight of my visit and a true gem. They are the farthest to reach by car but well worth the extra effort to get there. Do call ahead to make sure that the really friendly guide at the Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni in Cella Monte is around so that you can visit at least one of the infernot. The more elaborate infernot are privately owned and are only open to the public on special occasions. These underground spaces are like old cool bars manually hewn out of soft sandstone and pietra da cantoni (full of marine fossils!) and shed light on the social and rural way of life of wine-growers in this part of Piedmont. As Salvador Dalì once said “He who knows how to taste does not drink wine but savours secrets”, and the infernot are truly great examples of such great secrets intertwined with the tradition of wine-growing in Piedmont.

Not only are the wines in this part of Piedmont divine, and well worth the road trip alone to stock up my cellar at home, but also the food, the people, the culture, every other alley in the small inscribed towns and villages full of history (and relatively untouched by globalisation) and stories or local myths waiting to be told by the warm and welcoming local elderly people, make this WHS another outstanding site in Italy for those who are willing to spend enough time to take it all in. This WHS was also Italy's 50th WHS to be inscribed and several information boards especially in Canelli proudly displayed this. Moreover, the local communes are actively raising awareness among locals to look after this WHS after inscription through the initiative "Dopo l’Unesco, Agisco!" (Taking action, doesn't stop after inscription!) which is really commendable. There are UNESCO signs marking all the inscribed towns and properties, UNESCO plaques in Barolo next to the castle and before La Morra next to touristy Cappella del Barolo, and a series of 6 rose gold/copper looking UNESCO inscription plaques with detailed descriptions of the 6 locations which can be found in front of the town hall (Barbaresco, Barolo, Canelli), in the main square (Nizza Monferrato and Cella Monte) or just next to the castle entrance (Grinzane Cavour).

The cherry on the cake which really made my visit extra special was meeting the actual people who put forward the nomination file first in St Petersburg in 2012 and then in Qatar in 2014. They were so impressed that I had visited all of Italy's WHS and that I could remember them all in quite some detail that they decided to give me the actual nomination file hardback with photos (not for sale) as a present! This heavy book was given to the 6 inscribed locations to commemorate their first 5 year anniversary on the WH list.