A few week-ends ago we decided to make a day trip to the Piemonte region here in Northern Italy. We are currently living in Lombardia but are literally 5 minutes from the border to Piemonte.
Piemonte offers so many beautiful areas to visit: the famous vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco (to name a few), the vast risotto fields, small medieval towns and villages with castles, monasteries and beautiful villas and famous cities such as Torino.
So we decided that this will be our year to really explore Piemonte and all it has to offer. Luckily we can reach many beautiful spots within an hour or so by car so it’s really perfect for a week-end day-trip. Last year we visited the gorgeous town of Moleto and we plan to return there for a lazy Sunday lunch and walk in the rolling fields.
So for our first Saturday outing we decided to visit the small city of Vercelli. Vercelli is one of the oldest urban sites in Northern Italy (founded around 600BC). The town is full of historic buildings from all periods and styles. Every time you turn a corner you stumble upon another amazing piece of architecture.
My husband spent the day teaching the kids about different styles of architecture (Roman, Gothic, Liberty etc) and by the end of the day they could identify all the styles of the different buildings and churches. Who would have thought little kids would find it so exciting to learn about antique architectural styles! I love that.
I fell in love with this house above. How lovely would it be to have an upstairs hallway with those windows!
After a morning of wandering aimlessly through the town (which was empty for some reason) we found a little restaurant that offered delicious local specialties. We tried the Bagna Cauda (warm dip of garlic and anchovies served with fresh vegetables), a local cheese plate (something my daughter always orders), Panissa (a risotto with beans and sausage) and a hearty bowl of Pasta e Fagioli (beans and pasta).
We also browsed through the monthly Organic/Biological market in the main square. Lots of local honeys, jams, baked goods and vegetables on offer to buy.
All in all a lovely and sunny winter outing. I hope there will be many more of these in the coming months. Stay tuned!
Jillian In Italy 
Oh yes! Next time I visit, I want the intro to architecture lecture and tour. Sounds wonderful
Sounds like a perfectly awesome walking tour! I think I’d enjoy hearing about the history of architecture. Italy is so beautiful and diverse.. just so much to learn, so much to admire – and eat! mmm.. I wish I could visit up there sometime again
Come on up! Rome isn’t THAT far away. We’ll discuss a visit at The Hive!
I went there at the university: the tiny city center is so nice!
Next time you HAVE TO visit Novara, so we can meet 😉
m.
We love Novara! It has been ages since we’ve been there though. We’ll have to arrange a meet-up though. Either here or there!