This post is dedicated to my brother Charles who’d love these places. 🙂
I stayed at many hotels on my bike trip and one more afterwards in the Cinque Terre that was incredible. So here we go…
Jet Hotel in Turin, across from the airport. A1 for convenience. If you ever have to fly into Turin, use this hotel. It was modern and well done. The restaurant had very good food and wine. The outdoor patio was comfortable. We stayed there on our first and last nights. It was very pleasant.
Ca’ Vittoria in Tigliole, near Asti. Out in the middle of nowhere! Remote, elegant, pampering. Old stone palazzo, old fashioned furniture coupled with modern plumbing. Excellent chef, delicious food (truffles were an option), wonderful patio for drinks and dinner overlooking the pool, exquisite bathrooms (my one regret on the trip was that I didn’t photograph all the bathroom porcelain. The bidets in particular were individual, interesting, italian design… just beautiful shapes! And no, I didn’t use any of them. But I loved looking at them.). There was a view down the valley at the plain far below. It’s positioned at the top of a steep hill (tough for us on our bikes!) and so the views were lovely. [http://www.ristorantevittoria.it]
As the evening progressed, first the Maui cyclists arranged themselves in elegant comfortable rattan chairs around a coffee table, ordering the first beverage of the evening. Then as we all gathered for the group meeting and dinner, dusk gently descended. Table candles were lit, scarves and jackets wrapped chilled shoulders, and conversations established themselves among strangers. But the time we’d had several bottles of wine, we were moving towards being old friends. Lovely.
Hotel Brezza in Barolo. In the middle of Barolo country. Just outside the town of Barolo, but walking distance. Large well appointed pool facing the town. Wonderful patio for drinks and dinner also facing town. We had a full moon while we were there and seeing the orange globe rise over the vineyards was awe inspiring. [https://www.hotelbarolo.it]
The restaurant was very popular, with lots of tables crowded with Norwegians and Germans, and a scattering of French. Some Italians. The ragu on homemade local-style skinny noodles was perfect and the salad was fresh and rich with balsamic and olive oil. Sitting outside, the castle town of Barolo was right there. It was like Disneyland to see the moon come up and the lights go on.
Hotel Miramonte in Calizzano. In the mountains. Mushrooms a speciality. Homemade limoncell and three types of grappa. Old fashioned hotel, a throwback to places I stayed in decades ago. Definitely worth it for atmosphere, but not for pampering. Old style elevator with inside doors you have to close. Major quaint points. Also, for anyone on a bike, the approach was marvelous. We rode for miles along a smooth flat river-side road to get there and left on a downhill.
I loved this hotel. Took me back to my childhood. The pair of interior elevator does that had to be closed before the elevator would work. The intense smell of wood and camphor or something that was inside the cupboards. The family feeling in the restaurant. Quite delightful. We stored our bicycles in a dark locked garage space on the street behind the hotel. Not modern, but the wifi was fine. Managed to get an Aperol, but not the usual fancy glass.
The town was pleasant but felt like Switzerland.
The home made, family style approach extended to their liqueurs. This is the place that offered us home made limoncello and three types of grappa (plain, camomile, and myrtle, on the far right).
Hotel Garden Lido in Loano, on the seaside. Very organized hotel. Modern and comfortable. They had a bicycle room downstairs with pump, bike sale Ligutand, and bike tools. Very nice! The appetizers were ample and delicious. The town of Loano has old narrow streets and charm, but the nearby town of Finale Ligure has a lovely piazza with a great gelateria and a flower bed on the side facing the beach with today’s date presented in a set of tiny cactuses. Yes, changed every day. AND, by the way, this is a huge MTB area. Huge! There were MTB riders and shops everywhere. The hills behind the town are full of hiking and biking trails. [http://www.gardenlido.com]
The hotel had a swimming pool and a hot tub (regret: didn’t use) plus a lovely beach area.
Hotel Miranda in Varazze, also on the seaside. Old fashioned style but very modern. My room looked out over the town and was very comfortable. They provided appetizers that were a meal in themselves. Vitello tonnato was my personal favorite. It was addictive. [http://www.hotelmiranda.it]
I liked this hotel. Comfortable, very friendly staff, very Italian style–I felt that this was a hotel used by locals. St back from the beach and busy tourist area, it was peaceful and serene. There was a lovely patio looking or towards the sea and an enclosed garden/sitting area downstairs.
Villa San Carlo in Cortemilia, back inland again. The owner is Carlo who is a famous international chef. He turned down a Michelin star because he didn’t want the pressure. He prepared special menus for our group that focused on the local speciality of hazelnuts, from the appetizers to the dessert. [http://www.hotelsancarlo.it] We had a wine tasting class after a tour of his cellar. I spoke of it elsewhere in my blog.
Villa Morneto further north. Not in a town. Out in the middle of the fields. Very popular for weddings and parties, so large scale, but they handled up beautifully. Infinity pool in front of a view of valley and town opposite. Elegant and pampered. Excellent meals, including scrambled eggs at breakfast. NB: The chess pieces in the hotel photos are made of some heavy metal. Very pleasing to hold. [http://www.villamorneto.it]
There were several places to sit outside and the warm sunshine and light breezes made it so comfortable. The views in every direction were outstanding: hilltop villages, groomed fields, vineyards, distant hills with church spires sharp silhouettes.
Canonica di Corteranzo, on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere. The most amazing! Views of the alps, bathrobes and slippers for the pool, attentive and friendly hosts, excellent food in a beautiful restaurant. Comfortable and elegant old-fashioned style but then modern in the plumbing. The most aesthetically pleasing bathroom, with a curved travertine shower (NB: No baths anywhere. Showers the whole time.). [http://www.canonicadicorteranzo.it]
Despite the killer climb up to the hotel on our bicycles, this was my far and away favorite. The buildings, the food, the bathrooms, the outdoors were all beautiful and comfortable.
We stayed in all these places off season. I checked the prices and they were all around $130 per night for the room. So, $65/person. If single, $100 per night. They are probably more in July and August, but late September and early October are good times to travel anyhow.
Cinque Terre ===
Gianni Franzi, in Vernazza. Cliff top. This place was astonishing. Not cheap (€170) and worth every penny. After checking in at the bar in the piazza, the nice woman led me up the stairs, then more stairs, then a very steep street, then more stairs. When we arrived at the building, perched on the edge of a cliff, I was on the second floor, so up we went arrive the narrowest spiral staircase I’ve ever been on. When I came back with my small carry-on suitcase, it only just fit. The room had a tiny balcony with views of the town, the sea, and the hillside opposite where trails head up into the mountains and several restaurants cling.
Breakfast was on a patio right on the edge. I could see water pounding the cliffs just by looking down. Before me was the hilly Italian coast, blue gray shapes in the orange-pink morning light and the dark sea was everywhere. Incredible place. I was the first person there. Put I all my warmest clothes. My breakfast ended up taking two full hours!
The view from my balcony:
Looking back at the cliff that held my hotel room. You can see the pink hotel building just in the top right corner. The room was very comfortable and although my bathroom was out in the hall, it was private for me. Worked for me!
I will stay there whenever I’m in Cinque Terre. Tremendous. [www.giannifranzi.it]
On the way, I got to experience some wonderful new aspects of life in Italy. First of all, the train strike. There was a quickie strike from 9pm Thursday to 9pm Friday and it affected only a few trains. Specifically the ones I needed to get to Bologna, two in a row. I sat in Prato, just outside Florence, for 2 hours.
Once I was there, Becky and Dave took me to the Ancient Fishmongers Alley for lunch. These tiny alleys near the cathedral are full of small restaurants that specialize in charcuterie and local cheeses.
After that, we took in an art exhibit from the MFA Boston on Hokusai and Hiroshige. I loved it! The details in these prints is extraordinary.
We had to rush when we got out at 5pm because I had to pick up my Airbnb keys and my friends had booked a tour at 6pm, but it all worked out fine.The tour was of a Renaissance period 
The final amazement of the day was our dinner at 
A great day!!Yesterday was another awesome day. Bologna has a food and educating center called “Eataly.” It’s an enormous convention center with demonstration booths, classrooms, sales booths, restaurants, and outdoor livestock and vineyard areas. Matteo took us around and taught us about Italian food. I learned a few new techniques and, for example, i learned how mortadella, grana padana cheese, and rustic pasta are made.Mortadella hanging:
A ham from southern Italy:
Wheels of parmesan drying:
Culatella is from a pig, somewhat like prosciutto, but it doesn’t have the skin or the bone and is kept moist as it cures.
And here are some shots of candies and sweets:
To finish, here’s a wall of chocolates:
