I don’t know what surprised me more: the fact that I was holding a coveted white truffle in my hand, or that Bianca and Luna — the two Lagotto Romagnolo dogs leading the hunt — sniffed out a second white truffle only a few minutes later.
"Our guests have only found one white truffle so far,” said Eva Codina, the general manager of Casa di Langa, a brand-new five-star hotel in Italy’s Piedmont region. “You may still find black truffles, but the white truffles will be expensive this year. We haven’t had rain in 80 days, and we need at least 40 days of rain to get white truffles.”
When I first arrived at this Alta Langhearea hotel, Codina was kind enough to give me a thorough tour of the property, a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which had welcomed its first guests in June of 2021. Surrounded by more than 100 private acres of forest and working vineyards, Casa di Langa’s hillside haven features 39 rooms, a small spa and a restaurant with an accompanying 6,000 bottle wine cellar. It’s located just a 90-minute drive from Torino International Airport.
Anything that could be incorporated into the hotel from the Piedmont region, we brought in.
Clients can arrange a rental car from the hotel, and while the concierge can effortlessly accomplish this task, I secured a lift through Avelino Limo Italia. One perk of this private car hire — aside from a surprisingly cheaper rate than typical taxi service in Turin — is that the drivers act as tour guides, filling the journey with little bits of trivia along the route. From the history of castles in the distance to the exact fields owned by Nutella and chocolatier Ferrero, what could have been a quiet drive turned into a mini tour of the region.
The first thing guests will notice upon arrival at Casa di Langa is its airy spaces. Open corridors connect private room entrances to the main courtyard area, a serene setting where the view alone is remarkable. It overlooks the 14th-century Castello di Serralunga a’Alba, sitting before the calm hills of La Morra with a backdrop of Monte Viso and the Alps.
The property features views of castles, mountains and more.
Credit: 2021 Casa di LangaBelieve it or not, ground broke on this property over a decade ago, but the original developers abandoned the project. When Casa di Langa’s parent company purchased the property in 2017, they completed the original design with new modifications.
Codina was proud to point out that nearly every detail of the hotel has a local touch, from its brick walls to the ingredients in its kitchen.
"Anything that could be incorporated into the hotel from the Piedmont region, we brought in,” she said.
Every client will be tickled to discover a private or semi-private terrace attached to their suite, regardless of which room they choose. Though there are distinctions between the “deluxe” room with castle views and the “classic” rooms with vineyard views, both are equally enjoyable when savoring a cup of local LaVazza coffee or a glass of Alta Langa wine from the in-room minibar. An architectural admirer may be keen to know one other major difference: North-facing rooms have wooden flooring and stone bathrooms, while south-facing rooms have terracotta floors and marble bathrooms.
Airy guestrooms feature natural materials such as marbles and stones.
Credit: 2021 Casa di LangaCodina admits that clients don’t need to roll out of bed until check out — if that’s what they desire; meals and massages can be arranged in-room. However, I urge even the most introverted of guests to step out and embrace every experience this sustainable hotel has to offer. The Lelose Spa [https://www.casadilanga.com/wellness/spa/ ] may be small in size, but its sauna, whirlpool tub and heavenly body treatments will put your mind and body in a harmonious state. Cooking classes and wine tastings can also be booked with the property, though these are often experiences that clients have already engaged in during previous trips to Italy.
Culinary Highlights at Casa di Langa
Or, if they prefer, clients can spend all day doing nothing save for sipping a Piedmont-style Negroni (the hotel’s signature cocktail) and staring at the view from the outdoor heated infinity pool (trust me, they’ll need the leisure time to prepare for the feast that is the multi-course meal at on-site Faula Ristorante.
I could go on and on about the delicately hand-pressed three-meat ravioli or the zucchini dish that looked like a cartoon caterpillar — yet tasted like it was grown and groomed in the Garden of Eden — but all that foodies need to know is that they should come hungry for a tasting menu so overwhelmingly amazing that they’ll forget to snap Instagram photos.
Faula’s exceptionally manicured yet remarkably laid-back service will be a guest’s top highlight, but the main event of all the experiences is undoubtedly the truffle hunt. Led by Daniele and Marta of Bianco Tartufi (or, more accurately, their dogs Bianca and Luna), the intimate truffle-hunting experience takes place right on Casa di Langa’s property.
The highlight for many guests is the opportunity to hunt for truffles right on property.
Credit: 2021 Casa di LangaClients will follow the dogs on a hunt for black and white truffles while learning about the history, technique and unfortunate dangers of professional truffle hunting. Any truffles found — even the world-renowned white truffles — can be taken back to the hotel’s kitchen, where the chef will teach clients how to clean, prepare and properly serve them.
But whether travelers have a full week to explore everything the hotel has to offer or can only visit for a few hours to dine, drink and dash off to the next destination, Codina insists that they don’t need much to do to make their time at Casa di Langa memorable.
“Just sitting here with a book and a drink, looking out at the hills and being at peace with the world, is absolutely amazing,” Cordina said.
The Details
Casa di Langa
