When the weather turned sour in Chamonix, Dale and I considered our options and decided that riding bikes around Alba in Italy topped our list. We did a beautiful ride in the Aosta Valley on the way, enjoyed a wonderful meal in Torino, and had a low-key day in Alba checking out the local wineries and the sights while it rained. The weather looked better the next day and so we left Alba after a nice breakfast and cappuccinos just after 9:30am.
We headed clockwise up to Barbaresco first, enjoying the amazing climbs and scenery and taking a few minutes in the town itself to explore a bit. We also found the 2014 Giro d’Italia stage marker, imagining top-tier cyclists charging through these vineyard-covered hills with massive chainrings.
From Barbaresco, we went to Neive and enjoyed a cappuccino in the old town. We then pressed on through a number of hills to Diano d’Alba where we feasted on pizza for lunch. The rest of the ride to Barolo continued through magical terrain with continually jaw-dropping views. Many of the roads we took were single-lane with barely any car traffic.
In Barolo, we couldn’t not have some wine. An enchanting 2018 Albarella Barolo and lovely conversation entertained us for a solid half hour before climbing back on our steeds for the last few miles up to La Morra and back down to Alba.
It’s a Unesco World Heritage Site for a reason. Go there and ride your bicycle through it. You will not be disappointed.