Visiting My Best Friend in Piemonte, Italy
Updated: 5 days ago
This year's trip to Italy was full of ups and downs. I experienced beautiful landscapes, delicious Italian food, and exceptional hospitality from my best friend Samuele and his family. Like most of my trips, this adventure was pretty spontaneous. Samuele, whom I'd met while living in Sweden, invited me to visit him in his home region of Piemonte after finishing his exams at the end of January.
Without hesitation, I started looking for flights and managed to find a return ticket for just €40. Unfortunately, two days before leaving, I ate some chicken that seemed a little undercooked. I found it strange, but I was hungry, so I ate it anyway. For the next two days, I felt perfectly fine. I thought there was nothing to worry about. Until the day of my departure.
At the airport, I started having terrible stomach pains, which made the entire flight a rather unpleasant experience. Not exactly the beginning I had imagined.
A Freezing Welcome to Piemonte
Samuele was waiting for me at the airport in his Fiat Punto, ready to begin our Italian adventure. Our first destination was Pontechianale, a mountain village where we were going to watch the third edition of Scivolandia, a race featuring some of the most ridiculous vehicles you could imagine sliding down a snowy slope. Creations resembled the Addams Family living room, a Viking ship, a chicken coop, the Titanic, Noah's Ark, and even a tank.
It was unlike anything I'd seen before.
Scivolandia in Pontechianale, where our trip through Piemonte began.
There was just one small problem. The race started two hours later than scheduled, and we had to wait outside in temperatures of around −15°C. Meanwhile, I was already battling a fever. After roughly four hours, the race finally ended. Despite the freezing temperatures and how I was feeling, I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was such an unusual event, and I'm glad Samuele took me there.
Afterwards, we stayed for a small party before heading to his family's cabin in the mountains. Samuele was kind enough to let me sleep in the only room with a fireplace. And thank God he did. That night, I became terribly sick. I had a high fever and awful stomach pains. To make matters worse, the only toilet was in the garage, and to get there you had to go from outside.
In the middle of the night. In the freezing mountains. I can tell you, it was one of the worst nights of my life.
How I Missed My Shoes
Despite everything, I was still looking forward to snowboarding the following day. Maybe not the smartest decision, considering how sick I was, but I'd come to the Alps and really wanted to make the most of it. We didn't have any medicine, and because it was Sunday, finding an open pharmacy in the mountains was almost impossible. We ended up driving for about an hour before finally finding one.
In the mountains before our snowboarding day in Limone Piemonte.
Then we continued to Limone Piemonte, a ski resort with around 80 kilometres of slopes. To save time, Samuele dropped me off at the equipment rental shop while he went to park the car. Unfortunately, in my rather miserable state, I'd completely forgotten that I needed an ID to rent the equipment. And where was my ID? In the car. Another delay. Eventually, we sorted everything out and headed toward the main cable car.
But then we had another little problem: my shoes. We'd already wasted so much time that I didn't want to spend another forty minutes going back to the car to leave them there. Samuele told me I could leave them on top near the cable car and pick them up at the end of the day. I wasn't particularly convinced, but when we reached the top, I noticed other people leaving their bags and belongings there, so I figured it must be normal.
After such a difficult morning, we could finally start snowboarding. The views from the mountains were breathtaking, and it felt great to be back on a snowboard after about six years. The beginning was a little difficult, but gradually I got the hang of it again. Despite everything that had happened, we were having a great day. Until we made a huge mistake. We ended up on the wrong side of the mountain.
Suddenly, we had to rush back to catch the last lift. Unfortunately, we didn't make it. We were forced to take a bus from Limonetto instead. We hurried toward the bus stop, only to watch the bus leave right in front of us. Perfect. We had to wait for the next one, and by then it was clear that I wouldn't be getting back to my shoes.
Eventually, we reached the rental shop just before closing time, and I had to return my equipment completely barefoot. The staff looked rather surprised. When I explained where my shoes were, they started laughing. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. Luckily, they were kind enough to let me wait in the bar upstairs until Samuele came to pick me up. So much for a relaxing day of snowboarding.
Snowboarding in Limone Piemonte.
The following morning, we tried calling the cable car station, but nobody answered. We decided to return to Limone and ask at the local tourist information centre. The woman there was incredibly helpful. She contacted the cable car station and, with a smile, told us that my shoes were still there and would be brought down. I can't explain how relieved I was. My shoes had survived their night in the Alps.
Exploring Piemonte With Samuele
With the snowboarding adventure behind us and my shoes safely recovered, we could finally spend some time exploring the best region in the world. According to Samuele, of course. We stopped at a local bakery for breakfast and started discussing what to do next over coffee. Our first destination was Cuneo, a beautiful Italian city not far from the French border.
Exploring Cuneo during our visit to Piemonte.
We spent some time walking around and exploring before returning to Samuele's hometown of Saluzzo, where we had lunch with his parents. Throughout my stay, his family was incredibly welcoming. I ate so many delicious Italian dishes that I honestly couldn't count them all. Samuele's father, who works as a publisher, even gave me two books. One was about Monte Viso, and the other was about the local wine region.
It was a lovely gesture, especially because we were about to explore some of those places ourselves. That afternoon, we visited Pollenzo, an ancient Roman settlement where houses were later built using the remains and foundations of a Roman amphitheatre.
A stop in historic Pollenzo.
We then continued to La Morra, where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset with Monte Viso in the distance.
La Morra, vineyards and the evening views across Piemonte.
The scenery was completely different from the snowy mountains we'd been exploring earlier. This time, we were surrounded by hills, vineyards, and small Italian villages. We also visited Barolo, a village where it feels like there are more wine shops than inhabitants. On our way home, we stopped at the colourful Cappella del Barolo, located among the vineyards near La Morra. Originally built as a shelter for vineyard workers, the little chapel was never consecrated. In 1999, artists Sol LeWitt and David Tremlett transformed it into the colourful artwork you can see today, with LeWitt decorating the exterior and Tremlett working on the interior.
It certainly wasn't what I'd expected to find in the middle of the vineyards.
Barolo and the colourful Cappella del Barolo.
After spending the day exploring Piemonte, we returned home and finished the evening drinking gin and tonic and watching How I Met Your Mother.
Reuniting With an Old Friend in Turin
The following day, we headed to Turin, where Samuele was studying. Another thing I was looking forward to was seeing our friend Nico, who used to live with us in Sweden. It was great to have the three of us reuniting again. This time exploring a completely different city. We spent the day wandering through Turin, admiring its architecture and discovering different parts of the city.
Exploring Turin and reuniting with Nico.
At one point, we stopped at All'Antico Vinaio, where I had what was probably the best focaccia of my life. Later, we visited the Basilica di Superga, a beautiful Baroque church designed by Filippo Juvarra, located on a hill overlooking Turin. The view of the city from up there was incredible.
Sighteesing of Turin and the Basilica di Superga overlooking Turin.
Afterwards, we returned to the centre and decided to explore the Royal Museums of Turin. Because we were still young enough to qualify for reduced admission, we paid only €2 for our tickets. We expected to spend a little time there, but the museum was much bigger than we'd imagined. We ended up staying for almost four hours.
The Royal Museums of Turin.
Our next idea was to visit the Egyptian Museum, famous for its collection of Egyptian antiquities, often described as the second largest in the world after Cairo. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to visit it. So that's something I'll have to come back for another day. Instead, we stopped at Caffè Al Bicerin, a small historic café where I had some amazing Italian hot chocolate. It was also the most expensive one I'd ever had.
Worth the Trouble
Looking back, this trip really had a bit of everything. I arrived in Italy feeling sick, spent a freezing night in the mountains, nearly lost my shoes while snowboarding, and had more problems in the first few days than I could have imagined. But I also got to spend time with my best friend again, explore the region where he grew up, and reunite with Nico in Turin.
Samuele and his family made me feel incredibly welcome. Through the places we visited and the time spent together at home with their dog, cats, and turtle, I got to experience a side of Italy I couldn't have discovered on my own. Even with everything that went wrong, I had an amazing time.
Thank you, Italy.
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