Italy: La Vie e La Villa

It's a funny, this thing called "momentum". For months now, I've been dragging my feet about putting together a food/travel blog. Our 4 month epic European Honeymoon ended in early October of 2008, and fortunately, every life-altering gastronomic experience, details of every B&B and hotel that provided us with refuge as we braved the European wilderness in our rented Citroen C4, was painstakingly photographed and illegibly scribbled into 1 of my 2 diaries. Armed with this treasure trove of information, I've been inundated by suggestions from friends about what commercial rewards were there for the reaping, or what good I would the world if I made all this available on the internet.

So I hummed and hawed, spent Oct/Nov in Sydney lying on the beach, snowboarded and cooked my time away in Hakuba.. then FINALLY, 3 days ago, I started this blog to share my love for food; and I haven't stopped since.

So, whilst I hardly fancy myself as a travel writer (cultural and scenic reviews bore me, dare I say that out loud), it would be a damn shame not to mention the restaurants and hotels that crossed our paths those amorous, honeymooning months. The hardest thing now (besides trying to read my own handwriting) is deciding where to start, and I suppose the best place to begin is the end- the last stop on our journey, La Villa Hotel.

Situated in the Monferrato countryside in the Northern Italian region of Piedmont, La Villa is a refurbished 17th century Palazzo owned and run by an incredibly friendly couple from the UK, who left the telecommunications industry to pursue a more tranquil life. What makes this hotel special, besides its obvious beauty, is the attention to detail; rooms are spacious and tastefully furnished, complete with coffee and tea making facilities; tv (including satellite) is available on request and wireless internet is also available. Every room has a comprehensive information booklet about hotel services, the Piedmont region, dining and activity suggestions, and in case you have one too many glasses of the wine this region is famous for, the hotel even organises a pick up/drop off service. There is a beautiful infinity pool, surrounded by views of the luscious vineyards, as well as a small gym. The buffet breakfast is healthy and scrumptious (mostly local produce), and the staff are incredibly helpful.

If one chooses (and I encourage anyone who stays at La Villa to do this at least once), dinner is available at the hotel restaurant called La Vie. The menu is presented to guests in the morning at breakfast time, and guests can decide if they wish to dine in that evening. The food isn't usually Piemontese, as the owners prefer not to compete with the restaurants in the area, but the 4 course meal prepared by the Hungarian chef (whom I had the opportunity to cook Truffle Risotto with ) is not to be missed. Guests select their wines from the hotel cellar before dinner, then adjourn to the second floor; the atmosphere is fantastic, and it is a chance to get to know the other guests better. The hotel organises various activities, including white truffle (which the area is famous for) hunts with a truffle dog called Roxy, who is rumoured to have appeared on the Jay Leno show. Hands down, our favourite accommodation on our entire trip, which is a nothing to sniff at, considering we stayed at over 50 hotels/B&Bs in the 4 months.

Details on the website: http://www.lavillahotel.net/