Sustainable and design-led luxury hotels are making their debut in bucolic Piedmont ahead of U.S. travelers’ return to Italy.
The Piedmont hills surrounding Casa di Langa.
With Italy now open to U.S. travelers via Delta’s COVID-Tested flights, Americans are able to make plans for their next Italian journey. For many, the desire to reach offbeat locations and gain an immersion into local life is stronger than ever. Piedmont meets these criteria with undulating landscape that encapsulates its name (Piedmont translates to foot of the mountain) and a connection to local life through its slow food movement, art and thriving wine production.
Two highly anticipated hotel arrivals are now drawing attention to the rural areas of this north-west Italian region. Focused on local connections as well as sustainability, gastronomy and design, these imminently opening luxury hideaways provide an enticing base for authentic insight into this part of Italy.
The nature-inspired interiors of Casa di Langa in Piedmont.
Casa di Langa
This new sustainable luxury hotel lies at the heart of the Piedmont region, overlooking a vast expanse of working vineyards and rolling hills. The 39-room property designed by GaS Studio architecture firm, with interiors by Parisotto + Formenton Architetti, combines traditional Piedmontese design with a contemporary aesthetic and focus on sustainability. Based on a deep respect for the natural world and its future, the hotel has declared a commitment to carbon neutrality. The property promises to use 100% recycled water for irrigation, make use of geothermal heating and solar panels and commit to use of zero single-use plastic. Inspired by the hazelnut orchard, vegetable garden and vineyard views, each space reflects the natural environment with muted colors and locally sources materials.
Cooking classes at Casa di Langa, Piedmont.
In this environmentally sensitive nature-inspired location, guests can take in the grandeur of the landscape, celebrated gastronomy and warm spirit of the community. The hotel provides a connection to the UNESCO World Heritage Langhe region and in particular its wine traditions. With its location in a region famous for Alba white truffles, it’s also introducing the world’s first truffle concierge.
The warm exterior of Casa di Langa in Piedmont.
Here, guests can join tastings and earn WSET certification at a wine academy, take part in hands-on cooking classes, go in search of truffles with local truffle hunters and take an art tour around Casa di Langa’s sculpture garden and original art collection. The hotel houses an impressive collection of fine art, highlighting both Italian and American artists. The accommodation here features spacious terraces and spa-lie bathrooms. Amenities within the hotel include the fine dining Fàula Ristorante led by chef Manuel Bouchard, Sorì Cocktail Bar highlighting neighboring vineyards, and the ecologically minded Lelòse Spa with panoramic infinity pool.
Truffle hunting from Casa di Langa in Piedmont.
Nordelaia
Nordelaia is tucked deep into the Monferrat area of southern Piedmont, by the small town of Cremolino and with easy access from Milan, Genoa and Turin. Now a boutique hotel housing just 12 individually designed rooms, this 800-year-old farmhouse benefits from a complete redesign by British design studio These White Walls known for the award-winning interiors of HIDE restaurant in Mayfair, London. Located within five hectares of gardens, which have been planted with Pinot Noir vines so the hotel can produce its own wines, the boutique hotel reflects its historical context and verdant setting through sensitively crafted interiors.
The interiors of Nordelaia in Piedmont.
Large terraces and an outdoor pool overlook the vines, hills and nearby Cremolino castle, and a tranquil spa is now set in the vaults of this historic farmhouse, with glass-fronted relaxation rooms providing views over the valley. During a stay, guests can unwind in this nature-inspired spa before dining at a three-tiered panoramic restaurant overseen by Michelin-starred chef Andrea Ribaldone. This dining space is split into The Bistro offering informal fare highlighting Pietmontese ingredients, traditions and stories of the region and the fine dining L’Orto restaurant providing a creative culinary experience focusing on tastes of the season. L’Orto Bar then offers a space for socialising over a coffee by day or cocktail by night.
A beetroot dish in Nordelaia's fine dining restaurant.
Overall, Nordelaia is about connecting with nature in an informal but luxurious setting. Exploration of the local area takes you from vineyards, castles and Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Regional Park to discovery of the art, history and culture in nearby Genoa. Wine tasting, foraging, guided hikes, e-biking and truffle hunting immerse you in the local area.
The panoramic infinity pool at Nordelaia.
Casa di Langa makes its debut on June 11 and Nordelaia welcomes its first guests at the beginning of July.
