This region is very scenic and includes principle cities such as Turin/Torino, castles and villas of the Savoy family and all that goes with the Royal Court and the very scenic Langhe vine district - the home of the great Barlow wine.
via Roma, nr. 100
12064 La Morra (CN)
Tel: +39 (0) 173 509781 Fax: +39 (0) 173 5009782
Web Site: www.cortegondina.it
e-mail: info@cortegondina.it
We stayed here once again in 2007.
Since we enjoyed the hotel and management so much in 2006, we made the Hotel Corte Gondina a destination. We also wanted to see more of the Langhe region, but the hotel stay was a major factor.
Our raving review of the hotel in 2006 still stands and the only thing we can say is that it has gotten better. Bruno and Elena Viberti have added more furniture to the courtyard making it even more comfortable than the year before. They have added an outdoor sofa & 2 large comfortable chairs.
Bruno provides bar service so it is very relaxing to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine on the terrace. More beautiful plants have been added and in the evening the courtyard is lit with candle lanterns. Molto romantica!!
At the hotel bar, we enjoyed a wine tasting of many of the wines of the area and that was lots of fun. For a couple of euro, we were able to try a wide selection. We visited the Rocche Costa Magna Enoteca in La Morra. They are one of the oldest wine producer's in the area and we enjoyed the tour and wine tasting we had there. One night we went to the Chiappetto in Barolo and had a very large & varied fixed prix dinner
The Langhe region has much of the same beauty as Tuscany, but without the tourists. We find that to be a bonus to explore an area which is off the beaten track. If you like to travel in a similar manner, put the Piemonte region on your itinerary...it has much to offer!!!
Report from 2006:
This hotel has been given our highest designations of Great Places To Stay. We call this a destination hotel with a "Wow Factor" in a great area of Italy.
The “Wow Factor” has only been granted to a limited number of hotels and the Corte Gondina is definitely one of them!
We stayed here on our June 2006 visit to the Region. Having driven through the region on previous trips we had always wanted to return. .
La Morra is a small town in the Piemonte region (Piedmont) and we used La Morra, and our stay at the Corte Gondina, as our base to tour the scenic Langhe area. Here is some of the best wine in Italy.
As you drive through the old small town of La Morra the hotel is located just a few blocks from the centre of town. The front of the hotel only shows the main door it is what is behind the frontal façade that gives it the “wow factor”.
It has a very warm and charming atmosphere which speaks to the highest quality of everything that the hotel has to offer.
There is a beautiful pool furnished with very avant-garde wicker furniture. The courtyard is beautifully furnished with several wrought iron tables and chairs. Bar service or a light lunch is delivered to both areas.
Each room is individually decorated and every little detail has been covered. There are Superior double rooms and Standard double rooms and after seeing both I would say that they all deserve to be called superior - you will be happy with what ever selection you make. All rooms enjoy turn down service and a delicious truffle is put on each pillow. With all this attention to detail, the hotel ranks, in my mind, as a 5 star hotel at a high end 3 star rate.
The breakfast is served in a beautifully decorated room and it ranks as the best breakfast in Italy for us so far. Fresh fruit, bowls of strawberries or mixed fruit, meats & cheeses, delicious pastries, boiled eggs and toast all make up this beautiful buffet.
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| Standard room, beautifuly decorated and of good size | The garden and the hotel are done up just right. |
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| Rooms face into the inner garden. | Tour the Langhe Valley and then return to the pool to relax. |
Elena and Bruno Viberti are your hosts and make you feel very welcome in their hotel.
The hotel is owned and operated by Elena and Bruno Viberti and they maintain a very professional hotel while still having a family atmosphere with their little daughter being around and about.
The hotel was a personal home up until 2001 when Elena inherited it from her family. After major construction from house to a hotel, the hotel was opened in 2002. The pool was added in 2005 which was a great addition as nothing is better than coming back from a morning of sightseeing and having a relaxing time around the pool in the afternoon.
Glenn, an early riser, liked the aspect of the hotel being located in the town of La Morra and being able to go to the local bar and have a coffee while sitting back to watch the locals.
La Morra has a very good restaurant and there is many good restaurants in the area.
La Morra is a hill top town that is perfectly located to visit the vineyards and towns in the Langhe region.
via Umberto 1st, 27
La Morra
Tel: 0173.500.368
After eating in one of the more upscale restaurants, and not feeling that it was what it should have been, we asked about other restaurants in this small town and Il Duca Bianco was recommended. Good thing we went there as we were able to get the last table and there is a reason it was sold out. Very good food. Reasonable prices. A small restaurant that alsdoes piazza. The night we where in the restaurant there was a real party mood. Great time and and good meal.
via Roma, 33
12060 Barolo
Tel: 0173/56198
Our visit to this restaurant in 2008 was our third. Each time we have enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of the restaurant. As the photo to the left depicts, owners Laurilio and Paul Chiappetto like a fund environment. Expect good food and good services in a relaxed atmosphere.
One of their signature dishes is the egg in pasta - a raviolo that when you cut it with your fork, and yellow is not cooked hard, and it runs to create a wonderful sauce. On one of our next visits we will have to try to anara glassata al barolo - glazed duck with Barolo - a speciality of the house.
The two brothers opened the restaurant in 1995. It is a popular place, so if you can call reservations that is helpful. It is closed Wednesday nights and on Thursdays. Longer closings include the last half of February, the first week of March and the first week of July.
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