One of Italy’s top wine producing regions is the Langhe in Piemonte, northwestern Italy. Famous for both wine and white truffles, the vineyard covered hills topped with castles and pretty towns make this a great part of Italy for a leisurely visit. Langhe is the foggy area southwest of Alba, along the south bank of the Tanaro River, where some of I...

60 years of history locked in a jar, Nutella has become a brand, not just a product. Nutella's 60 years celebrate the genius of Michele Ferrero, who invented the hazelnut and chocolate spread in 1964. For decades it was an almost unique proposition inside large-scale retail; today it has become a product category in its own right. On April 20, 1964...

The disappearing art of truffle hunting is facing a new and “grave threat” from winemakers in northern Italy. The rare white Alba truffle and Piedmont red wines are among the region’s most prized products, and have been sourced in happy proximity for decades. But winemakers in the Langhe area of Piedmont are now eyeing up the shadier side of the hi...

Where to go on holiday in Italy in March when nature slowly awakens with its colors and the climate starts to get milder? From north to south, Italy is an infinite sequence of magnificent places to visit at any time of the year, but even more so when everybody want to spend more time outdoor, even though the air is still crisp. Here are some excell...

Have you ever heard of the town of hundred towers? Probably yes, given that in Italy there are many villages which, thanks to their history with roots set in the Middle Age, have deserved this nickname. But there is only one that perfectly mixes its important past with a very rich cultural heritage, especially in the gastronomic field: we are talki...

Piemonte, characterized by its undulating landscapes and fertile plains, has a rich agricultural heritage: it is a region known for its radici contadine, or rural roots, where la terra is at the heart of life in all its facets. For generations, the Piemontesi have cultivated their land to produce some of Italy’s most renowned wines and cheeses, as...

On Tuesday, eleven students from Alba, Italy will begin a two week visit in the Rogue Valley as part of a student cultural exchange program.The ‘Medford-Alba Sister City Association’ is back after a pause due to the pandemic. It involves welcoming and sending high school students between the two cities. While they are here, the alba students will g...

Two years after the pandemic and then war in Ukraine put a decades-old program on ice, Rogue Valley students are invited to study abroad in the county seat’s Italian sister city. The Medford Alba Sister City Association issued a press release Monday announcing the reinstatement of the exchange program for the first time since 2019. “We’re very exci...

I remember the first time I walked into a local trattoria in Alba during the peak of white truffle season, hit by the distinctive aroma of umami meets earth. On steroids. That was the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba. Considered the most famous white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) in the world, the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba can only be found in the northern Italia...

October and November are tartufo (truffle) season in Piemonte in northwest Italia. I was studying Italian in Torino in early October last year and joined a few classmates one weekend. We took a train from Torino to Alba, famous for its truffle festivals. After strolling past wine shops, coffee shops, and cafes on Alba’s narrow streets, we entered t...