Fog is the word that gave the Langhe's great grape its name. Nebbiolo comes from nebbia, and in October the mist fills the valleys below Barolo so thoroughly that the village seems to float on a lake of cloud, with the hills of the Langhe rising out of it row after row. The vineyards here are among the most prized in Italy, and the countryside, with its hill-top villages, castles and terraced slopes, has been listed by UNESCO together with Roero and Monferrato. Barolo itself has fewer than five hundred people, a castle once held by the Falletti family and now home to a wine museum, and a main street that is entirely devoted to selling bottles.
The wine, a dark red made from Nebbiolo and aged for years before it is ready, has long been nicknamed the king of wines and the wine of kings. The villages around, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga, each give the grape a slightly different voice. Alba, to the north, is better known for white truffles, which are sold at a fair every autumn that fills the town with scent and visitors. Hazelnuts, grown on the same hills, end up in chocolate, and the sweet tooth of Piedmont is easily satisfied.
The riding is a pleasure, though it needs patience. Roads climb and fall over the ridges in tight bends, with steep gradients and gravel at the corners where tractors cross. In harvest season, in September and October, farm vehicles are everywhere and the surfaces are slippery with crushed grapes. Weekend cyclists are numerous, and views across to the Alps, when the haze clears, are superb. Alba, with about twenty-five thousand people, is the place for fuel and a serious meal. Barolo and the nearby villages have little beyond a few bars and enotecas.
Pasta with butter and sage, the little stuffed agnolotti, and braised beef cooked in Barolo itself are the local dishes. Spring brings green vines and soft light, and late autumn brings colour, mist and the smell of wood smoke. Summer is warm and hazy, and the cellar doors are open for tasting, so plan a rest stop rather than a long ride afterwards.