What to do in Piedmont

Start in Turin, the elegant former Savoy capital, where the Egyptian Museum holds a collection rivalled only by Cairo's and the Royal Palace reveals four dynastic centuries in a single walk. This is also the home of vermouth and gianduja chocolate, both worth tracking down at the source. Then, head south into the Langhe for what most travellers really come for: Barolo from the cellar, white truffles dug up before lunch by a trifulau and his dog, and an afternoon at a winery with views over vine-striped hills. Cycle between villages, take a vertical tasting through Barolo vintages, or go beyond the Langhe entirely for a day on the Borromean Islands of Lake Maggiore.