Bailey Alexander's gothic life in Piedmont

We finish 2014 with Bailey Alexander's amazing guest post to share with you our love for Piedmont!

Bailey Alexander is a freelance writer, travel essayist, gardener and Piemonte enthusiast. Prior life was spent directing corporate fashion shows and professional drag extravaganzas, then building a large IT consulting firm in Seattle before making the dramatic decision to move our entire life across the pond. We packed our home, sent 200 boxes on a container and I, along with my husband and 2 small dogs set sail aboard our sailboat in 2002. We proceeded to spend a nomadic decade in Rome, Paris, Malta, Amsterdam, Prague, Bucharest, along with 6 months spent living aboard our boat in Lignano Sabbiadoro, near Venice. Our finest decision was settling down and buying a home in Piemonte. I’ve written profile pieces in slick, glossy magazines, my travel essays are available on Amazon and my first novel will be published in 2015. Having lived in so many countries has altered my mind, living in Piemonte has altered my heart!

Asti Docg aka Spumante

Asti Docg label by Romano Levi

Asti Docg or more commonly Spumante as it is usually called in Italy, is the sparkling sweet wine par excellence!

It is made of Moscato bianco grapes and it is low in alcohol; in fact, unlike champagne, its bubbles are produced in a single tank fermentation following the Charmat method. Its sweetness is retained through a complex filtration process. 

The same wine region produces another sweet wine with the same Moscato bianco grapes: Moscato d'Asti which is only slightly frizzante or sparkling. 

Soul Kitchen: eating vegan in Turin

Despite the stereotype, eating vegan and raw in Italy is getting more and more popular, even in a city like Turin and a region like Piedmont, where in a way or another, some animal products are almost always included in the restaurant menus and family diets.

Following a dear friend's suggestion, back in September we had the chance to meet Luca, the owner of Soul Kitchen: THE vegan restaurant par excellence in Turin! 

In fact, this restaurant is now synonym of vegan cuisine here.

Spaghetti, zucchini, mint, basil, avocado and cherry tomatoes

Adriana Delfino and her tactile fashion sense

2014 Fashion Friday closes with Adriana Delfino and her passion for fashion, history of fashion and fashion critique. 

A Turin fashion designer, fashion professor and blogger, Adriana designed the Sar.To fashion event with the floating bubbles together with Walter Dang to celebrate Turin fashion designers and Turin's creativity.

We met her in her downtown studio and got to listen to her life, career and fashion philosophy. 

Lessona Doc THE wine of Italy

Lessona Doc Label

This week we're talking about Lessona the smallest DOC which is produced solely in the Lessona area. Lessona is a tiny village near Biella, where Ermenegildo Zegna is based and it is about 1h driving north from Turin.

Elaine Schoch's fun facts about Turin

Elaine Schoch is a recovering corporate climber. She began writing Carpe Travel after leaving the corporate world to try to gain a better work life balance. Her writings at Carpe Travel focus on balancing life and work with her passions – traveling (with kids) and discovering new wines from regions around the world. She’s married to “The Husband” and has two little Princesses. You’d think her traveling days would have slowed down with two kids in tow, on the contrary, Elaine is determined to show them the world. The Princesses have already become two very well travelled little people who have been earning miles and status before the ripe age of three-years-old. You can find Elaine’s travel tales, musings and tips on Carpe Travel. Or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

A Christmas brunch in Turin

The December 8th long week-end in Italy marks the beginning of the Christmas celebrations, many people take advantage of it to travel and start their Christmas shopping. As for us, we stayed in Turin and did it again: we took Miss Bee at her word and happily accepted the invitation to her Christmas brunch!

By now, we know that Miss Bee is a great host and a very skilled cook, which is why we refer to her as home chef. She literally puts her heart in her food and always stages her table with passion. As Miss Bee is particularly fond of Christmas she had been designing the menu for weeks and ultimately served us a real full meal, rather than just a simple brunch. 

We started with a delicious cocktail, a reminiscence of Miss Bee's London years: Pimm's with berries, pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and cucumber, that we sipped from a Christmassy straw in cute country style glass jars.

While waiting for our coffees and teas, we started munching on the apple, cinnamon and hazelnut muffins, the berry minced pies and her gourmet artichoke and two goat cheese quiches:P 

Piedmont ice wine!!

Ice wine from Chiomonte in Piedmont - yes, we make ice wine too here :D

The Chiomonte vineyards are the highest in Europe

Vin Brule'

As it's rather cold, we're starting this week wine posts with Vin Brule' which is similar to mulled wine but different ;)

Vin Brule is the ideal drink to sip while browsing through the Christmas markets

Dolce Elena: a Turinese in the UK

Elena Serrajotto Johnson was born and raised in Turin, Italy where she graduated in Foreign Languages and Literatures. She moved to the UK to complete her graduate studies. Following her passion for baking, she now sells her cookies and Turin pastries around England to share the flavors of her hometown.

Turin, Piazza Castello

Dancing models for a photography exhibition

The first Fashion Friday of December in Turin marked the beginning of an open air photography exhibition, in the central San Federico gallery, near Piazza San Carlo. This exhibition is part of Sar.To - the bubble installation that celebrates Turin fashion and its designers. Once again, Turin fashion designer Walter Dang wanted to honor local fashion designers, photographers and 25 Turinese celebrities with a series of black and white pictures mounted on doors. on the door knob there's a tag indicating the name of the photographer and its subject.

Alta Langa Docg the wine with its own glass

Today we're talking about Alta Langa DOCG in all its variants!

This wine takes the name from the Langhe wine district - now a Unesco world heritage site! - is a hilly region within Piedmont, near the Alba province, south of Turin.

Alta Langa Docg production area in Piedmont

Alta Langa DOCG: the Piedmont pride!

#TT T-day in Turin

As many US expats must have experienced by now, abroad there is no Thanksgiving Day... and Italy is no exception therefore, we tend to celebrate it during the week-end...yeah, not the same, we agree, both ingredients and flavors slightly change too, yet it is still pretty awesome that we can take the time to be thankful and share food with some really good friends when away from our families.

In Turin, we took the week to visit a couple of the many events that take part in the last of November and totally devoted our Saturday to the Thanksgiving Day dinner!

In fact, our team is extremely lucky because Benedetta Oggero - aka Miss Bee is a good friend and collaborator AND she has a BIG passion for cooking and eating, so she had us all at her place!

Miss Bee proudly showing her 8.5 kg/18.7lb turkey

Benedetta inehrited her cooking passion and culinary dexterity from her mom. In fact, she grew up in a home where friends and family members were always felt welcomed to eat, and food in its more convivial aspect has always been part of her life, even when she moved to London. Getting to know the ingredients' origin, and how they are made, selecting the sellers - sometimes also befriending them to secure the best products! - designing menus, pairing the right flavors and styling a table are all Benedetta's favorite time in her busy week.