When you think of Italy, it’s likely that home-cooked pasta, verdant agricultural landscapes, and gourmet food products like Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar come to mind. A lesser-known concept is that of the agriturismo — a compound noun that marries the Italian words for agriculture and tourism.
As the name implies, an agriturismo is a place where visitors can find lodging, meals, and even hands-on experience on a working farm. Some agriturismi are elegant and resort-like, while others are more informal places where guests can get their hands dirty and learn the art of viticulture, olive harvesting, or virtually any aspect of small-scale food production. Most agriturismi serve food that has been grown on-site, or sourced locally. In addition, income from tourism helps supplement profits earned from traditional farming pursuits.
I had long wanted to stay in an Italian agriturismo — to walk among the countryside, or even try my hand at some aspect of farming. This summer, Shawn and I got to do just that while in the Northern Italian state of Piedmont, or Piemonte as it’s known in Italian.
By day, we tasted wine, chased truffles and explored Asti’s food scene, and by night we rested and dined at the Agriturismo Tenuta La Romana and La Riserva del Gusto. This agriturismo and restaurant are situated within the same property, on a stunning piece of land that overlooks the Langhe and Monferrato hills. The area is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The History of the Agriturismo Concept in Italy
Starting in the mid-twentieth century, small-scale farming became less profitable for Italian farmers. To combat this decline and the abandonment of farms, the Italian government officially described the concept of agriturismi in a 1985 law. In some cases, economic incentives were given to farmers or other individuals wishing to restore abandoned farmhouses and estates. The result was that many of these structures were transformed into private vacation homes, and agriturismi.
Agriturismo Tenuta La Romana
At first glance, Tenuta La Romana seemed as though it was peeking out of a robe of vineyards dressing the Monferrato hills. The mustard-colored building, with its Palladian windows and chocolate-brown shutters, was eye-catching, even among a stunning landscape of summer green hues. The structure that now houses the agriturismo was previously called L’Armanna. It was constructed in the 18th century and was originally owned by noble families. Today, it overlooks an atmospheric lake, poplar grove, vineyards, a handful of farmhouses, and even a small hilltop fortress.
La Riserva del Gusto
La Riserva del Gusto’s name hints at its penchant for good taste, as well as its location inside a nature reserve. In its early days, the shrimp-colored structure housed clergy — something that’s evident when you pop into its wine cellar, which was once a crypt. The elegant restaurant specializes in cuisine of the Langhe and Monferrato. Charismatic Chef Luigi Vinciguerra is at its helm.
When I asked Chef Luigi what encouraged him to take over the restaurant, he replied without hesitation.
“The magical setting here,” he said, with our waiter Pietro acting as translator.
“This landscape captivated me! I am here most of the day now, and this is a passion,” adding that his daughter also motivates him.
As he showed us around the 18th-century-crypt-turned-wine-cellar, Luigi, who has experience working in Milan restaurants, explained that he prefers to work with local, small-scale wine producers.
“Most of our ingredients are also locally-sourced,” he added.
Though Italian tradition and Piemonte cuisine favor heavily in his fare, Luigi is not afraid to blend old ideas with contemporary ones. Jazz & blues nights are weekly offerings, and Chef Luigi is also happy to prepare meals that appeal to vegetarians, vegans, and people who are unable to consume gluten.
As he escorted us around the building’s three levels, it became apparent that Chef Luigi has a penchant for interior design, too. From an outdoor seating area with transparent chairs and mood lighting, to an upstairs dining room with an Old-World marble fireplace, Luigi was eager to show how he and his wife, Michela, have transformed the building. His latest project is a transformation of the restaurant’s tower. He plans to enclose its windows so that he can create an intimate dining area where couples or private parties can dine while overlooking the hills of the Monferrato and the Langhe.
Chef Luigi was kind to share his extraordinary recipe for Strawberry-Chardonnay Risotto with us; please find it below, and Buon Appetito! Also, if you have any risotto variations or recipes that you’d recommend, please share them in the comments below.
Chef Luigi’s Risotto with Strawberries & Sparkling Wine
Risotto Fragole e Bollicine
Ingredients:
- 180 grams Carnaroli rice
- 6 strawberries (dice 2; reserve others for garnish)
- 1 glass of sparkling Chardonnay
- butter
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 Liters vegetable broth, boiling-hot
Preparation:
- Reduce the wine in a pot and add 2 diced strawberries.
- Toast the rice in the same pot until the wine is completely absorbed.
- Add the boiling broth until the rice is covered and stir. If necessary add more wine until the rice is cooked (about 16-18 minutes).
- Remove from heat. Add a small spoon of butter and some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste.
- Garnish the risotto with fresh strawberries. (Chef Luigi served mine on an oversized white plate, with a sprig of lavender. He dusted the rim of the plate with delicate, dried flower blooms.)
Serves two.
Video of this Experience:
Where in the World?
Planning Pointers:
- Agriturismo Tenuta La Romana (affiliate link) and La Riserva del Gusto restaurant are located in the Monferrato countryside, on an adjacent piece of land surrounded by vineyards and agriculture.
- The district of Monferrato is located in Italy’s Piedmont (Piemonte) region, about 55 km (30 miles) southeast of Turin, and 140 km (85 miles) southwest of Milan. High-speed trains link the Piedmont area to Italian tourist meccas such as Rome and Venice. See Trenitalia for schedules and prices.
- To get to Piedmont, we traveled by train from Milan to Asti. While we found mass transit accessibility to be good in larger Italian cities such as Milan and Turin, we were told that public transportation is quite limited in Piemonte’s countryside. Locals routinely advised us to rent a car or hire a private driver.
- Marco, one of Meet Piemonte‘s co-founders, coordinated the details of our Piemonte visit in advance, and guided us through each excursion. He and his colleagues lead customized tours covering everything from wine-tastings, to cooking classes, truffle hunts, hiking and biking excursions, and visits to Piedmont’s rice fields. Having worked in the tourism industry for more than a decade, Marco speaks fluent English and also helped ensure that tour partners took into account my gluten intolerance.
- Need more inspiration? This link contains an index of all my posts from Italy.
Disclosure & Thanks:
Both Agriturismo Tenuta La Romana and La Riserva del Gusto hosted us for these experiences. Mille grazie to the agriturismo staff as well as Chef Luigi, Michela, and waiter Pietro for being so welcoming and sharing their passion for incredible Italian cuisine and hospitality. Also, hearty thanks to Marco at Meet Piemonte for arranging our dinner and lodging.
Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved. The video was created by my husband, Shawn.
Travels With Tricia 
It looks like you had a very good time eating and drinking and enjoying the countryside. Thank you for sharing.
Gerard, indeed we did! What made the experience so nice was being able to chat with the people there too. Chef Luigi, in particular, was quite enthusiastic about what he does. His passion shines through in the extraordinary dishes he creates, especially those risotti! And, how are you? Are the leaves turning in the Big Apple yet?
Tricia, the leaves aren’t changing colors yet but they look like they’re about to. The weather has been beautiful.
Gerard, ah, I have lots of fond memories of autumns in NY. Hope your good weather spell continues, and that this year’s foliage show is a beautiful one!
Stunning photography!
Many thanks, Diana. With that goregous, UNESCO-recognized scenery around us, there was much to inspire!
The peachy pink of the house and that ochre are such lovely Med colours Tricia. Portugal has many of the same kind of agritourism properties too these days.
Jo, you’re right that those Mediterranean are so beautiful when surrounded by a neutral backdrop – be it green, sand-colored, etc. Your mention of Portugal’s agriturismi reminds me how much of Portugal I have yet to see. I went to Porto & Lisbon back in 2003, but the thought of staying in the countryside is really intriguing. Are you there now?
Been a little hectic! I spent 2 wonderful weeks there and am now in Poland following my 5th Polish wedding x
Jo, 5 Polish weddings? How fun! Family or friends?
My huge Polish family!
I love making risotto and I’ve heard strawberry risotto is delicious. Looking forward to trying it out next year when strawberries are in season again.
Rosemarie, is strawberry risotto fairly common in Piedmont, or is it a newer version of a classic recipe? I was initially surprised to see a sweet, not savory risotto, but of course, it was beautifully made and presented. What are some of your favorite versions of risotto, or, which ones are most common in Piemonte?
I’m not sure if it’s traditional but I have seen it on menus and it is in my copy of Il cucchiaio d’argento (The Silver Spoon), which is considered one of the seminal Italian cookbooks. Risotto is be very versatile, as it can lend itself to whatever vegetable is in season. I’m looking forward to making it with pumpkin and porcini mushrooms this autumn for example. In Piedmont, I’ve come across several risotti ‘piemontesi’ with all sorts of variations (it may make a good subject for a blog post actually!) but they all seem to have one thing in common, the use of a good Piedmontese red wine (Barbera, Dolcetto, sometimes Barolo) in them. The most famous example is probably ‘panissa’, which is a risotto made in Novara and Vercelli (the heart of Piedmontese rice country). It’s made with rice, beans, onion, Barbera wine, lardo and sausage or salami.
My stomach began to growl just imagining a steaming bowl of risotto dressed with pumpkin and porcini mushrooms. :) Absolutely, a risotto-focused post sounds like a fantastic one in the making! We did not have enough time to make it to Piedmont’s rice country. Have you been out to the rice mill, or the rice fields? We also think that the Italian Rice Exchange sounds interesting, but I’m not sure if it’s open to visitors.
Very well done Trish! I will definitely try the risotto recipe, Ciao
Silvana, as the Italian cooking expert that you are, I’d be curious how it turns out for you. :) We’ve made our fair share of risotto here in Germany (mostly with zucchini or butternut squash) but for me, this strawberry version was a new one. Do you have any risotto variations that you would recommend?
Such beautiful pictures, story and recipes!!! This is an enchanting place to visit and I guess we may take the opportunity soon enough… It looks very romantic (what I love) and at the same time could be an extraordinary experience.
I’ll try out the risotto’s recipes :-) Thank you for sharing, dearest Tricia and Shawn… by the way, remember the risotto with orange peel and honey? Kisses :-)claudine
Claudine, grazie mille. It would certainly be lovely to meet in Piemonte someday!
Shawn and I still reminisce about your superb risotto (along with the gazpacho, hummous, polenta, and many more!) We, but not our waistlines, miss the aperitivo, and the fior di latte and the sour cherry too. :-) When you have a free moment, can you please send the risotto recipe?
Stunning scenery and food! I love your choices especially the risotto.
Darlene, here’s hoping you might be able to give the risotto recipe a whirl then. In Spain, I’ve read that Bomba rice is used for Paella. Do you know if it’s challenging to get Italian risotto types like Arborio or Carnaroli there? I’m thrilled that Malta’s grocery store shelves have lots of both, thanks to the country’s Italian influence. Here’s to much more risotto in the months ahead! :)
Looking forward to making the sweet risotto recipe! What was the most difficult part for you as far as working on the farm?
Atreyee, so am I! I’ve always used Arborio rice for my risotto, so it’ll be interesting seeing how Carnaroli compares. As for working at this agriturismo, I’m not sure if this particular property offers that opportunity, as it’s more of a place to relax. Having done a bit of grape harvesting in Moldova last year, though, I would welcome the chance to work on an Italian agriturismo. Something more that’s been added to my life list! Have you had the chance?
No, never! Your experience seems a wonderful way to relax and get to know the intimate details of all the hard work that goes into managing a farm.
Hi Tricia.
This post was one of your best, I love the pictures and especially the ones of you and Shawn.
Thank you for sharing
Melissa
Melissa, that’s high praise, and an indication that Chef Luigi and his agriturismo colleagues’ attention to detail shined through here. :) Thank you for your kind words, and I’m happy to hear that you and Shawn’s parents had such a lovely Napa weekend!
A slice of heaven you have uncovered here…there is nothing quite like a feeling of being apart of the land you are visiting, with the food but also putting yourself right into the scene as you do so well. Wonderful…and yet another destination you’ve added to my growing list :-)
Randall, it’s important to have a ‘growing list’ I think, for it’s nice to have something to look forward to. The next time we visit an agriturismo, I’d love to try my hands at doing some of the tasks that are integral for making the agriturismo run. Harvesting grapes or olives, anyone? :) Grazie mille for your thoughtful comment!
Piemonte was really a big surprise to me when we visited Bra, Alba last year. We passed iT so many times when driving to Tuscany, the Marche, Veneto and never realized how beautiful it was. Not to speak of the food, that was delicious, like the many wines piemontese!
Ann, it’s true that the Piemonte region is regretfully not on everyone’s radar, as are Rome, Milan, Venice, and Florence! Perhaps that works to our advantage as travelers, since the area then offers a more relaxed pace at which to explore. :) Do you recall what dishes captured your attention in Piemonte?
Hi Tricia, I’ve travelled through the rice fields on the way to Lago Maggiore and Milan but have yet to stop and explore them. I’m lucky enough to know someone here though who knows a producer from the Vercelli area and I buy kilos and kilos of Baldo and Carnaroli rice from her. I absolutely love making risotto and other rice-based dishes.
Rosemarie, lucky indeed! Your mention of having a producer connection reminds me of our time in Modena, when everyone seemed to know a Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or traditional balsamic vinegar producer. With a smile, they’d mention how the producers would often give them those mouth-watering products as Christmas presents.
We’ve just moved to Malta, and since I also like making rice-based dishes, I was delighted to see that Arborio and Carnaroli rice are readily available (unlike in smaller towns in Germany, where we’d been living). What do you use Baldo rice for? It’s my first time hearing of it.
So glad to hear Italian rice is so readily available in Malta! Baldo rice is a ‘superfine’ variety of rice like Arborio and Carnaroli. It can be used to prepare risotto, just like its ‘superfine’ counterparts.
Interesting to note, Rosemarie. Thank you for sharing your culinary wisdom. :)