Piemonte:
Ivrea:
Ivrea should be visited during Carnival season. This small, mountain town turns itself in to a battle field for a week as Italians prepare for the largest orange fight in the world. Unlike Pamplona that lacks history in their famous tomato fight, Ivrea’s battle is a celebration of Carnevale in Italy spanning back hundreds of years to medieval times. There are four or five battlefields within the city, and as visitors stream in from all over the world, large carts carrying 8-10 armored people circle around the town preparing to enter the battle against members on the ground. I’ll be honest, I don’t really understand the significance or reasoning behind it, but honestly, it is one of the coolest things I have seen while traveling. I never knew someone could throw oranges so hard!
By the end of the day, you will inevitably be hit by an orange or two (don’t worry; the impact isn’t too bad since they break the rind with their thumbs before throwing), and most likely try to get in on the action. Technically, I think they try to somehow keep score and present awards at the end of the battles so you may get some angry stares from participants in they catch you throwing oranges! At the end of the day, the town is an absolute mess; oranges 6 inches thick in some places are destroyed on the ground. In addition to the fun times that are had at the battle, the food is something to note. Hot wine is popular their due to the temperature being a little low (it is in February after all). With the hot wine, most food stands serve sausage sandwiches which are a perfect snack to warm you up throughout the day. If you’re up for an adventure, I would take a day trip during Carnevale to Ivrea. The closest major city is Torino and trains are pretty consistent and cheap to this small town.
Asti/Alba:
Two other Piemontese towns worthy of a day trip, Asti and Alba are the home to several of the world’s best wines. The best time to go to these towns are when the grapes and ripe and the wine is ready to be poured. In Asti, you can find fresh bottles of Spumanti, a white Moscato that is one of the most popular wines in Piemonte. Alternatively, you can visit Alba and enjoy bottles of Barbera d’Alba which just happens to be my second favorite wine (Dolcetto d’Acqui being first). These wines, along with several other types – Asti and Alba are the main producers of Piemontese wine – should deserve a quick trip.
Valle d’Aosta
Aosta:
Aosta is a city steeped in history. As soon as you arrive there you notice that this isn’t just a regular small town in the Alps. Roman walls still stand with statues all around the city. At one point, Aosta was the last station of the Roman Empire, defending Rome from the Gauls in France. Besides the fantastic history of the town, the views of the Alps are amazing. Mount Blanc can be seen from a distance on a clear day, its peak imposing over the rest of the mountains. I believe the town even has buses that will take you to the Matterhorn for skiing.
Being on the border of Switzerland, France, and Italy you would assume the food is great. Well, unfortunately, and this may have just been the place we went to, the food was not that tasty. Aosta is famous for the cheese Fontina, popular in fondues. We had a bowl of fonduta, the Italian version of our American fondue, and although it was hearty it lacked a lot of flavor. On the plus side, the town specializes in hot mulled wine which is fantastic on a cold winter day in the Valle.
Grant's Great Escapes 