The thickly forested, rolling hills south of the Alps are Piedmont's gourmet breadbasket. Italy's best white truffles come from the hills of Monferrato and Le Langhe, where poplar, linden, oak and willow trees blanket the ground with their truffle-friendly roots. From September to December, truffle hunters set out at night with their dogs to sniff out the aromatic, earthy bulbs.The town of Alba hosts an extravagant truffle fair at the height of autumn's truffle-hunting season, complete with an internationally known truffle auction. A drop of truffle oil or a few truffle shavings transform autumn risottos and appetizers with their powerful, foresty aroma.
Wild mushrooms also flourish on the floor of Piedmont's woods. Amateurs and experts alike take part in the ritual of mushroom hunting, known to the locals as andare a funghi (simply put, "going mushrooming"). Piedmont's legendary porcini mushrooms sometimes grow up to five pounds before being transformed in the kitchen or dried and packaged. When it comes to sweets, Piedmont has a special place in Italy's heart. Hazelnuts grow freely in the Langa Alta hills, and have become the bread and butter of the region's dolci. A wise Piedmontese chocaholic discovered that he could use hazelnut flour as an inexpensive "filler" to mix with chocolate. This buttery, fudgelike treat, called gianduja, is stil devoured today. It's shaped into bite-sized triangular logs and wrapped in gold foil. The candy takes its unusual name from a character in traditional Italian theater called Gianduja, who always wears a triangular hat.
The country's beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread, Nutella is made here. People who live near the Ferrero chocolate factory outside Turin live happily off the fumes: the scent of simmering chocolate alternates with the rich aroma of roasting hazelnuts.

Grapevines may crisscross the whole Italian peninsula, but many Italians-even proud natives of other wine-producing regions-consider Piedmontese wines to be among the country's best. The Langhe and Monferrato zones make dozens of robust, hearty reds that pair seamlessly with the local cuisine. A breath of warm sea air slides north from the Mediterranean coast, warming the Langhe's vineyards to an ideal grape-growing temperature. The great grape of Piedmont is the indigenous red Nebbiolo-it's used in prized Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Barbera grapes cover 50 percent of Piedmont's wine territory, and produce a fine red wine of the same name. Although the big reds tend to get more attention these days, Piedmont's white wines are well known too, especially the sparkling spumante produced in and around the town of Asti. Eighty million bottles of this fizzy Moscato are produced each year. Vermouth has its roots in Piedmont-its sweet (white) and dry (red) versions are favorite aperitifs in Turin's vibrant cafés. Piedmont's enthusiastic wine-loving culture has helped propel the region and its wines to international fame. Large-scale enotecas and simpler botteghe del vino (wine shops) let you taste and learn about local wines. With the strong emphasis on regional wines that has boomed over the past few years, following Piedmont's strade del vino (wine paths) may be the most refined and rewarding way to explore the region.

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