Sandwiched in between our trip to the Italian Lakes was a trek up into the hills of Piedmont, to a small village called Grazzano Badoglio. Only an hour’s drive from the city of Asti and overlooking vineyards producing some of the region’s famous wines (Barolo and Barbaresco), the reason we chose Grazzano Badoglio as our base was that we found a quaint B&B that claimed to be a “stress-free haven”. And it was pink.
Cascina Rosa seemed like it was too good to be true. It had amazing views, a pool, hammocks strung from the trees and claimed to serve one of the best breakfasts around. The only downside? It was hot with a capital “H”. We live in Amsterdam now; our bodies can’t handle these kinds of high temperatures!
We dropped our stuff off in our aptly named Rose Room (can you see why someone like me who loves pink would be in heaven in this place?) and drove to the nearest supermarket for drinks and snacks – only after remembering that it was Sunday, so most places were closed. Laden down with what we could find at the local Penny Market, we returned to a panting Basset, who was trying in vain to cool herself down in front of the fan we’d brought with us.
In order for us not to suffer the same fate, we changed into our swimwear and headed down to the pool to read and take a dip.
And I have to say, the views from the pool were wonderful. Rolling hills, vineyards and nearby towns were all in view. The only thing that hampered our enjoyment was the mosquitoes, who, as per usual, tried to hone in on me as their tasty treat. Luckily I’d picked up some herbal mozzie wipes back at the lakes, so I wasn’t too worried about becoming red and splotchy. Or should that be more red and splotchy?
That evening, we headed off into the small nearby town of Moncalvo where we managed to track down a charming local pizzeria churning out cold beer, fire-baked pizzas and the wonderfully crispy rosemary foccacia that I talked about in the last post. After stumbling upon the town square and discovering an organised concert in full swing, we listened to the music for a little while before heading back to the B&B and bedded down for the night.
In the morning, we were greeted by the famous breakfast spread that included fresh local cheeses, homemade jams, Piemontese hazelnut cake, fruit, yogurt, croissants, fresh OJ and coffee. We were definitely spoilt and the particular highlight for me was the delicious cheese and jam.
Before we left, we purchased a bottle of locally-produced Barbera D’Asti wine and snapped a last few pictures of the little pink house in the hills, knowing that we would most definitely return, but next time maybe in the autumn, when the weather is cooler and the rolling hills will be covered with a magical mist.
You can book Cascina Rosa B&B through Booking.com, Airbnb or via their own website.
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