Looking across the main swimming pool to Nordelaia
The hotel
As one of the newest places to stay in Piedmont (it opened in the summer of 2021) Nordelaia is going to be one of those cool foodie destinations everyone's going to be talking about soon. The boutique hotel features a wonderful spa, two infinity pools and - the key thing for us - two amazing restaurants.
The main building - an 800 year old former farmhouse
Look and feel
How best to transform an 800-year-old farmhouse into somewhere chic but cosy? One way would be, as Nordelaia did, to hire London-based design studio These White Walls to take on the project. The result is a blend of old and new that would please lovers of modern neutral tones but also celebrates the building's beautiful bones. Most of the hotel rooms are based in the original farmhouse with an additional new building housing the bar and restaurant. The whole place looks massive but there are only 12 rooms so it never feels too busy.
The peaceful 'salone' complete with honesty bar
Rooms
There are four types to choose from, two garden rooms, some ground floor terrace rooms leading directly into the garden and then two floors of 'legacy rooms' and top-floor suites. We stayed in Primavera, a legacy room with a dramatic central bed and Juliet balconies looking out over the valley.
Primavera - one of the 'legacy' rooms
Food and drink
This is where Nordelaia really stands out from any competitors. There are two restaurants and a bar on site with the food run by London-born chef Charles Pearce who trained under multi-Michelin-starred Italian chef Andrea Ribaldone and worked with him on the menu concept here.
The bistro (to the right are doors that open out on to the terrace)
The ground floor bistro is a cosy spot where breakfast is taken (look out for amazing fresh juice combos in the morning alongside perfect pastries and options like pancakes with local honey. For lunch and dinner, the menus step up a notch - so you might find Piedmontese beef tartare sandwiches on Japanese milk bread or San Desiderio black pig croquettes.
Lunch at the bistro (clockwise from left) - Piedmontese beef sando; sticky glazed soy and ginger pork ribs; black pig croquettes.
One place you definitely will want to dine while you're here is the main restaurant, LORTO. Here Charles and his team serve a vegetable-led menu that's super seasonal and low-waste, so perfect for foodie Londoners then. There are three tasting menu options - terra, acqua and the chef's tasting menu ranging in price from 90 to 110 euros.
We tried a mix of dishes from all the menus, which have already changed significantly in the weeks since our visit. Some dishes do remain largely untouched though, here are a few to give you an idea of what to expect.
Cabbage 2.0, double chicken jus, oxidised pear
“The Onion” served with the most amazingly moreish milk bun glazed with lard and honey
Places to go
If you're into your food and drink then this part of Italy is going to be heaven for you. To begin with, you're in the land of Barolo and Gavi so you're not going to be short of places to go and wines to try. We took a 30-minute car drive to nearby Binè - a relatively new winery specialising in Gavi and Barbera. There's a beautiful tasting room for you to try their wines including their Ni-Lo Barbera which picked up a silver medal at the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards.
Niccolo from Bine gets the tasting going
Another place worth making time for is Biobruni - an organic goats farm and producer of organic honey run by Sam and Lisa who met in London before returning home to Sam's family farm to take over the business. Their goats' cheeses are amazing, as is their kefir, and you can occasionally buy their award-winning products in Eataly in London.
Wine and goats cheese in the sun at Biobruni
Things to book
L'Orto is holding an irregular chef pop up series running from May to November 2023. The chefs involved are Harriet Mansell, Robin Wylde and Lilac in Lyme Regis, Italian chef Francesco Sodano, Ivan Tisdall-Downes from Native at Browns and Jacob Kenedy and Bocca di Lupo. Each will serve up a menu for two days worked on in collaboration with the hotel's team.
How to get there
There are two airports to choose from; Milan has better connections with London but Genoa is closer. From there it's about a 90 minute drive to the hotel. The hotel is near the hillside town of Cremolino (there are guides available at the hotel if you fancy a hike across the hills there).
Prices
Rates at Nordelaia start from €220 per night on a B&B basis.
Why you should go
We enjoyed a fabulous two-night break at Nordelaia in March, swapping a Baltic London for 18C sunshine in Piedmont. While there's plenty in the area to entice any serious foodie, the great thing about Nordelaia is that there's more than enough to keep you here, with a genuinely enticing menu whether you're eating at L'Orto or grazing at the bistro. Add to that the chance to bob gently in the spa's balmy infinity pool while you gaze across the nearby vineyards towards the castle at Cremolino and you've got every reason to book a trip there right now.
Beef shin plin with a view from the lunch menu at Nordelaia's bistro.
More about Nordelaia
Where is it? Via Piazze, 14 – 16, 15010 Cremolino AL, Italy
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @nordelaia
Hot Dinners stayed as guests of Nordelaia
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