Reading for the Road: A Few of Our Favourite Books About Piemonte

Marya Valli

Italy | Piemonte

At The Slow Road we answer to many names (wanderers, bon vivants, students of life) but first and foremost, we’re a group of dedicated travellers.

That’s why we love compiling reading lists that include those books—from novels to memoirs, and everything in between—that have really opened up our favourite regions. After all, stocking up books about the region may be the perfect way to cure your wanderlust and mentally transport you to the streets of Piemonte while current travel restrictions might make it a little hard to head there right away. It’s never too early to start researching!

In this post, we’ll round up a few of our favourite books about Piemonte, the birthplace of Slow Food and one of Italy’s most sumptuous regions.

Must-Read Books About Piemonte

Autumn In Piemonte: Food And Travels In Italy’s Northwest

By Manuela Darling-Gansser
Photographs by Simon Griffiths

A lavishly illustrated culinary portrait of Italy’s most productive agricultural region, from countryside trattorias to opulent Turin cafés.

Learn more on Amazon >>

A Private Affair

By Beppe Fenoglio

Posthumously published in Italy in 1963, and now translated into English for the very first time, Beppe Fenoglio’s World War II novel A Private Affair is regarded as one of the greatest works of 20th-century Italian literature.

Learn more on Amazon >>

Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte

By Suzanne Hoffman

Labor of Love is a groundbreaking book about the women and their families behind the wine estates of one of the world’s greatest viticultural regions.

Learn more on Amazon >>

Italy, A Traveler’s Literary Companion

By Lawrence Venuti

Not just a literary companion, this anthology is also a who’s who of contemporary Italian writers that captures the spirit, history and allure of the country.

Learn more on Amazon >>

Marya Valli

Having lived in both mainland France and Italy’s Piemonte region before moving to Corsica, Trip Planner and veteran B&R Guide Marya Valli believes the best way to get in deep and up close in a region is to pick up and move there. The second best way? A B&R trip, of course.