Northern Italy: Piemonte: Alba

[ftbt]

We have temporarily relocated from our home-base at Lake Como to a rented farm house between Asti and Alba in Piemonte, Northern Italy, for the “vendemmia” (grape harvest) and the “fiera del tartufo bianco” (white truffle fair).

Our 200 year old farm house is located on a ridge overlooking a patch work of vineyards and forests. Here are a few shots of the house and the views that are literally outside our front door:

(5D2-w-C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8 & 35-70/3.4)

This area of Northern Italy is known for its food and wines. Alba is the epicenter of the Barolo and Barbaresco wine growing regions and the home to white truffles (tartufo bianco). The annual truffle fair started last week and it goes on for well over a month, with artisan food vendors, and starting this weekend, an open-air truffle market.

Here are some random street shots and a few of the food stalls from last Sunday:

 

[Terry]

This is a continuation of the first post....i split it for the OP to get all of the pictures to show.

Alba, like most Italian cities, has neighborhood ”contradi” or village districts. The rivalries between the districts go back for centuries, and on feast days and special occasions, the districts will parade in their colors and medieval costumes. All of this culminates in a “palio” … a horse race in the city center between the contradi … but in Alba they use donkeys!

Here are few shots showing the assignment of the donkeys for the race and some of the contradi parading through the streets:

Local trattoria … waiting for our truffle lunch (don’t ask what it costs):

 

[Terry]

This is a continuation of the first post....i split it for the OP to get all of the pictures to show.


Finally, poor Sophia … she gets no respect:

Ciao for now.

(All Alba shots 5D2-w-C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8 … set to infinity at 5.8 … essentially random point-n-shoot)

 

[ftbt]

Here is the one with Sophia:

 

[tom in mpls]

Lots of fun and good photo ops!

What camera are you shooting?

 

[ftbt]

Canon 5D MkII-w-a C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8 Distagon & 35-70/3.4 Vario Sonnar. I didn't really have time with the street shots to focus manually, so the lens was set to infinity at 5.6 to 8.0 and they are all basically point-n-shoot.

 

[ftbt]

Here is a 14 exposure pano from out our front door taken with a C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8 Distagon:

 

[ftbt]

Just one of many vineyards over the hill from our house on the road to Costiglione d' Asti:

 

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The main piazza in Acqua Terme showing one of the hot-spring fountains that have been used since the Roman days:

(5DMkII-w-C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8)

 

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Serralunga d' Alba

C/Y Zeiss 35-70 on 5D MkII

 

[ftbt]

Another sunrise from out our front door in Vigliano d' Asti, Piemonte, Italy:

(5DMkII-w-C/Y Zeiss 21/2.8)