Category Archives: Leisure

Events happening in Alba

The weather is warming up nicely here in The Langhe region of Piemonte and Alba it’s capital is hosting a number of interesting events.

Between 23rd April and May 1st we have the Vinum wine festival. Many great wines from The Langhe and Roero region are available to sample and buy such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo,Dolcetto, Arneis, Favorita, Chardonnay etc.

The Alba Music festival takes place from 19th to 29th May shortly followed by the Alba Jazz Festival from 9th June to 11th June.

The Alba International Film Festival is also happening between 2th and 5th of June. All these events take place every year and they are always superbly organized.

Cuneo Levaldigi Airport

Ryan Air have been flying into Cuneo Levaldigi Airport for a while now during the winter skiing season. This is great news for home owners in the Piemonte region.

I recently had the opportunity to use Levaldigi for a couple of flights, one to the UK and the other to Sicily and I have to report to being very impressed with the airport and it’s facilities.

Levaldigi is only a small airport based near Cuneo but it has a very relaxed atmosphere. You literally turn up to the airport enter the building and both arrivals and departures are in front of you. Checking in can be done online and loading itself is quick and efficient.

The airport has a charming lounge which serves food and drink and a substantial car park facility. I paid 27 Euros for four days parking, which can’t be bad.

For those of you who enjoy a relaxed airport journey give Levaldigi a spin, it’s also an easy drive into the Lange region with no motorways involved. Highly recommended.

The Tour de France 2008 – stage 16 Cuneo

Cuneo was the host to stage 16 of the Tour which involved a 157 km ride to Jausiers in France and included a grueling 2802m climb to the top of the Col de la Bonnette.

Although the stage was won by Cyril Dessel, the day will be remembered for John-Lee Augustyn misjudging a bend at Bonette and sliding down the side of a mountain. A road side fan came to his rescue but I have no idea what happened to his bike, pretty scary stuff. Its a brutal sport cycling.

I have to admit to being a little disappointed at Mark Cavendish pulling out earlier in the week, but he did win four stages and I think Britain has a true cycling star in the making.

If you’ve never been to a stage of the Tour before its something well worth doing even if you’re not keen on cycling. Events kick off about two hours before the race with a massive carnival/procession which includes hundreds of cars in bright colors and strange styles, people dressed up in all sorts of costumes, in fact great entertainment for the children. I’ve included a selection of pictures just to give you an idea. The atmosphere in the town was electric.

Tour de France 2008

The Tour de France 2008 Cuneo

When the procession finished many of the riders signed autographs for the fans which I thought was a nice gesture with many posing for photographs. Respect to them all. Continue reading