Piemonte First Timer Questions

[Kportgrl]

I think that might indeed be a catch in some instances, but in others (at least for us) that's plenty good. Maybe in the EU people are used to seeing Italian brands at their grocery stores/supermarkets, but I suppose that for anyone outside of Europe, these small grocery shops are almost like exotic delicatessens. Give us even one grocer like this in the village we're staying in, and we feel like we're in paradise!

For La Morra, here is a screenshot of 3 grocery stores and one bakery, all on the same main street, and all with great reviews....that's plenty of options for self-catering for a three-day stay (and I am prevented from mentioning the butcher, as I'm a vegetarian... ) :

View attachment 41106

Thankyou Ian. You are exactly right about these small grocery shops.When we travel we love finding places like that. This map is very helpful!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Kportgrl
We've not stayed in Cogne, as our stay was within a bus ride / short drive into Aosta itself. I'm sure someone here had stayed in Cogne... and yes our glorious leader @Pauline stayed there https://www.sloweurope.com/community/threads/hello.1615/#post-9067

It certainly looked appealing, though we were mildly concerned that going at the start of April might still be a bit risky for snow, so we opted for the safety of Aosta itself.

 

[Ian Sutton]

I think that might indeed be a catch in some instances, but in others (at least for us) that's plenty good. Maybe in the EU people are used to seeing Italian brands at their grocery stores/supermarkets, but I suppose that for anyone outside of Europe, these small grocery shops are almost like exotic delicatessens.

d'accordo

There is much to be said, that living like a local means celebrating the little alimentari and specialist shops, indeed at times I fear I'm more attuned to that than the locals themselves . Similar to places where walking is lovely (e.g. Amalfi coast), but the locals are wedded to their cars.

I certainly have something of a 'use it or lose it' mindset, in valuing small specialist shops more, because we've lost so many in the UK, that I have the desire to support them where they still exist.