Last summer, my brother and I surprised our Dad by booking flights to Italy and a villa in Piedmont for a relaxing long weekend to celebrate his 60th birthday. It was my nephew's first holiday and we chose a villa in a charming, quiet little town called Trisobbio with the intention of doing little else than reading and chilling by the pool, pottering and going for lunch in nearby towns, and cooking dinners at the villa at night.
On my Dad's actual birthday, we hopped in the car and drove to the beautiful Villa Sparina nearby for lunch on the terrace at Ristorante La Gallina, overlooking the rolling Monterotondo vineyard hills. I love those long, leisurely al fresco lunches, and nobody does it better than the Italians. We started with some celebratory Champagne, then went for the tasting menu and a couple of bottles of local Gavi. It was a lovely afternoon and the highlight of the trip for me - I'd definitely recommend visiting if you're in the area, and I'd love to go back one day to stay at Villa Sparina. I also want to explore more of Piemonte, especially Turin, so hope to return one day soon. As my boyfriend drove over from France to join us, our return flights were from Nice, so he and I left on the morning of the fifth and final day to drive along the coast and spend the afternoon at the ace Le Voilier Plage beach club in Nice before our evening flights home. What a bellissimo trip!
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