Ask most foreign buyers where they want to buy in Italy and the answer is predictable: Tuscany. Sometimes Puglia. Occasionally Sicily.
Almost nobody says Piemonte.
That is precisely why it is interesting.
Piemonte — Italy's north-western region bordering France and Switzerland — offers everything that draws buyers to Tuscany: medieval hilltop villages, extraordinary food and wine, dramatic landscapes, and a pace of life that feels genuinely different from northern Europe. At prices that Tuscany stopped offering fifteen years ago.
The question is not whether Piemonte deserves attention. It is whether the window for buying before that attention arrives is still open.
In 2026, it is. But it is narrowing.
Why Piemonte Has Been Overlooked
The reasons are mostly historical and logistical.
Piemonte lacks the international brand recognition of Tuscany. There is no Piemontese equivalent of "Under the Tuscan Sun" — no cultural moment that planted the region in the anglophone imagination the way that Tuscany was planted there in the 1990s.
Access has also played a role. Turin's airport (Caselle) has fewer international connections than Florence or Rome, and the major towns of the Langhe — Barolo, La Morra, Barbaresco — require a car to reach. For buyers who imagined themselves arriving by train from London, Piemonte felt complicated.
That picture has changed. Budget airlines now serve Turin from multiple UK and northern European cities. The A10 motorway connects Nice (with its international hub) to the Ligurian coast and then north to Alba in under two hours. And for buyers from Australia, Canada, and the US, the logistics of any Italian purchase involve some planning regardless of region.
The result: Piemonte remains genuinely undervalued relative to its quality. For buyers who do the research, this is an opportunity.
The Landscape and the Lifestyle
Piemonte is Italy's second-largest region by area, and its geography is extraordinarily diverse.
To the west and north, the Alps form a dramatic arc — Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and Monte Rosa are all within the region's boundaries. The Alpine valleys offer skiing, hiking, and a landscape that feels more Swiss than Italian in places.
To the south, the Langhe and Monferrato hills roll towards Liguria in a landscape of vineyards, hazelnut groves, and medieval villages that rivals anything in Tuscany — without the tourist infrastructure, the rental apartments, or the summer crowds.
Between them, the Po plain contains Turin, one of Italy's most underrated cities: a proper metropolis with exceptional museums, a functioning food culture, and architecture that reflects its history as the capital of unified Italy.
The food and wine case is straightforward. Barolo and Barbaresco are among the world's great red wines — regularly ranked alongside Burgundy and Bordeaux by serious collectors. Barbaresco, Barolo, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto, Moscato d'Asti — the Langhe produces more DOCG wines than almost any other zone in Italy.
The truffle market centred on Alba is the most famous in the world. White truffles from the Langhe command prices of €3,000–5,000 per kilogram at auction. The annual truffle fair in October draws buyers from across Europe and beyond.
For food, the Piemontese table — vitello tonnato, tajarin with meat ragù, brasato al Barolo, panna cotta — is considered by many to be the finest regional cuisine in Italy.
The Property Market
Piemonte's property market divides broadly into three zones, each with distinct characteristics and price points.
The Langhe and Monferrato Hills
This is the heartland — the area around Alba, Asti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Canelli, and Santo Stefano Belbo. It is here that foreign buyer interest is most concentrated, and where prices are rising most quickly.
What is available:
- Stone farmhouses (cascine) ranging from ruins requiring complete reconstruction to fully restored properties with pools and guest accommodation
- Village apartments in medieval centres — typically 70–150 m², often with cantinas and cellars
- Wine estates with working vineyards — significant investment, significant complexity
Price guide (2026):
- Village apartment, needs work: €60,000–120,000
- Village apartment, renovated: €120,000–220,000
- Stone farmhouse, restoration project: €80,000–200,000
- Stone farmhouse, fully restored: €300,000–800,000+
- Small wine estate with vineyard: €500,000–2,000,000+
Price per square metre: €800–1,500 for village properties in good condition — roughly 40–50% below comparable Tuscan properties.
The trend: prices in the Langhe have been rising steadily since 2020, driven by domestic buyers from Turin and Milan and a growing international presence. The best restored farmhouses in premium wine communes (Barolo, La Morra, Barbaresco) have seen significant appreciation.
The Alpine Valleys
The Aosta Valley is technically a separate autonomous region, but the broader Alpine zone of Piemonte — Val di Susa, Val Pellice, the Ossola valleys — offers properties at prices that reflect the limited international demand.
Ski resort properties in Sestriere, Bardonecchia, and Limone Piemonte offer an alternative entry point for buyers interested in winter use, with prices significantly below comparable Alpine properties in France or Switzerland.
Turin and the Urban Market
Turin is one of Italy's most interesting urban property markets. The city has undergone significant regeneration since the 2006 Winter Olympics, and its historic centre — the Quadrilatero Romano, the Crocetta neighbourhood, the Lingotto area — offers properties of genuine quality at prices well below Milan or Rome.
For buyers interested in urban living with easy access to both the Alps and the Langhe, Turin deserves serious consideration.
Price guide (2026):
- Central apartment, needs work: €80,000–150,000
- Central apartment, renovated: €150,000–300,000
- Historic palazzo apartment: €250,000–600,000+
Key Towns and Villages
Alba — the capital of the Langhe, home to the truffle fair and surrounded by Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards. A proper working town with good services, restaurants, and a functioning local economy. The most practical base for buyers who want both village life and urban amenities.
Barolo — the village that gives the wine its name. Tiny (population ~700), extraordinarily picturesque, increasingly expensive. More of a weekend destination than a practical base, but the setting is unmatched.
La Morra — hilltop village with arguably the best panoramic views in the Langhe, looking out over the Barolo vineyards to the Alps. More relaxed than Barolo, slightly more affordable.
Barbaresco — smaller and quieter than Barolo, but producing wines of equal reputation. The village itself is modest; the surrounding countryside is magnificent.
Asti — larger city with a strong local identity, famous for its Palio and its sparkling wine. More affordable than Alba, with good rail connections to Turin and Genoa.
Canelli — southern Monferrato, known for its underground wine cathedrals (UNESCO listed since 2014). Less visited than the Langhe but producing excellent wines and offering more affordable property.
Bra — home of the Slow Food movement. A proper town with excellent food culture and a growing international profile.
Practical Considerations for Foreign Buyers
Getting there:
- By air: Turin Caselle airport has connections to London, Amsterdam, Brussels, and multiple Spanish cities. Nice airport (90 minutes by car) offers wider international connections.
- By train: Turin has direct high-speed connections to Milan (50 minutes), Paris (5.5 hours), and Lyon (3.5 hours). The Langhe requires a car from Turin (1–1.5 hours).
- By car: Piemonte is well connected by motorway to France, Switzerland, and the rest of northern Italy.
The renovation question:
Many of the most interesting properties in the Langhe are farmhouses requiring renovation. Italy's Superbonus and Ecobonus incentive schemes have changed the economics of renovation significantly — but managing a project from abroad requires trusted local professionals. Budget carefully and plan for the unexpected.
Short-term rental potential:
Piemonte's short-term rental market is growing but less mature than Tuscany or Puglia. The Langhe attracts wine tourism, truffle season visitors, and cycling tourists (the Fausto Coppi granfondo starts in Cuneo). Occupancy is strongly seasonal — October truffle season and summer are the peaks. Year-round demand is limited outside Turin.
Judicial auctions:
Piemonte has an active judicial auction market, with properties regularly coming through the Tribunali of Turin, Asti, Alba, and Cuneo. Farmhouses and rural properties represent good value — though the renovation requirement adds complexity.
Our Assessment
Piemonte is where Tuscany was in the early 2000s. The ingredients are all there — world-class food and wine, extraordinary landscapes, medieval villages, proximity to major European cities — but the international buyer market has not yet fully arrived.
The window is open. It will not stay open indefinitely.
For buyers who are willing to do the research, accept a degree of remoteness, and invest in understanding a market that does not yet have the infrastructure of Tuscany, Piemonte offers some of the most compelling value in Italy right now.
The Langhe in particular — with its UNESCO-listed landscapes, its extraordinary wine heritage, and its growing but still limited international profile — represents an opportunity that is becoming harder to ignore.