Casa Isabella — Hotel in Vaglio Serra

We stayed one week in Casa Isabella during the hot summer month July 2015. It was our first visit to the Piemonte area. But Casa Isabella is a perfect location to explore piemonte between Torino, Asti, Alba, Barolo, ...We really enjoyed our stay. From the moment we arrived, Alessandro and Monica make you feel welcome. The guest house is very nice (artistic) and decorated with good taste and with a lot of attention for the detail. But as important as the style, the rooms are clean and with all required comfort. Our room had a small terrace with view on the garden. Also nice to enjouy the starry sky at night. We had no airco in our room but a fan could get the 39°C duruing day out of our room during night. Fruit, cold water and nice bottle of wine, ... all available on the room as sign of real hospitality. Alessandro is always available for any advice or help (booking a good restaurant, which winemaker to visit if you are looking for a specific grape, where to buy the best coffee, best places to visit in Torino if you have left only one single day, places and hidden little towns to visit, food to try, wines to explore, did you tried the Barolo Quinato, Vermouth, ...). English, Italian, French, he speaks it all. And Monica will arange a marvelous tasty and fresh breakfast day after day. Nice local cured meat and cheese, fresh fruits and artisanal juices, various homemade marmelades and different honyes. The chocolat & nut pie was our favorite. However, the hot cheese & bacon stuffed croissants or the full of vegatables filled frittatta were also a good start of the day. Good coffee (espresso and/or cappucino). The swimming pool has a comfortable length 20m which is ideal to swim same laps. Naturally feeling soft water (not the typical overchlorinated water). The view from the room & from the pool is fantastic. A view on a Piemontese vineyard. While you are swimming you can almost hear the barbera getting more taste ;-). One evening we were invited by Monica and Alessandro for an aperyive together with othet guests. A very pleasant experince again with nice appetizers prepared by Monica. One day we planned to have a quiet day at the pool, reading books, ... A local shop in the nearby town has bread, cheese, meat, ... and Allessandro provide with all the rest to make this possible. The made us really feel at home. One little tip to make it even better (or did we just forgot to ask?), to provide some parasols close to the swimming pool. This is perfect place ! Thanks Alessandro & Monica for this nice stay at Casa Isabella. We...

What can one say about Casa Isabella that hasn't already been written in other reviews? Alessandro and Monica are lovely, genuine, kind people and upon arrival you feel enveloped into their peaceful worldview. They mange to be welcoming without hovering: they know when to chat and when to leave you alone. Casa Isabella is off a winding road away from the village of Vaglio Serra. Be warned: you might drive by it because there isn't a sign outside. It's an angled house along the road, and you'll know you're in the right place when you pull in and are immediately greeted. The property itself is jaw-droppingly stunning. Nestled into rolling hills of grapevines (ladened with grapes when we were there), Monica had worked as an architect in Turin, and they thoughtfully maintained the house’s charm and character while adding two side wings with bathrooms and a kitchen. The bathrooms are modern yet fit neatly into the older, regal rooms. Our room was large, with two giant windows int he bedroom, a porthole window off the bathroom, and then a small patio with views of the pool, bocce court, and vineyards. Each stime I stepped outside, I could smell grapes and juice and fruit.||||When we arrived, we were welcomed with water on the patio near the pool. I immediately swam in the pool, knowing it was my only opportunity on this trip to swim in a lap pool surrounded by grape vines. The breakfasts were delicious, complete with honey made their son. It was the small touches that really stand out a few weeks later: the candles lit in the room when we returned, the fresh fruit and a bottle of wine on our table in the room, the curiosity about what we'd done that day. Casa Isabella is an ideal location for exploring the Piedmont region and one of the reasons we didn't spend a lot of time at the property is because we were out drinking, eating, and taking in the beauty. If you do stay here, book an extra night if you're able, just to enjoy...

My wife and I are still feeling the stress-reliveing benefits of 2 nights at Casa Isabella. Monica and Alessandro are wonderful hosts who open their home up and make you feel firmly part of the family.||||After a pleasant 2 hour drive from Turin we found the house pretty easily thanks to Google maps. A warm welcome from Alessandro who showed us to the Liberty room on the 1st floor. Beautifully decorated and with a terrace under the eaves of the roof. We loved it. If anything, I found the bed a little hard but thats personal taste. ||||After a quick splash in the lovely long, narrow pool which follows the view across the vines - we were invited to join the hosts for a lovely aperitif and chat. More interesting warm people you would do well to find. We could've talked all night, but a table waited for us at the restaurant in the nearby village (Piazza Crova 3) - so close we strolled there. ||||After a breakfast of local delicacies, all home made, we spent the next day lazing around the pool. A snack of deep fried stuffed courgette flowers was offered around lunchtime and gratefully accepted. Our last day continued the relaxing theme - no check out time being mentioned, we stayed for a wonderful 3 course lunch which was excellent value at €28 per head plus some wine. It was very hard to tear ourselves away. ||||Its a glorious place, with a very special feeling which comes from the care the hosts bestow on their happy guests.||||If you can go there, be good to...