Locanda del Pilone is a restaurant with rooms in the truest sense: an old farmhouse on the hill of Madonna di Como, just outside Alba, where the Boroli wine family runs a Michelin-starred kitchen under chef Federico Gallo and keeps only a few suites and doubles upstairs. There is a view of vines in every direction, a pool for summer and a wine list of more than 1,400 labels. There is no spa, no gym and no resort programme. My one-line verdict: arguably one of the most rewarding places in the Langhe to sleep where you dine, as long as dinner is the main event of your trip.
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Quick facts: Locanda del Pilone
- Location: Strada della Cicchetta 34, Località Madonna di Como, on the hills just outside Alba, province of Cuneo, Piedmont.
- Rooms and suites: a very small number. The hotel names three suites and two junior suites plus double rooms, but published totals range from 6 to about 10, so ask the hotel.
- Restaurant: Locanda del Pilone, one Michelin star in the 2026 guide, chef Federico Gallo. Bistrot La Terrazza outdoors.
- Owner: the Boroli family (Società Agricola Boroli), producers of Barolo.
- Price level: high, and the restaurant sits in Michelin’s top price band.
- Season: taking guests in 2026; the outdoor pool is open from May to mid-September. No winter closure dates are published, so ask the hotel for January and February.
- Nearest airport: Turin Caselle, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes by car. Cuneo Levaldigi is closer, at about 45 minutes, but has few flights.
- Best for: food lovers, Barolo and Champagne drinkers, couples and truffle season trips.
Check prices and availability
With so few rooms, the suites go quickly in October and November, when the Alba White Truffle Fair fills every bed in the area. Compare dates early.
Location and getting there
The Locanda sits on a hilltop in the hamlet of Madonna di Como, a few kilometres outside Alba, with vineyards falling away on all sides. The hotel describes views over the Barbaresco vineyards and, on clear days, the Alps on the horizon. It is a converted farmhouse, once known as Cascina Bompè, named after a small roadside shrine, a pilone.
That position is the reason to come, and also the main practical point to understand. You are in the countryside, not in town. Alba’s old centre, with its towers, truffle shops and Saturday market, is a short drive down the hill, and Barbaresco, Neive and the Barolo villages are all within easy reach by car.
Turin Caselle is the practical airport: booking platforms quote around 93 minutes by car, and in light traffic it can be a little quicker. Cuneo Levaldigi is roughly 40 km away, about 45 minutes, but has limited flights. Genoa is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes and Milan Malpensa about two hours. Booking platforms list a paid airport transfer on request; ask the hotel for the current price. Our Italy travel planner covers car hire and transfers, and a car is close to essential in the Langhe.
Rooms and suites
This is a tiny hotel, and that is its charm. How tiny is harder to pin down. Our research turned up contradictory information on the room count: the hotel’s own website names five suites and junior suites plus an unspecified number of doubles, TripAdvisor and one Italian booking site list 6 rooms, an older American guide counted five rooms and three suites, and an Italian food site wrote “about ten rooms and suites”. It was not clear to us which applies today, so if the number matters to you (for a group booking, for example), confirm with the hotel. What every source agrees on is that you will share the house with only a handful of other guests.
- Suites Cerequio, Villero and Brunella: the top category, named after Barolo crus that appear on Boroli labels. The hotel describes large bedrooms, separate sitting rooms and terraces with views of the vines and the Alps.
- Junior suites Madonna di Como and Il Pilone: smaller, with panoramic garden terraces.
- Double rooms: vineyard views and antique furniture.
Rooms have satellite TV, a minibar, free Wi-Fi and Acqua di Parma bath products. The style is classic rather than design-led: the Michelin Guide calls the rooms elegant and classic, and an older review noted furniture made by the workshops of the San Patrignano community. Room sizes are not published, so ask the hotel if space is a priority. Note that booking platforms list no lift, which matters if stairs are a problem for you.
Breakfast is included on most rates; booking platforms describe a buffet served from 8 to 10 am.
Dining
This is why people book. The restaurant holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Italy, which Michelin lists under creative, modern cooking in its top price band. Executive chef Federico Gallo, born in Turin, trained in Tuscany and then worked abroad, including Mexico and the United States, before settling here. He was still at the stoves in 2026, and cooked a live show at the Alba White Truffle Fair in October 2026. His food is rooted in Piedmont but takes in the Mediterranean, with a kitchen garden supplying produce.
- Locanda del Pilone (gourmet restaurant): several tasting menus, which Michelin describes as flexible, and which can be partly built from the à la carte list. Current menus include an autumn menu, a “ten years” menu and a truffle menu. Prices are not published online, so ask the hotel.
- Bistrot La Terrazza: an outdoor restaurant with views across the Barbaresco vineyards and the Alps, and a menu that changes daily. It is weather-dependent, so treat it as a warm-season option and ask the hotel for opening dates.
- Wine: more than 1,400 labels, with deep Barolo and Barbaresco holdings and a strong Champagne list. The Locanda is a Krug Embassy.
Two practical points. First, Michelin lists the restaurant as closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with lunch from 12:30 and dinner from 19:30 on other days. If you stay on those nights, book dinner elsewhere, perhaps in Alba. Second, book your table when you book the room.
Check rates at Locanda del Pilone
Spa and pools
Be clear about what this is: there is no spa. The hotel offers a massage as one of its bookable activities, and TripAdvisor lists a hot tub, but we could not confirm a hot tub on the hotel’s own site, so ask the hotel before you count on one.
The outdoor pool, though, is a real asset. It looks over the Langhe hills and is, for many guests, the best place on the property to spend a hot afternoon between winery visits. The hotel says it is open from May to mid-September; booking platforms give a shorter June to September window, so if you travel at either end of the season, check with the hotel. In truffle season, the pool is closed.
If a proper spa matters, consider pairing a night here with a stay at Il Boscareto Resort in Serralunga d’Alba, which has a full spa, or Casa di Langa in Cerretto Langhe.
Wine and activities
There are no tennis courts, golf or fitness facilities on site. The activities are about wine, food and landscape:
- Boroli winery tour and tasting: the family’s winery, today at Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo zone, produces Barolo from the Cerequio, Villero and Brunella crus. This is the natural first stop.
- Cooking class with Federico Gallo: a rare chance to cook with a starred chef.
- Krug Experience: a Champagne tasting built around the Krug Embassy status.
- Simulated truffle hunt: a demonstration with a truffle hunter and dog, which works outside the white truffle season too.
- Hot-air balloon flight over the Langhe, plus guided Segway tours and horse riding.
Prices and availability for each are not published online, so ask the hotel when you book. For the bigger picture on the area’s wine, read our guide to wine hotels in the Langhe, where Locanda del Pilone appears as our pick for a starred night among the vines.
What’s nearby
- Alba: the truffle capital, with a medieval centre, towers and wine bars. The International Alba White Truffle Fair runs on autumn weekends. If you would rather sleep in town, read our Palazzo Finati review.
- Barbaresco and Neive: small hill villages with enoteche and tasting rooms, close to the hotel.
- The Barolo villages: La Morra, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d’Alba, all a short drive south-west.
- Turin: a good day trip for vermouth, chocolate and museums. See our Turin food guide.
- Background reading: what Piedmont is famous for.
Locanda del Pilone vs other Langhe hotels
| Hotel | Location | Standout | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locanda del Pilone | Alba (Madonna di Como) | One Michelin star, Krug Embassy, a handful of rooms | A starred dinner with a bed upstairs |
| Il Boscareto Resort & Spa | Serralunga d’Alba | La Rei Natura (three Michelin stars, 2026), full spa | Fine dining plus resort facilities |
| Palas Cerequio | La Morra | Suites in a Barolo cru, owned by Michele Chiarlo | Barolo enthusiasts who want privacy |
| Castello di Guarene | Guarene (Roero) | 12 rooms in an 18th-century castle, Relais & Châteaux | Anniversaries and history lovers |
In short: if you want three stars and a spa, Il Boscareto is the bigger, more complete choice. Palas Cerequio puts you inside a Barolo vineyard with more space per suite, and Castello di Guarene wins on grandeur. Locanda del Pilone is the most intimate of the four, and the one where the restaurant is unmistakably the heart of the house.
Who it suits, and who it does not
It suits:
- Food lovers who want a Michelin-starred dinner and no drive home afterwards.
- Barolo, Barbaresco and Champagne drinkers, given the 1,400-label list and the Krug connection.
- Couples looking for a quiet, small-house stay rather than a resort.
- Truffle season visitors who want to be minutes from Alba but sleep among the vines.
It does not suit:
- Anyone who wants a spa, gym or wellness programme.
- Families looking for children’s facilities or connecting rooms; ask the hotel about extra beds.
- Travellers without a car who want to walk to bars and shops.
- Guests who need a lift or step-free access throughout, as booking platforms list no elevator.
Charlotte’s tip: build the stay around the restaurant’s calendar
Book two nights from Thursday or Friday, never arriving on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the restaurant is closed. Do the tasting menu on the first night with the wine pairing, then keep the second evening for the bistro terrace in summer, or for a simpler meal in Alba. In late September you get the harvest, the last days of the pool and the start of the truffle season at once.
Practical tips
- Booking: reserve your dinner table at the same time as the room. The restaurant manages its own reservations, and in October and November both fill weeks ahead.
- Best rooms to request: one of the three suites (Cerequio, Villero or Brunella) for a sitting room and terrace views; the junior suites if you want a garden terrace.
- Season: the pool runs from May to mid-September according to the hotel. No winter closure is published, so ask the hotel before planning a January or February stay.
- Pets: the hotel says pets are welcome except in the restaurant and pool area, but at least one booking platform says pets are not allowed. Confirm directly.
- Dress: smart casual for the gourmet restaurant, relaxed for the bistro.
- Kids: booking platforms say children are welcome, with cots on request and paid extra beds, but this is an adult-oriented house built around a fine dining room.
Check prices and availability
Compare the suites and junior suites for your dates, and check which rates include breakfast before you lock in your dinner reservation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Locanda del Pilone have a Michelin star?
Yes. The restaurant holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Italy, with Federico Gallo as executive chef.
How many rooms does Locanda del Pilone have?
Very few. The hotel names three suites, two junior suites and some double rooms, while published totals range from 6 to about 10. Ask the hotel for the current number.
Does the hotel have a spa or pool?
There is no spa, though massages can be arranged. There is a panoramic outdoor pool, open from May to mid-September according to the hotel.
How far is Locanda del Pilone from Alba and Turin airport?
Alba’s centre is a short drive down the hill. Turin Caselle airport is roughly 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes by car, and Cuneo Levaldigi about 45 minutes.
