From a medieval feast to Artissima: two weeks in Alba and Turin at the end of October

Sep 29

7 min read

By Walter Perlo

Around six o'clock on the Saturday of the Baccanale, Alba's old town changes its sound before it changes its look. You hear the drums before you see the flags, then the smell of the neighbourhood taverns reaches you, and within half an hour the squares that belonged to the truffle market that morning are full of people in medieval dress, long shared tables and children queuing for old-fashioned games. Four days later, about 65 km north, Turin opens its dining rooms and museums to the big-name chefs of Buonissima. And the week after that, on the All Saints' weekend, Artissima and C2C Festival land at the Lingotto at the same time.

These are the two weeks when Piedmont is at its best, and the two weeks when we receive more booking requests than at any other time of year. After a few seasons of handling reservations for exactly these dates, we've learned one simple thing: people who decide in mid-October still find somewhere to stay, but they choose from what's left. Here's how the three events fit together, what they cost, and when to make your move.

The calendar at a glance

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, Alba: Baccanale dei Borghi, free entry (Saturday 6pm–midnight, Sunday 10am–7pm)
Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October, Turin: Buonissima, an international festival of fine dining
Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, Turin: C2C Festival, with Artissima open to the public at the Oval Lingotto from 30 October to 1 November

Baccanale dei Borghi: Alba's free medieval weekend

The Baccanale belongs to Alba's borghi, the historic neighbourhoods that also race against each other in the town's Donkey Palio in early October. Officially it's a side event of the Alba White Truffle Fair, but it has a personality of its own: you don't come to shop, you come to be in the square. Each borgo sets up its own corner of the old town with costumed characters, banners and a tavern serving traditional Piedmontese dishes as street food, plus a few old-fashioned games that tend to get more competitive than you'd expect.

It's all on foot, square to square. In recent years the borghi have spread out between Piazza Duomo, Piazza Rossetti, Piazza Pertinace, Piazza Garibaldi, Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Piazza San Francesco and Via Calissano, although the layout can shift from year to year. There's no gate and no ticket: once you're in the old town, you're in.

A few practical things worth knowing:

Entry is free, the food isn't. You pay per dish and per glass at each tavern. The borghi usually publish their menus on the Truffle Fair website a few days beforehand.
Saturday evening is the highlight, and the busiest time. Arrive at 6pm sharp and you'll get a seat before the queues; after 8pm, expect to eat standing up.
No glass bottles. A town ordinance bans opening or drinking from them during the event, so wine is served by the glass at the taverns.
Sunday is calmer and more family-friendly, and pairs well with a morning at the World White Truffle Market, open the same weekend (Saturday 9:30am–7:30pm, Sunday 9:30am–7pm).
Forget about driving into the centre. In past years parking was banned in the Baccanale squares from Friday afternoon. Read our parking guide for the Alba Truffle Fair before you set off.

To make a full weekend of it, Saturday afternoon is perfect for a tasting before heading into the squares. The Consorzio Albeisa runs its Barolo Wine Tasting Experience on Saturdays at 3pm and 5pm (one hour, in English and Italian, booking required). Or browse winery visits and truffle hunts in the hills around Alba on GetYourGuide.

Our tip as hosts: the Baccanale ends at midnight, and dark country roads in the Langhe after a few glasses of Nebbiolo are not where you want to be. This is the weekend to sleep in town.

Buonissima: Turin turns into a five-day dinner table

From Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October, Buonissima returns to Turin. Founded by food writers Stefano Cavallito and Luca Iaccarino with chef Matteo Baronetto, it's now in its sixth edition and promises more than 150 events and over 100 Italian and international chefs, spread across the whole city: historic palaces, museums, Michelin-starred dining rooms, and the piole, Turin's old-school neighbourhood taverns.

This year's headline is Contemporanea: on Thursday 22 October Niko Romito (Reale, Castel di Sangro) and Jeremy Chan (Ikoyi, London) cook together at the GAM, Turin's Gallery of Modern Art, for one lunch and one dinner. It's the first time the museum has opened its rooms to a dinner, and there are only around forty seats, so either book the moment sales open or let it go.

Luckily, Buonissima isn't only fine dining behind closed doors:

Casa Buonissima, in Piazza San Carlo from 22 to 25 October, is the festival's open house: breakfasts with pastry chefs, talks, cooking demos, wine masterclasses and merenda sinoira, Piedmont's early-evening spread. In past editions these sessions were free, with limited places and compulsory online registration.
Bistromania, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 at La Centrale inside the Lavazza Nuvola complex, is the loud and informal side of the festival, from midday until late.
Tickets for paid events go on sale in early October on the festival website.

Our tip as hosts: Buonissima falls in the gap between the Baccanale and All Saints', which is exactly when Turin still has rooms. If you have a few extra days, spend the 17–18 October weekend in Alba and move to Turin for 22–25, with an hour's drive in between. For the rest of the month's exhibitions and concerts, see our guide to Turin in October.

Artissima, C2C and Kusama: Turin's busiest weekend of the autumn

If there's one weekend a year when finding a bed in Turin gets hard, this is it. Three things happen at once.

Artissima, Italy's leading contemporary art fair, returns to the Oval Lingotto for its 33rd edition, with around 180 galleries from 35 countries. Public days are Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, 12pm–8pm, and Sunday 1 November, 11am–7pm (29 October is an invitation-only preview). Day tickets and multi-day passes are sold on the official website.

C2C Festival turns 25 and brings one of Europe's most talked-about electronic and avant-pop line-ups: Robyn, in her only Italian show of the year, Arca, The Avalanches, and Yung Lean with Bladee sharing an Italian stage for the first time. It opens on Thursday 29 at the OGR, moves to the Lingotto on Friday 30 and Saturday 31, and closes back at the OGR on Sunday 1 November.

Yayoi Kusama arrives at the OGR from 31 October with one of her famous Infinity Mirror Rooms, part of the exhibition The Quantum Effect. Tickets cost €10 and are sold online from 1 October; for weekend slots, don't wait. On Saturday 31 it stays open until 10pm.

Meanwhile in Alba, the Truffle Fair carries on with Langhe e Roero in Piazza, a farmers' market in Piazza Risorgimento. If you want contemporary art and white truffles in a single long weekend, this is the one time of the autumn that makes it possible.

How far is Alba from Turin, and should you split your stay?

Alba and Turin are about 65 km apart: roughly an hour by car on the motorway, a little longer by regional train via Bra. Turin–Caselle airport is about 30–40 minutes from central Turin, so if you fly in, Turin is the natural first stop. You don't need a car in Turin; in the Langhe, outside Alba itself, you mostly do.

For one event, one base is enough. For two, our advice depends on the weekend:

17–18 October: stay in Alba. The Baccanale runs into the night and the old town is closed to traffic.
21–25 October: stay in Turin, in the centre or in San Salvario, both within walking distance of Piazza San Carlo and the GAM.
29 October–1 November: Turin, and book as early as you can. If there's nothing near the Lingotto, remember that the metro links the city centre to Lingotto station in a few minutes.

Our homes are in exactly these two towns, in Turin and in the heart of Alba. You'll find them all on our boutique houses page, with live availability and direct booking.

Before you go

Late October is when Piedmont stops being "the Langhe or Turin" and becomes one place: mornings among the truffle stalls, evenings in a museum gallery turned dining room or under the steel roof of the Lingotto. If you're thinking of coming, the most useful advice we can give isn't about an event, it's about a date: lock in your bed first, then plan the rest.

FAQ

Is the Baccanale dei Borghi in Alba free?

Yes. Entry is free on Saturday 17 October (6pm–midnight) and Sunday 18 October (10am–7pm). You only pay for food and drinks at each borgo's tavern.

Do you need tickets for Buonissima 2026 in Turin?

For dinners and paid events, yes: tickets go on sale in early October on the festival website. Casa Buonissima sessions in Piazza San Carlo have so far been free, with compulsory registration.

When is Artissima 2026 and what are the opening hours?

From 30 October to 1 November 2026 at the Oval Lingotto, Turin: Friday and Saturday 12pm–8pm, Sunday 11am–7pm. 29 October is an invitation-only preview.

When should I book accommodation in Turin for Artissima and C2C weekend?

As early as possible: it's the busiest weekend of Turin's autumn. Book in September or early October and you still get to choose the area and the price; from mid-October you take what's left.

Transparency note: this article was written with the help of artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by the author. Dates, times and prices were checked against the organisers' official sources on 29 September 2026 and may change: please confirm on the official websites before you travel.

Coming for the Baccanale in Alba, or for Buonissima and Artissima in Turin? Pick your base here: