Il Caffè della Peppina

The Best Morning Coffee in the Hills

Rated 4.7 on Google and 4.8 on Tripadvisor — Il Caffè della Peppina in Montechiaro d'Asti is the kind of bar that anchors a village and sets the standard for everything within a twenty-kilometre radius. The espresso is properly made: dense, aromatic and served at the right temperature in a small cup without elaboration. Fresh pastries arrive every morning from a supplier the family has trusted for years, and the weekly home-cooked lunch menus at honest prices give the bar a dimension that most village caffès in the hills do not reach.

The sort of place you stop every day without thinking about it — and notice immediately on the days you don't. The welcome is genuine and the pace is that of a working bar rather than a café designed to be photographed. Standing at the counter is the correct way to take the espresso; sitting down at one of the tables is for the second cup or the lunch menu. Fifteen minutes from Bric del Vento, open from 7am, walk-ins only.