

Piemonte · Cuneo
La Morra
The hilltop above the Barolo zone, more Nebbiolo acreage than any other commune.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why La Morra is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione and Città del Vino.
Subscribe and you get La Morra's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 59 min from Turin
- Population
- 2,658
- J6°
- F10°
- M12°
- A16°
- M20°
- J25°
- J29°
- A28°
- S23°
- O17°
- N11°
- D6°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
La Morra sits at 513 meters on the western edge of the Barolo zone, fifty kilometers southeast of Torino, the highest of the eleven communes and the one with the widest view over the rest of them. The village itself gathers around the square and the tower; the working part of it, the crus, spreads downhill and outward, Brunate and Cerequio among them, with the Cantina Comunale pouring producers from across that spread under one roof in the old Marchesi di Barolo cellars. A kilometer outside the centro, below the village, the former abbey sits in the Marcenasco cru with its wine museum, and Renato Ratti bought his first parcel near it in 1965, drawing the first cru map of the zone a decade later. The village is compact and fixed in place; the vineyards around it are what the whole zone is measured against.
How to get there
From Turin (TRN), about 1 h 18 min by car.
Genoa (GOA) is about 1 h 55 min away.
By car from the center of Milan 2 h 4 min.
Coming by train into Torino Porta Susa? La Morra is about 59 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Turin airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.


What to see
Belvedere di Piazza Castello
The highest point of the village, with the 18th-century bell tower rising above the terrace.
Cappella del Barolo (Cappella delle Brunate)
A small vineyard chapel among the vine rows of the cru, its two faces given over entirely to the artists' repainting, interior and exterior alike.
Cantina Comunale di La Morra
Municipal wine cellar founded 1973 in the 18th-century palace of the Marchesi di Barolo, pouring 70+ local producers.
Torre Comunale
The symbol of La Morra, standing over the square and visible as a marker from across the zone.
Abbazia dell'Annunziata
Former abbey below the village in the Marcenasco cru, with a wine museum tracing the history of Barolo production.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Osteria ArborinaRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100) for Osteria Arborina, along with a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
ColtivareRistorante
Coltivare has two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Osteria VeglioRistorante
Osteria Veglio carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand, plus a Gambero Rosso listing.
5 more places the guides name in La Morra
Eremo della GasprinaTrattoria
One Gambero Rosso prawn, at Eremo della Gasprina.
Il GrecAleRistorante
Il GrecAle holds one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100).
L' Osteria del VignaioloRistorante
One Gambero Rosso fork (78/100), at L' Osteria del Vignaiolo.
La Corte al Palàs Cerequio Michele ChiarloRistorante
A Gambero Rosso listing, at La Corte al Palàs Cerequio Michele Chiarlo.
Locanda FontanazzaRistorante
Locanda Fontanazza has a Slow Food snail to its name.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Signature product
Barolo DOCG
One of eleven Barolo-producing communes; La Morra's vineyards face the village across the valley.
See the towns we cover in the zone of Barolo DOCG.
Living here
Could you live here?
La Morra is at the end of the road.
- A village of 2,658. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Alba, is 20 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Asti, a city of 73,440, is 42 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
We measured every town in the region on these rules, by its drive to Turin, the city we moved to: Moving to Turin and Piedmont.
- Population 2,658, down 3.1% since 2015
- Nearest city Asti, 42 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Verduno, 3 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,100 to €1,600 per m² to buy, €3.30 to €4.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 76% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 4, very low hazard
- Cuneo airport (CUF), 44 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Turin, 59 min drive
If you are moving here

Who lives here
14% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, against 9% across Italy. 14 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 204 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 43% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Cuneo province ranks 27th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Verduno, 3 km as the crow flies. It has a children's emergency room too. The nearest major one is in Cuneo, 40 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Turin, 42 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.81% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.6% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Piemonte spends about €2,240 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €467 a year for water, on the Piemonte average. In Cuneo, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.34 and a meal in a pizzeria €12.38.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods. 7% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
BAROLO
More Nebbiolo acreage than any of the eleven Barolo communes and some 70 producers, with crus including Brunate and Cerequio.
CAPPELLA DEL BAROLO
Tremlett and LeWitt repainted a 1914 vineyard chapel in the Brunate cru in 1999, paid in bottles for life.
BELVEDERE
The terrace in Piazza Castello looks across the fan of Langhe crus toward Barolo, Monforte and the Alps on a clear day.
Common questions
- What is La Morra known for?
- La Morra is the hilltop above the Barolo zone, more Nebbiolo acreage than any other commune.
- Where is La Morra?
- La Morra is a comune in the province of Cuneo, in Piemonte, at 513 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to La Morra?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cuneo (CUF), about 44 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Milan to La Morra?
- About 2 h 4 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit La Morra?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like La Morra?
- Monforte d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba.
- How many people live in La Morra?
- 2,658 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is La Morra a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, La Morra is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Alba, is 20 min away. The nearest city, Asti, is 42 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Verduno, 3 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 76% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 513 m
- Population: 2,658
- Surface area: 24.17 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists La Morra appears in
- The best wine towns within an hour of TurinNear Turinwithin 60 minwine zone6 towns · smallest 564 residents · closest 45 min away
- The 7 best small wine towns with a serious restaurant in PiemontePiemontewineserious restaurantsmall7 towns · smallest 497 residents
- The best towns that eat well within an hour of TurinNear Turinwithin 60 mineats well7 towns · smallest 564 residents · closest 28 min away
- The best wine towns in the province of CuneoCuneo provincewine8 towns · smallest 497 residents
- The 10 best hidden wine towns that eat well within 90 minutes of TurinNear Turinwinewithin 90 mineats wellhidden10 towns · smallest 497 residents · closest 57 min away
- The best hill towns within an hour of TurinNear Turinhill townwithin 60 min10 towns · smallest 564 residents · closest 28 min away
Featured on
La Morra appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like La Morra
What all six share with La Morra: inland, away from the coast · hill towns
Monforte d'Alba
Province: Cuneo
both produce Barolo DOCG · both under 3,000 people
Castiglione Falletto
Province: Cuneo
both produce Barolo DOCG
Serralunga d'Alba
Province: Cuneo
both produce Barolo DOCG
Verduno
Province: Cuneo
both produce Barolo DOCG
Donnas
Province: Aosta Valley
both under 3,000 people
- Written about. No. 30.
Castellina in Chianti
Province: Siena
both under 3,000 people
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.

