After driving most of the day I ended up in Barbaresco, about an hour from Torino, at the Enotecha where John was. This was a wine shop in an old church in the center of town. Perfect. 

What did I see driving south from near Lyon? From flat to very mountainous, the inside of the Mt Blanc Tunnel, incredible fall colors, snow topped mountains, endless tolls that were  always more expensive than I thought, some very fast cars flashing by in the left lane, many trucks, rain and sun then rain again.

 After a glass of wine I followed John into Alba where he lives and where I am staying in a friend of a friend's apartment. 

Day 3 was rainy so we cruised around a little. John showed me where he biked in the hills, we had soup for lunch in a hill town covered in fog, and dinner at his place. 

We did get into a gallery and cultural center at the plant in Ferrero (Ferrero is the major company here and is known for Nutella, Tic Tacs and Ferrero Chocolate), but only for a minute as there was a private tour taking place. I got three pictures made before being told "No Photographia" quite emphatically. 

I assume this is mostly Italian furniture design. I wonder if any of you know. The Egg Chair up top was designed by Scandinavian furniture designer Arne Jacobsen but I don't know the others. Elegant.