Cà San Ponzio Country House

Spectacular views, spacious rooms, and a simple but genuinely lovely hotel. Everything was clean and comfortable. What really impressed me was the restaurant: the food and wine felt Michelin quality, but at non-Michelin prices. Highly recommended.

This family run hotel is very well placed in Barolo, just a one or two minute walk from town. The staff were very hospitable, and the rooms were clean and traditionally styled. Be sure to try the wines they make themselves.

The views are nice, the rooms are large, many have balconies, and breakfast is plentiful. But my main reason for rating this two stars is the way the female owner keeps her young Jack Russell terrier in a big cage in the parking lot. It has water bowls and a little wooden doghouse, but the floor is wood and there’s no heat, toys, blankets, soft bedding, or proper lighting. The dog spends long days alone with little interaction, and is left outside alone at night in the dark while they’re in their warm home, even when it’s freezing. Why own a dog if this is how it’s kept? Seeing it there day and night by the hotel entrance was very upsetting. I tried talking to her granddaughter, but she just got nasty. This is no life for a pet. I hope they don’t leave the pup there through extreme weather, because it surely won’t survive. Horrific update: I just learned the poor sweet pup escaped and was hit and killed. This is horrible and very sad. If they’d cared for him properly, this wouldn’t have happened. There were other problems too: the shower stall was small and awkward to use, there weren’t many electrical outlets, the bedding and pillows were uncomfortable, and the TV service didn’t work. The Wi-Fi was horrible and very slow, the furniture was quite worn, and the hallway lights were on short motion timers, so you could end up in complete darkness if you weren’t quick enough.

The pool and terrace have amazing views, which were the best part of our stay. Otherwise, it was just so-so. The public areas and room were very dated, and having no outlet by the bed, with just one down on the floor, felt behind the times in 2018. We came for the restaurant, but it was closed on Tuesdays. The pool was supposed to open in the morning, but the pool attendant was late. Those things added up to a disappointing stay.