LOCANDA LA RAIA REOPENED FOR SPRING 2026 | News
Locanda La Raia, the biodynamic winery and boutique hotel in Piedmont, Italy, has officially reopened and welcomes guests for a new season in the rolling hills of Gavi, Lower Piedmont. Located on the 200-hectare biodynamic estate of La Raia, where vineyards, forests, lakes, gardens and agricultural lands form a unique ecosystem, the reopening marks a new chapter for the estate’s hospitality offering with the expansion of Borgo de La Raia: an ancient rural hamlet carefully restored in 2024 into a space for hospitality and now further developed with the addition of two new apartments, Ape Regina and La Villa, introducing a more residential style of living.
Just over an hour’s drive from Milan and less than an hour from Genoa, La Raia offers an immersive countryside retreat where hospitality, wine, gastronomy, wellness and culture are deeply intertwined. For spring 2026, the estate presents a broader and more flexible approach to hospitality, responding to different travel rhythms, from intimate stays at Locanda La Raia to more spacious and independent accommodation in the Borgo.
Located on the northern edge of the estate in one of Gavi’s most evocative settings, Borgo de La Raia overlooks an unspoilt valley, surrounded by forests, vineyards and a small hidden lake accessible on foot. The original farmhouse, barn and patio are arranged around a large circular courtyard, bordered by the rows of the Cortese vineyard, from which the estate’s cru, Gavi Pisé, is produced.
For the 2026 season, Borgo de La Raia is expanding with the addition of Ape Regina and La Villa, two restored apartments that can accommodate up to nine guests in total, further strengthening the role as the Locanda’s private and residential counterpart within the wider La Raia experience.
Carefully restored in accordance with the same philological principles that define the wider estate, the Borgo retains its architectural identity and adapts it for contemporary hospitality. The apartments, including Ape Regina and La Villa, the latter distinguished by its characteristic tower, are furnished in continuity with the Locanda, combining antique Piedmontese pieces with contemporary design objects and works of art, and are designed for guests looking for space, privacy and a slower rhythm of stay immersed in nature.
Located on the first floor of the main farmhouse of Borgo, Ape Regina is a 115 m² apartment designed for up to four guests, with the possibility of an additional child’s bed. It features two bedrooms, a spacious open-plan living room with dining room and fully equipped kitchen, and a balcony overlooking the courtyard and surrounding valley.
La Villa, a detached house spread over two floors, offers a more spacious layout of approximately 150 m² and can accommodate up to five guests. The bright living areas open onto a terrace with beautiful views over the Borgo and the surrounding hills.
Both properties are equipped with fully fitted kitchens and stocked with a selection of local and organic produce, allowing guests to experience the estate with greater independence whilst remaining connected to the wider offering.
The Borgo also represents one of the estate’s most atmospheric venues for private events and celebrations, including intimate weddings and multi-day gatherings, where the combination of historic architecture, open landscapes and a sense of complete seclusion creates a deeply personal and immersive experience. From ceremonies overlooking the valley to courtyard dinners and moments shared across the estate, La Raia has increasingly become a destination for those seeking a sophisticated yet understated rural setting for weddings rooted in nature, food, wine and culture.
Within the Borgo, guests may also encounter one of Fondazione La Raia’s permanent site-specific works: OUSSSER by artist Koo Jeong A, a mural in enamel whose luminous presence only reveals itself at night, further strengthening the dialogue between art, landscape and architecture that defines the estate.
The core of the experience remains La Raia’s gastronomic offering. The estate’s restaurant, awarded a Green Michelin star, continues under the culinary direction of Tommaso Arrigoni, together with Chef Mirko Natali, whose menus interpret the traditions of Gavi cuisine through a contemporary lens shaped by seasonality and sustainability.
Rooted in the meeting point between Ligurian and Piedmontese influences, the cuisine uses the estate’s own biodynamic produce, ancient grains, herbs, eggs, honey and Fassona beef, as well as ingredients from local farmers and Slow Food producers.
The new spring selection includes dishes such as salt cod with courgettes in two textures, pine nuts and crusty bread, Acquerello risotto with Bra Duro cheese, pea cream, wild garlic and Brussels sprouts, potato gnocchi with knife-pounded Fassona beef ragù and black truffle, and lamb loin with braised artichokes, Taggiasca olives and egg sauce.
The recently introduced Borgo menu, which continues this season, offers a more explicitly rural expression of the estate’s culinary identity, with dishes such as the traditional savory Easter cake with wild herbs, soft cheese and quail eggs, poached egg from the estate’s chickens with spinach foam, charred ricotta and roasted almonds, and strawberries with Barbera Bruente wine, white chocolate cream and cocoa crumble.
Wine from Gavi to the Langhe
Wine remains central to any stay in La Raia. Guests can explore the estate’s biodynamic philosophy through cellar visits and tastings, discovering wines produced from the surrounding vineyards, including the Gavi DOCG expressions of Cortese grapes, Piedmont Barbera and limited Pinot Noir and Passito di Cortese.
These are also joined by wines from Tenuta Cucco, the Rossi Cairo family’s sister estate at Serralunga d’Alba in the Langhe, whose organic Nebbiolo and Barolo further extend Gavi’s wine story to one of Piedmont’s most celebrated areas. This dialogue is reflected in the estate’s ‘About Gavi en Langhe’ tasting menu, which combines dishes with labels from both La Raia and Tenuta Cucco.
Art, Landscape and Wellbeing
Beyond the table, La Raia invites guests to discover the estate through three routes: the wine route, which leads through the vineyards to the cellar; the art route, which runs across the estate and connects the permanent site-specific works commissioned by Fondazione La Raia; and the Biodiversity Trail, a three kilometer route through farmland, forests, lakes and streams, revealing the rich environmental mosaic that defines the estate.
Founded in 2013, Fondazione La Raia – arte cultura territorio is an integral part of the estate’s identity, commissioning works by international artists including Remo Salvadori, Adrien Missika, Michael Beutler, Tami Izko and Koo Jeong A.
Piero Rossi Cairo, manager of the second-generation family project, says: “With the reopening of the new season, we are pleased to further expand La Raia’s hospitality offering through the addition of new apartments in Borgo de La Raia. This will allow us to welcome guests in different ways, while staying true to the spirit of the estate: a place where wine, landscape, food, art and a sense of tranquility coexist in balance.”
With the addition of the new Borgo de La Raia apartments, the estate enters the 2026 season with a broader and more flexible accommodation offering, inviting guests to experience the landscape, culture and way of life through both the intimacy of the Locanda and the privacy of the Borgo.
For more information, visit www.la-raia.it/en.
