Agriturismo Il Gioco Dell’Oca: It’s Like Being at Home

If you are looking for a wonderful place to stay in the Barolo wine region of Piedmont, Italy then look no further than Il Gioco Dell’Oca.

Yes.

I know it’s a bit of a funny name.

But trust me when I say that when you stay here, you’ll really feel like you’re at home.

 

Il Gioco what?

Il Gioco Dell’Oca actually means Game of the Goose.

It’s a board game with dice that involves moving pieces around the board.

And Rafaella chose the name as she thought the house and its surroundings were a bit like the game.

I’m not sure I completely understand, but I like the name — even if I did have a hard time remembering it when I first booked it!

 

A family house

This 18th century house belonged to Rafaella’s grandparents.

Rafaella told me that everyone would stop by and her grandmother always welcomed people in.

There would be food and wine and conversation.

The house was a gathering place.

So when Rafaella inherited it from her grandparents, she wanted to make Il Gioco Dell’Oca into the same sort of place — a place where people would gather and feel welcome.

A place like home.

She had the house restored to the beautiful home it had been when she was a child — when her grandparents owned it — and created Il Gioco Dell’Oca.

 

The rooms of Il Gioco Dell’Oca

All the rooms are decorated with what Americans would call “antique” furniture.

But really, the rooms of Il Gioco Dell’Oca are traditional — lots of old wood furniture and traditional details such as ceramic teapots or an old radio.

The bathrooms are quite modern though, with modern sinks and hot showers.

I personally love houses like this that can maintain their sense of history and traditional style, yet still have those modern conveniences that we all want — like a hot shower!

The room I stayed in is actually not one that Rafaella advertises as she thinks it’s a bit small.

It’s in the top of the house so does have slanted ceilings.

But for a short gal like me, it wasn’t an issue.

And the room was plenty big enough for me for my 1 week stay.

I loved it!

 

The main rooms and garden

The garden area is one of the best things about Il Gioco.

This is where you eat breakfast when the weather is good.

And it’s where you can sit and relax with a book, your travel companion or with new friends you meet.

The reception area of the house also serves as a sitting room where guests can sit when the weather isn’t so good.

Just to the left of the reception area is the breakfast room.

It’s a wood-filled, traditional and welcoming room to eat breakfast in on those days when you can’t sit in the garden.

I’m a sucker for rooms like this — exposed brick, tile floors, a fire place and traditional wood furniture.

There’s a small kitchen just to the back of the breakfast room that guests can use as well.

This is one of my absolute favorite aspects to Il Gioco Dell’Oca.

Rafaella encourages you to use this kitchen.

You can put perishable food (and wine) in the refrigerator and help yourself to plates, bowls and utensils.

It’s a gathering place — just like it was for her grandparents.

I certainly met a few other guests in the kitchen or out in the garden as I sat and ate my dinner with a glass of wine.

 

The breakfast

Breakfast is definitely plentiful with typical Italian sweet carbs — breads, cakes and rolls.

There’s yogurt, fresh whole fruit and meats and cheeses.

And you can have eggs made to order.

It’s Italy so there’s definitely good coffee.

You won’t start your day hungry — that’s for sure!

 

Rafaella

Rafaella is wonderful a hostess.

She is warm, welcoming and helpful.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s her wish have Il Gioco be a gathering place — like it was when her grandparents were alive.

And I believe she has succeeded in this.

I felt so at home here — being able to feel comfortable in my room, in the garden and helping myself to whatever I needed in the kitchen.

For me, this is my favorite kind of place to stay.

It gives that feeling of being at home without being at home.

And Rafaella has created that ambience.

Not just with how Il Gioco Dell’Oca is decorated, but the atmosphere she has cultivated.

There’s no hoity-toity-ness or formality.

It’s all very informal and relaxed at Il Gioco.

And that’s because it reflects Rafaella.

Admittedly, she and I bonded over our love of the outdoors — especially the mountains.

But I think she’s one of the best owners of an accommodation I’ve met.

 

Spritz and Chablis

So…

The dogs.

Chablis is the older Bernese Mountain dog that you won’t see a lot, but who will come around to say hi.

She’s pretty old at 10 or so, but very sweet.

Spritz is …. well Spritz is Spritz.

She is also a Bernese Mountain dog.

At the time of my visit (May 2019) Spritz was about a year and a half — so still a puppy.

And she loves attention.

If you’re not a dog lover, she may not be your friend.

I LOVE her.

She made me spill my wine, coffee and water, but I still love her.

Spritz is just a lover and a bit of an attention seeker.

But she is adorable.

I wanted to bring her home with me.

Rafaella told me that I had spoiled her.

Probably.

On the last morning I ate in the breakfast room as it was a bit cool outside.

There was a couple at another table — Americans actually.

Spritz snuck inside with me.

Rafaella shooed her out.

But Spritz snuck back in and Rafaella tried to get her out.

Damn if that Spritz didn’t come right over to me and lie down next to me.

Rafaella looked at me.

I think that’s when she told me I had spoiled Spritz.

One of the most adorable dogs … ever!

 

The location

Il Gioco Dell’Oca has such an ideal location for exploring the vineyards and small towns of the Langhe region of Piedmont.

It’s only 2km from the village of Barolo and about 5km from La Morra.

You are quite literally in the vines here.

The one drawback is that it is literally just off of a fairly busy road.

So you can get some traffic noise.

This seems to die down at night though.

And sitting in the garden, you don’t really hear it that much.

The upside is that because you are on this main road it’s so easy to get to places.

I’ve stayed in remote locations before where it can take you a good 20 minutes by car just to get to a main road.

Sometimes this is awesome as the peace and tranquility of a remote location is what I want and need.

But sometimes being a bit closer to main roads so I can get to other places — in this case vineyards and the nearby small towns — is more important.

For me, everything else about Il Gioco Dell’Oca outweighed a wee bit of traffic noise.

 

Value

The last thing I want to say is that Il Gioco is a good value.

There are some pretty expensive hotels, agriturimi and guesthouses in this part of Piedmont due to the wine tourism here.

Barolo is the king of wines after all, and many Barolo wines can be pricey.

So there are some luxurious places to stay and some places that are so-so that seek high prices for a room.

But Rafaella’s house is affordable — especially for the size, quality and comfort of the rooms.

A double starts at €90 which I think is a great deal.

So if you’re headed to Piedmont to do a little vineyard hopping, consider a stay at Il Gioco Dell’Oca.

And give Spritz a belly rub from me!

 

This is part of a series I call Charming Places — a series in which I talk about the places I stay. From B&B’s, hotels and guesthouses to apartments and farm stays, I’ll give my honest thoughts on these spaces. I’ve found that the accommodation I choose to stay often directly affects how I feel about a particular destination. And how I connect with that location and its people. So I want to share these places with you by dishing out a bit of info and some of my opinions.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Il Gioco Dell’Oca so my stay was discounted. However all opinions are my own.