Worth Traveling For
“The home of a well-traveled friend” has to be one of the most overused travel writing clichés around, but sometimes it’s the best way to describe a place. That’s the case with the brand-new La Giardina Guest House, which opened March 2026 in the rolling hills of Piedmont, just a stone’s throw from Turin. The four-suite micro-boutique hotel is the passion project — and actual home – of Italian-Canadian artist and designer Bruno Billio, who has long made hospitality a cornerstone of his art. In his 18 years as the only artist in residence at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel, he hosted dinners and parties for hundreds of friends, friends of friends, hotel guests, and “interesting people passing through,” he says.
“I would always imagine what my own hotel would be like, borrowing a bit from my life there and then so much more,” he continues. “La Giardina is the realization of that dream. It’s a place that feels both personal and open, where creativity and hospitality live side by side.”
It’s also a love letter to his ancestral home. A 1950s wedding portrait of his parents hangs over the enormous fireplace in the living room, and a vintage barber’s chair sits at one end of the long dining table, an homage to his father’s work in Venice before he emigrated to Canada. Throughout, an eclectic mix of vintage finds and works by contemporary Italian artists and artisans lends the whole place the feeling of being in a private home.
Hotel Highlights
It goes without saying that La Giardina is strong on art and Billio’s signature maximalist design: bold stripes, kinetic swirling patterns of tape on the walls, and a signature green-yellow-and-black color palette. The juxtaposition between contemporary works, midcentury nostalgia, and the building’s 12th-century bones — it was originally a convent — is a winning one. At the same time, he never sacrifices comfort for style. Sofas are plush, and chairs are good for sitting for long stretches.
In summer, life moves outside to a gorgeous shaded terrace with long tables and overstuffed couches for leisurely breakfasts and sun-soaked aperitivo hours. The view, both from this terrace and from the small private ones of the upstairs bedrooms, is subtle in its countryside beauty, a mix of forest, fields, and small rural roads. The adjacent private gallery spotlights work by the artist and others he admires, and there are plans to hold regular art exhibitions and to host private celebrations, wellness retreats, creative workshops, and other gatherings.
Each room has a well-stocked minibar, and Billio lays out an Italian-style breakfast each morning (or delivers it to each room), but there’s no restaurant. Groups who book the entire house have access to a full kitchen to self-cater their stays, and there are excellent restaurants nearby, such as the playful G.A.F. Cambiano, where small plates and craft cocktails steal the show. Billio can also organize private wine tastings — like from the nearby boutique winemaker Cascina Val del Prete — and catered dinners. He knows his way around a dinner party, after all.
Rooms & Experience
The rooms are large and full of art and vintage treasures, but they still encourage guests to relax and feel at home. There’s no fear of touching anything. The bedframes are vintage and full of history, but the mattresses and linens are new and top of the line. The hotel’s rural location ensures quiet, while blackout curtains invite sleeping in. The vintage fixtures in the bathrooms evoke a rich Italian grandmother’s house, but if you look closely, you see that everything has been finished in invisible 21st-century mode. The bath amenities come from an artisan producer in Venice, and they smell absolutely divine.
Families are welcome, and some rooms have sleepable sofas, but really, La Giardina makes sense as a romantic retreat for couples. Or as a solo retreat for creatives. Gracious tables and desks evoke writer-in-residence dreams, and visual artists will find inspiration all around, both from Billio and his works and collection, and from his nearby neighbors, who include the architect who oversaw the renovation.
What to Know Before You Book
The hotel’s rural setting is a delight, but the downside is the distance from many of the pleasures of Piedmont. Renting a car is a good idea; Turin is about 30 minutes away on the highway, or longer if taking the scenic route; several countryside roads wind over hills and through picturesque villages. The closest village, Chieri, is just a little too far for a casual walk, but an easy drive takes you to its elegant streets and charming restaurants like Laghetti Food & Wine, a one-man show with just seven tables (including three on the terrace) and an ever-changing menu based on the chef’s market finds.
Address: Chieri, Piedmont, Italy
Strada della Giardina
Airport: Turin (40 minutes away)
Feature image courtesy of La Giardina Guest House. Travel Curator may earn a commission from product or booking links on this page.
