Slow travel Series Edtion 2 : Fiat 600e roadtrip
PLINIUS X FIAT
From rolling hills to the birthplace of Fiat: Torino
Last June, Photographer Victoria Huisman and I set out on a roadtrip through Piedmont with the new Fiat 600e. The idea was simple: start slow, in the soft green folds of the countryside, and end in style, in the city where Fiat itself was born—Torino.

The Fiat 600e, fully electric and wonderfully compact, was the perfect travel companion. With its playful design and a range of up to 400 km, it took us from vineyard lanes to the elegant boulevards of Turin.
Countryside beginnings
We started in the vineyards, checking into one of our little gems La Villa Hotel: a very elegant retreat surrounded by rolling hills and endless rows of vines. Here, mornings stretched slowly over long breakfasts, before winding roads pulled us into Asti.
Asti offered everything we love about Piedmont in miniature. A lunch with amazing natural wines at Enoteca Malia, followed by an ice-cold granita at La Nativa Gelateria, and a late-afternoon coffee at the old cafe Lo Stregatto. As evening fell, we found ourselves at Vicolo Battisti, sharing a pizza the way the locals do.
The next day was for wine. At Cascina Elena, a small artisanal winery in the heart of Alta Langa, we tasted our way through some of the area’s best sparkling wines—pure expressions of terroir, crafted with respect for the land. Born from the meeting of like-minded souls—Filippo from Rome, with his Tuscan winemaking past, and Peter and Elaine from New York—the project is as much about community and slowness as it is about wine. Here, surrounded by forests that protect the vineyards and amplify biodiversity, the wines are made organically: straightforward, genuine, and unfiltered. Quickly began stacking up in the trunk of our Fiat, becoming our most precious souvenirs of the hills.
Into Torino

After the quiet rh
ythm of the hills, Torino felt like a different world—grand, elegant, and buzzing with energy. We parked near our stay at B&B Stampatori, a small little gem, house in a beautiful old palazzo, tucked away in the heart of the city, and set out to explore.
It’s impossible to arrive in Torino with a Fiat and not feel a sense of homecoming. This is the city where the brand was born in 1899, when a group of forward-thinking entrepreneurs founded Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. For decades, Fiat shaped not only the skyline of Torino—think of the vast Lingotto factory with its iconic rooftop test track—but also the rhythm of everyday life. Cars were designed and built here, and in many ways, Torino grew with Fiat, a symbol of Italian style and innovation on wheels.
Today, that heritage is still tangible: the mix of industry and elegance, of tradition and reinvention, feels embedded in the city itself. The Lingotto building itself has been reborn as a cultural landmark—its rooftop test track now open to the public, offering sweeping views across Torino and the Alps beyond. Standing there, you feel the weight of history and the thrill of reinvention.
Here, the highlights that we recommend:
– sightseeing the Fiat Lingotto Factory
- Aperitivo at the historic Caffè Torino, where locals still gather under the porticos with a spritz in hand.
– Dinner at Ristorante Consorzio, modern but deeply rooted in Piedmontese tradition.
– Lunch at Scannabue, a lively bistro filled with locals and a timeless feel.
– Coffee at Al Bicerin, where chocolate, espresso and cream come together in Torino’s signature drink.
– And finally, gelato at Gelateria Pepino, home of the original Pinguino—Torino’s answer to ice cream on a stick.

A journey in contrasts
From the quiet vineyards to the grand boulevards, the Fiat 600e felt perfectly at home—compact and playful on winding country roads, yet sleek and effortless in the elegant streets of Torino. It carried us from rolling hills to glittering piazzas with the same Italian charm: sustainable, stylish, and made for the joy of the journey.