Our story

You're not a customer here.
You're at Vale's home.

There's a moment, when you walk into Piccolo Bar, when you understand everything. Cleaning cloth still in hand, a smile, and Vale is already showing you to a table. The time doesn't matter: if you're hungry, something good is on its way.

The merenda sinoira is the Piedmontese tradition half the region has fallen in love with: an afternoon spread so generous it replaces dinner. Cured meats, cheeses, house preserves, a steaming plate of pasta. At Piccolo Bar it's not a menu: it's Vale's way of caring for you.

"Well, the merenda sinoira starts around 4 pm…" — and then it lands on your table anyway, because here the guest always comes first.

'Home Sweet Home' sign hanging on the wall above a cheese board — Home sweet home. Literally.

What you'll eat

The merenda sinoira

It arrives without you having to choose. A bit of everything, made to order, until you're full. Here's what might land on your board.

Plate of prosciutto crudo and coppa with rosemary, bread basket in the background

Cold cuts sliced to order, no rush

Salami of every kind, thick-cut Prague ham, cheeses from mountain pastures and the plains. Breadsticks and bread at will. It's the simplest part — and the one that stays with you.

Canavese cured meats

Piedmontese salami: aged, fresh, spicy.
Salam ëd patata

Potato salami, a Canavese specialty.
Anchovies in green & red sauce

The house specialties. Just like grandma's.
Vitello tonnato

The Piedmont classic, done properly.
Local cheeses

Toma, gorgonzola, salignun. With boiled potatoes.
Zucchini in carpione

And sweet-and-sour. House-made preserves.
Russian salad & mini frittatas

With boiled eggs, lardo, sun-dried tomatoes.
Prague ham

Thick-cut, fragrant, generous.
Breadsticks & bread

At will. Always.
And then the pasta

A thousand sauces, made to order. The tagliatelle with sausage ragù? Out of this world.

The three menus

11€ tasting plate

20€ merenda sinoira

25€ with pasta course

Vale brings all the food, house wine included.
Prefer a bottle? We'll discount it off the list price.

Shelves of wine bottles behind the counter at Piccolo Bar

The cellar

A sea of wine.
Only the good stuff.

Here the cellar isn't a detail: it's a whole wall of bottles. Plenty of labels, of every kind — big reds, crisp whites, bubbles — so there's always the right glass to go with your board.

A ton of labels, of every kind
Only local producers and wines of the territory
Only quality, no compromises

House wine is already included with the merenda. And if you'd rather have a bottle — from Arneis to the reds of the Canavese, chosen one by one by Vale — we'll discount it off the list price.

Gallery

Feast with your eyes first

Tap a photo to enlarge it.

Two spritzes and a board of cured meats, cheeses and breadsticks on a wooden table

Plate of prosciutto and coppa with rosemary

Anchovies in green sauce served with slices of bread

Russian salad on a bed of lettuce with cherry tomatoes

Whole salami on a wooden board in the cozy dining room

Green olives dressed with cherry tomatoes

Cured meat and cheese trolley in the dining room with a stone wall

Fresh toma cheese with boiled potatoes and rosemary

“Vale is number one. No contest.”

I was looking for something quick, I had my kids with me. Vale had just opened up, cleaning cloth still in hand. "The merenda sinoira? It starts at 4 pm…" — and it was 2:50 pm. We were welcomed in anyway, with an apology for there being "not much around".

I can't even list everything that reached our table: salami of every kind, cheeses of every kind, anchovies in green sauce, vitello tonnato, Prague ham, breadsticks and bread at will. And a plate of tagliatelle with sausage ragù. Out of this world. A lovely place, furnished with its own style. Piccolo Bar is Vale, Vale is Piccolo Bar: you feel it the moment you walk in.

My son and I: €30. Class act. I recommend it.

— A real review left by a guest (translated from Italian)

What people say

Five stars, from those who've been

Real Google reviews, in their original Italian — that's how local this place is.

★★★★★

Favoloso!!! Esistono i posti genuini. Merenda sinoira con prezzi davvero ottimi e qualità al top. Formaggi locali squisiti, ottima scelta di vini e cocktail.

Ci LangheLocal Guide · Google

★★★★★

Locale accogliente e familiare, il cibo non mi ha mai delusa, anzi: soprattutto ABBONDANZA! Quando sono a Castellamonte, un salto lo faccio sempre.

Lunaria AchlýsLocal Guide · Google

★★★★★

La miglior merenda sinoira degli ultimi trent'anni. Taglieri di salumi ottimi, acciughe al verde come quelle di mia nonna, tome super buone… il tutto in quantità industriale. Un posto d'altri tempi.

Andrea MontiLocal Guide · Google

★★★★★

Aperitivo o merenda sinoira, non sbagliate. Salami piemontesi canavesani, acciughe al verde e al rosso, taglieri di formaggi con patata bollita. Il costo? Imbarazzante quanto sia onestamente basso.

Marco ToeschiLocal Guide · Google

Book

Save yourself a table

Pick a day and time: we'll confirm on WhatsApp in a couple of lines. No accounts, no waiting.

Where & when

Come and meet Vale

Address Via Carlo Botta, 59
10081 Castellamonte (TO) · Canavese, Piedmont
Phone +39 349 450 4851
Opening hours Tuesday – Sunday, 11:30 am – 2:00 am
Closed Mondays · merenda sinoira at any hour

Call Piccolo Bar

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Piccolo Bar

You're not a customer here.You're at Vale's home.

The merenda sinoira

Cold cuts sliced to order, no rush

Canavese cured meats

Salam ëd patata

Anchovies in green & red sauce

Vitello tonnato

Local cheeses

Zucchini in carpione

Russian salad & mini frittatas

Prague ham

Breadsticks & bread

And then the pasta

A sea of wine.Only the good stuff.

Feast with your eyes first

Five stars, from those who've been

Save yourself a table

Come and meet Vale

You're not a customer here.
You're at Vale's home.

A sea of wine.
Only the good stuff.