Piedmont walking holiday, self guided

Planet

The Italian region of Piedmont is situated between the Alps and the Apennine mountains, a region famous for its local specialities including gourmet cheeses, pastries, white truffles and of course wine. The traditional landscape of rolling hills, vineyards, and small villages we believe is best explored on foot. Travelling on foot, you will have more time to appreciate the changing landscapes and get to know locals in the villages that you pass through, all while having a minimal impact on your environment.

This slow style of travel not only affords you more time to appreciate the natural beauty of the region but, just as importantly, positively contributes to the regions that host you.

We are aligned with “Leave No Trace”, an international organisation that has set the global standard for outdoor ethics. Through targeted education, research and outreach, its mission is to ensure the long-term health of our natural world while maintaining sustainable recreation in nature.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travellers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail: in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles. We use recycled paper in our office and we are working towards reducing the amount of paper we use, as well as recycling all of our paper and plastic waste.

People

Our preferred accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned small hotels, Agriturismo and B&Bs; this way we ensure your tourist spend is staying within the area and benefiting local people. Each night you'll stay in small rural villages, where the accommodation is charming and welcoming.

For example, when available we book the Agriturismo Cà San Ponzio, a typical family owned farmhouse, which serves typical local cheeses, cold cuts and homemade cakes and marmalades at breakfast. Or the family run Hotel Da Maurizio, where the Robaldo family will warmly welcome you.

During your tour we encourage you to purchase your lunch/snacks from local shops and cafes whenever you get an opportunity. It will give you a chance to meet the local people, and can encourage genuine cultural exchange. Alba has many divine pastry shops where you can treat yourself. In La Morra you can visit the Ratti Museum to learn about the history, tradition and the art of the good wine (entrance fees not included). You can stop at Cantina Comunale (closed on Tuesdays) which has a wide selection of wines to taste and buy, and also a lot of videos on local wines and gastronomy.

In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travellers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveller ebook before departure.