Italian Alps walking and cooking vacation
Highlights
Mountain B&B | guided alpine hikes | market day in Pinerolo | cooking class & local wine pairing | homecooked meals
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
We are committed to preserving our heritage in this alpine environment by using natural and environmentally safe cleaning products, low energy consuming light bulbs, we compost our organic waste with the help of composting worms. We recycle our glass, plastic, paper and metal and have bins to encourage our guests to do the same. We have an organic garden that we try to utilize as much as possible.We joined Wwoof (World Wide Organic Opportunities) to partner with volunteers to teach and share organic gardening practices as we work side by side in our garden. We heat completely with wood and cut wood on our own property managing our forest for over three generations in our family. We helped initiate and are involved with the local CAI association, a walking and alpine organization, to clean, sign and maintain our local alpine paths thereby helping to keep the woods clean and maintained. We are involved with the restocking of our local mountain stream with native trout. We are committed to eco-friendly practices.
The Impacts of this Trip
We live in a small alpine community that relies on each other to help maintain our community which has lost many jobs over the years. We created "TEM", which is our Sustainable Mountain Tourism association that grew out of our desire to include small businesses, organic food producers and artisans that strive to preserve and enhance rural community life.
We buy local and shop in our small businesses and local outdoor food markets, avoiding the large supermarket except for any items that we are unable to find anywhere else. We support small cheese makers; butcher, beer crafters, vintners and liqueur producers that still pay mountain residents to not only gather necessary herbs, but to protect the natural habitat as well as providing much needed jobs. We promote local artisan. Through our collective effort we strive to build a healthy community through sound economic and ecological practices. Your visit helps us take another step along that path.
We are committed to preserving our heritage in this alpine environment by using natural and environmentally safe cleaning products, low energy consuming light bulbs, we compost our organic waste with the help of composting worms. We recycle our glass, plastic, paper and metal and have bins to encourage our guests to do the same. We have an organic garden that we try to utilize as much as possible.We joined Wwoof (World Wide Organic Opportunities) to partner with volunteers to teach and share organic gardening practices as we work side by side in our garden. We heat completely with wood and cut wood on our own property managing our forest for over three generations in our family. We helped initiate and are involved with the local CAI association, a walking and alpine organization, to clean, sign and maintain our local alpine paths thereby helping to keep the woods clean and maintained. We are involved with the restocking of our local mountain stream with native trout. We are committed to eco-friendly practices.
The Impacts of this Trip
We live in a small alpine community that relies on each other to help maintain our community which has lost many jobs over the years. We created "TEM", which is our Sustainable Mountain Tourism association that grew out of our desire to include small businesses, organic food producers and artisans that strive to preserve and enhance rural community life.
We buy local and shop in our small businesses and local outdoor food markets, avoiding the large supermarket except for any items that we are unable to find anywhere else. We support small cheese makers; butcher, beer crafters, vintners and liqueur producers that still pay mountain residents to not only gather necessary herbs, but to protect the natural habitat as well as providing much needed jobs. We promote local artisan. Through our collective effort we strive to build a healthy community through sound economic and ecological practices. Your visit helps us take another step along that path.
4 Reviews of Italian Alps walking and cooking vacation
Reviewed on 19 Sep 2019 by Kay Garvey
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The feeling of really getting to know, in a personal and down to earth way, about a new place with its own disctinct culture and traditions. The B and B also sits
in a very beautiful location.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The accomodation operates in a more informal way compared to most hotels, so sharing meals and cooking is part of the charm. Your hosts are also expert
chefs and bakers, so the qulaity of teaching and eating is excellent.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, as this is a very locally focused vacation. We also decided to drive there from the UK i.e. we combined it with a vacation staying in France. One could equally
get there by train and be picked up.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had a great time and would return next time we go to Italy
Reviewed on 27 Jun 2019 by Rod Elliott
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The two most memorable parts of the vacation were, first, the location of the accommodation, immersed in the beauty of the mountainous Piedmont terrain. Second, being hosted by Fabrizio, a fifth generation Piedmontese, and his partner Marla who's been there since early 2000, in a way that felt like staying with friends who were intimate with their local area.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be open to the local cuisine provided by Fabrizio and Marla. The standard is excellent and plentiful.
With only 5 bedrooms be prepared to engage socially with others staying whom you don't know to develop a relaxed, friendly and fun atmosphere whether it's when walking, cooking or at the meal table.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Fabrizio and Marla are involved in an association (Touristic Ecosostenible Montano) to promote responsible ecological tourism and support and preserve mountain culture and cuisine. Their cooking classes and the daily meals support local farmers by using produce from local farmers markets - we had a buying visit to a vibrant local market in Pinerolo. The wine at the table is local Piedmont wine. The vacation included a visit to a local producer of Mountain Liqueurs (Bernard in Pomaretto); and a goats cheese manufacturer where lunch involved cheese from 5 stages of maturity. The Mountain Inn is run in a conservation minded way.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had an excellent vacation hosted by 2 very knowledgeable and caring people. All aspects of the cooking, walking and sightseeing was made so enjoyable because of their enthusiasm and attention to details. We were made to feel like friends staying who they were very pleased to see; and we were consulted over all of the activities to ensure it was what we wanted to do and in a way we were comfortable with.
Reviewed on 06 Jul 2019 by Valerie Snowden
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
This trip was the perfect place for a relaxing vacation. The mountain setting is splendid with wonderful views and very quiet. Marla and Fabrizio offer exceptional hospitality and locally produced food prepared to a high standard. Cooking with them in a small group was great fun.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Travelers need to be relatively fit for walking in mountainous countryside and be willing to be part of the family.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. We were eating locally produced food and buying some local produce- wine, cheese, honey. All walks involved very little driving.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent.
Reviewed on 10 Oct 2017 by Josylin Saunders
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The entire vacation was memorable! From the moment we got there and were welcomed by our wonderful hosts at their beautiful B&B in the mountains, to
the stunning walk through the Alps, the freshly baked treats each morning, the market tour and all the amazing cheese, the cooking class using local or homegrown ingredients, the local tour, the passion of our hosts in sustainably revitalising their area and showing us how they were trying to achieve that, the pizza party. All of it! Marla and Fabrizio are the best hosts you will ever have and we enjoyed every minute of the tour.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Just book it, you won't regret it!
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Absolutely! We supported local business, used locally sourced or homegrown ingredients in everything we did and we were made a part of the vision that our
hosts had for the area and saw all the hard work they were doing to make it come true which was an amazing experience.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The communication with Marla before the vacation was excellent and we were picked up at the airport without any issue. The accommodation was in the most beautiful location, all the meals were lovely (not surprising as Marla and Fabrizio and both chefs), the walk through the Alps was stunning but not overly challenging so would suit any person with average fitness levels (we weren't rushed in any way), the market trip was fun and so nice to see all the local produce and try all the beautiful cheeses and meats, the cooking class was eally thorough and everyone was included and the result was yummy, and the hosts were just wonderful and I will definitely be going back there one day! This was the highlight of my five week tour around Europe!
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