Years ago, when large factories such as Ferrero started up in Piedmont and a thriving glass industry developed, many farmers left their farms to get a permanent job in the factory. Locals say that the farmers near the Ferrero factory were told by their boss that their land was valuable too and that they should […]
The farmers of the Bormida valley Read More »
Glamping has been on the rise in Italy for a number of years now, and we often here from people who want to start a glamping business here. We’ve never really been interested in the concept, until we learned about the StarsBOX project of Fabio and Lara, a young Italian couple from our region. They
There aren’t a lot of olive groves in Piedmont, but one of them is definitely worth a visit, not so much because of the olive trees, but because there is a unique art park, which you can visit every day for free. Parco d ‘Arte Quarelli, between Mombaldone and Roccaverano, spontaneously arose from a passion
Parco d’Arte Quarelli – art in the olive grove Read More »
Our lavender farm is surrounded by hills that are just a little different from others as they often are interrupted by gray “calanche”, a kind of prehistoric dunes with distinct erosive shapes. The contrast between the gravel-like dunes and the green tones of forests and fields is fascinating and unique, but this sight also has
Fossil hunting in the prehistorical dunes Read More »
Full red wines, like Barolo and Barbaresco, rare truffles, delicious hazelnuts, mushrooms … We are really spoiled here in Piemonte. But an expensive delicacy that more and more farmers are cultivating here and which doesn’t get a lot of attention, is saffron, one of the most expensive spices in the world. Several small farms in
The saffron harvest Read More »
From the first time we visited this small, charming spa city in the South of Piemonte we fell in love. The region of Piemonte is not on most touristic bucket lists and neither is Acqui Terme, and maybe that’s a good thing as tourism hasn’t spoiled its authentic charm yet. It’s such a cozy town
We live in truffle paradise ! No, I’m not exaggerating or anything, the hills of South Piemonte are known all over the world for the exceptional white truffle that grows here and people pay crazy prices for them. But, the foodies who know about this, all seem to think they have to go to Alba,
Two years ago when Nicolas turned 50 he had this crazy idea he had to become more heart attack avoiding, for him this meant it was time to buy an ebike. I suspect he just needed an excuse to get one without guilt, because it’s an expensive toy for “poor farmers” like us ?. But,
Isn’t it boring, living in such a small village where nothing ever happens? That’s what a lot of people asked us after we moved to Merana, a village on the border of Piedmont and Liguria with barely 190 inhabitants. What can go wrong in such a small community? Well, first of all there is, of
Life in a small Italian village Read More »
What I like the most about having a cashmere goat farm as a neighbor is the fact that every year late April / early May we are invited to a ‘baby goat cuddle session’. Last year I went with my guests. We walked together to the farm, just 1 kilometer further down the road and
Baby cashmere goats Read More »
