Information for our guests!
some ideas for things to do, in random order ..
(E-)bike rental:
The local bicycle shop (https://www.ellenacicli.it) has rental of both regular bicycles and e-bicycles and deliver/pick up the bicycles here at Ferrarotti. It is great to cycle further inland "the high Langhe" (Alta Langa) to villages such as Murazzano, Bossolasco and Dogliani - among others. You can choose to cycle up in the heights with fantastic views on both sides - the lowlands of Piedmont and the Alps on one side and the hills of Langhe on the other side. You can also take the car to Barolo (20 minutes away) and rent bicycles there. Cycling in the Barolo or Barbaresco is a very nice experience and and can of course be combined with a visit to vineyards and a nice lunch or dinner. There are several suppliers of bicycles and "packages" including guiding, for instance www.rentyourbike.it in Castiglione Falletto.
City tours / markets
Turin is about 1 hour away by car or by train from Mondovi or Fossano. It is a very beautiful town with large shopping streets, small side streets with shops, restaurants and cafes - and not least open spaces with bars, cafes and restaurants where there usually are a lot of people. Information about Turin can be found here: https://www.turismotorino.org/en.
Cuneo is another magnificent town about 45 minutes away. We would recommend visits on the main market day (every Tuesday). Cuneo is an old and well-kept town with a large pedestrian street, side streets with good restaurants (have tried several of them and are happy to give recommendations :-)). For those who are interested in some shopping, there are plenty of opportunities. You will find both large international brands and smaller stores focused on Italian design. And - not least - it is difficult to get lost in Cuneo... You can park on or by the road that circles the city and walk just 100 meters to get to the city center.
Other and smaller cities: our local favorite is Mondovi which has a wonderful city centre and a funicular from the "new" part of the city up to the old town. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday morning. On the way from us to Mondovi there is also a large outlet with many shops and restaurants with take-away service. Ceva is definitely worth a visit (20 min drive). It has a small historic center which is very charming. Carru is the nearest town, a nice very typical Italian small town (10 min drive). The market day in Carrü is Thursday. Murazzano, Bossolasco, Dogliani are some of the other options (ca 15 - 20 min). Then you have Barolo, Barbaresco, Neive, Bra, Saluzzo, Vernante (famous wall paintings of Pinoccio), Fossano …. - there are plenty of nice places to visit and very difficult to choose...
The mountain villages are not far away. An hour or an hour and a half drive and you are villages with local specialties (cheese, honey, meat, wine etc ..) with an abundance of hiking options i beautiful surroundings.
See Langhe and Roero
The eleven panoramic points are nice places for rest and observation, inviting visitors to take time for themselves to admire the landscape. More information here: https://www.stradaromantica.com/
Cooking, making lunch or dinner:
A very nice experience is to join a cooking class / short course where you make your own lunch or dinner. The classes are often held in the chef’s own kitchen in an intimate atmosphere. There are many providers to choose from and we are happy to help you to book an event. We are working with a local chef who can cook here at the house for groups at for instance birthday parties etc.
Truffletours:
We have tried a truffletour in Monforte d´Alba. We liked it a lot and we can also recommend it to our guests. See their website www.truffletour.it for information. They offer just the tour or also tours with winetasting and or lunch. They offer also tours with english speaking guide.
To the coast - and the beaches:
The Mediterranean / coast of Liguria is about 1 hour drive away. The nearest of the larger cities is Savona. Turn right or left at Savona and you will find lots of smaller villages with nice beaches. The high season in July / August can be very busy and we thus recommend to take the train from Ceva or Mondovi to Savona as parking can be a real challenge. In May / June it is less busy and less crowded both in the cities and on the beach, Our current favourite is Noli, a charming village 15 - 20 minutes west of Savona, but there are a many very nice places along the Ligurian coast.
Walking tours:
Everywhere ... Right out of the house, short car ride, about 1 hour drive to the highlands / up to the mountains ... The Piemontese have a strong hiking culture and there are well prepared tracks / marked trails many places. We have been on many trips in the mountains from 1 to 1.5 hours drive from the house. We have some favourites..
Rifugio Havis de Giorgio Mondovi. Very nice drive in the mountains around 1 hours drive. The last part on a very bumpy gravel road, but this place is worth it! It is a light walk that almost everybody can do and the mountain view is amazing. After an hour walking you end up in the Rifugio Mondovi where you can have lunch or a coffe or just relax. There are several trails further on in the mountains if you want to see more of this fantastic landscape. The rifugio is placed on 1760 meters and it also means that it is not so hot as it can be in the lower parts of the area in the summer months. This area has a lot of wildlife. We have seen marmots there several times when on our trecking trips. If you know what to look for you can see the entrance of their caves and if you are lucky you can see them sitting there just looking or perhaps sunbathing..?
Via del Sale. The salt road on the borders of France and Italy. Fantastic area with a lot of history. This road was used for bringing the precious salt from the coast to the northern areas of Italy. It is an area where there has been a lot of rivalry of the land and its borders have been altered during the centuries. So you can see several ancient fortresses both on the current borders of France and Italy. The area can also be explored by mountain bike. It is also possible to drive a one-way winding road to France. Since the road is very narrow it opens 15 minutes every hour from one direction in high season. Then it opens from the other direction 30 minutes later. There is a fee for driving - check the internet site if you want to drive through to France. This internet site has got very good information of the numerous routes that can be followed in this magnificent area. On the way to Colle di Tende you can also discover Limone di Piemonte that is worth a visit both summer and winter. It is a ski-destination with several good slopes but it is also nice to visit in summer.
Terme di Valdieri . Rifugio Valasco, the Savoian king Victorio Emanuele II´s hunting lodge from 1857 that today is a rifugio open in the winter months from early march and then again in the summer for lunch and also for accomodation. They have a FB site: Rifugio Valasco with more information. A hiking trip to Rifugio Valasco is more challenging compared to the trip to Rifugio Mondovi, but it is possible for everybody if you don´t have any health issues. The altitude is 1764 meters and the parking place is at around 1400.
Parco naturale Marguareis. Also this area has a lot to offer for hiking. It is a stunning area with a lot of wild life.
For children:
Outside Murazzano, 20 minutes drive from Ferrarotti, you will find Parco Safari della Langhe you can see tigers, lions, deers, jaguars, hippopotamus, kangaroos, lamas …… Might be a nice activity for the children. We have not been there yet, but we have heard positive remarks from our guests. Other options might be The Museum of Magic in Cherasco, the Toy museum in Bra (Museo di Gioccatolo), You will find some ideas here: https://www.patatofriendly.com/en/langhe-roero-with-children./There are also small “pop-up” amusement parks to be found - somewhere and sometime..
Other..:
Maybe a balloon trip? - https://giroinmongolfiera.com/ (in Carrü) , some action in go-carts https://www.facebook.com/PistaKartMondovi), truffle hunt with a guide, visit a food, wine or jazz festival, try the "Escape room" in Cuneo or……….. It is not difficult to find activities for all during the holidays!
Links - to do, adventures, festivals, to dine … :-)
To do
Rent electric and manual bikes in Carrü: https://www.ellenacicli.it/en/. They can deliver the bikes at Ferrarotti.
Rent electric bikes in Castiglione Falletto: www.rentyourbike.it. For instance for biking in Barolo.
Parco safari delle Langhe (animal park): www.parcosafarimurazzano.it
Hot air balloon trip: www.giroinmongolfiera.com or www.slowfly.it
In Turin (book tickets before you go):
The National Car museum https://www.museoauto.com/en/
Cinema museum https://www.museocinema.it/en
Planetarium https://planetarioditorino.it/en/
Museo Egizio https://www.museoegizio.it/en/
Juventus https://www.juventus.com/en
Festivals
Truffle festival Alba: www.fieradeltartufo.org
Castagne festival Cuneo: www.marrone.net.
Cheese festival Bra: https://cheese.slowfood.it/en/ and www.deliciousitaly.com/piemonte-food-wine/bra-cheese-festival
Monforte D’Alba Jazz Festival, https://www.monfortinjazz.it. July - August.
Vinum, Alba, https://www.vinumalba.com/en.
Torino Film Festival, https://www.torinofilmfest.org/en. Late November - early December.
Collisioni (music festival), Barolo, http://www.collisioni.it/en/, July.
Fiera del Bue Grasso, Carrü, https://www.fieradelbuegrassodicarru.it. December.
Feste
It seems that every little village has got their own events/parties often related to food/wine, of course. So in addition to the big festivals already named there are a lot of smaller, really authentic “feste” around us. Many of these villages has got their own specialities, special cheese (Bra, Murazzano), salami, salciccia, bread (Niella Tanaro) etc etc. and they maintain these proud traditions by organizing village parties - feste. They are announced on Facebook, so if you follow on Facebook for instance “Visit Cuneese” and “Slow Food Piemonte Valle d´Aosta” and “Bottega del Vino Dogliani Docg”
or on their internetsites: http://ildogliani.com/?lang=en and https://www.visitcuneese.it/ and https://slowfoodpiemonte.com/ (there are many more..) related to Barolo wines, Barbaresco wines. It is endless.. But you can then pick up some of the events that is going on in the area. We pick up some of them and can inform of some of the most local ones, but it is really a lot - so if you are interested search the internet, or ask us.
To be updated and extended!
…and for more information – please ask J
