Turin is one of the great walking cities of Europe, but dont take our word for it. Others more mighty than us have explored the city and left their mark. Not least some of the greatest writers of the last 200 years. Perhaps it is not by chance that one of Italy's greatest publishing houses, Einaudi, was established here in 1933.

A Literary Tour of Turin is a booklet we picked up last time we went. Among those who feature include Primo Levi, Italo Calvino, Cesare Pavese, Mario Soldati, but also non Italians such as Henry James, Gustave Flaubert, Tolstoi and even Erasmus of Rotterdam, remember him?

But a little more about  three lesser known pen pushers:

Following the Wine Route of the Tortona Hills, or Strada del Vino dei Colli Tortonesi, is the perfect way to discover not just the Doc Colli Tortonesi wines of this zone between Tortona and Voghera but fabulous typical products such as mushrooms, strawberries, cheese, salami and truffles. In fact, it is the only part of Piemonte which produces three types of truffles: white, black and 'summer' or Tuber Aestivum Vittadini.

The wine route was established in the early 1970's to take in the hamlets of Tortona, Viguzzolo, Castellar Guidobono, Volpedo, Volpeglino, Berzano di Tortona, Pozzol Groppo, Monleale, Monperone, Casasco, Brigano Frascata, Sarezzano, Cerreto Grue, Spineto Scrivia, Montemarzino, Avolasca, Montegioco, Carbonara Scrivia, Costa Vescovato, Paterna, Villaromagnano, S. Agata Fossili, Villalvernia, Cassano Spinola, Gavazzana, Castellania, Carezzano, Stazzano, Sardigliano and Casalnoceto.

From late December to just before Christmas, the white truffle is king in Alba. It commands the attention and money of locals and visitors, who hunger to buy or taste it. In the shops, it is displayed under glass and sold by the gram at about € 400-500,00 per one hundred grams.

To be honest, the truffles these days dont necessarily come from the local woods around the Ferrero Chocolate Factory, but more likely the unspoilt zones of the Monferrato area in the south-eastern part of Piedmont. Yet Alba remains, as it always has, the key market for the commercialisation of the product.

These simple carnival sweets found across the Italian regions are more than probably named after the word 'castagna' or chestnut. When done they are similar in size and colour to your average conker.

We have decided to locate this recipe in Piemonte due to the two towns of Castagnole Piemonte in the province of Turin and Castagnole Monferrato in the province of Asti.

ingredients

400gr flour, 4 dessert spoons of olive oil, 3 eggs, 4 dessert spoons of sugar, 1 lemon rind, 2 spoons of rum or cognac, 1 spoon of yeast in water.

Paniscia is a typical dish of Novara made with rice, salami and vegetables. Panissa is a different version, typical of the Vercelli area.

It is very important to remember this little detail if you meet somebody from either of the cities.

ingredients

'cannaroli' rice 300 gr., 'la duja' salami 120 gr. (do not confuse this novarese salami with the other n'duja salami from Calabria), butter, red wine a glass, beans 200gr, an onion, lard 60gr, cabbage 150gr, leek, carrots, celery, tomatoes, salt and pepper.

The delighfully named 'white chocolate salami' is easy to make and equally delicious in winter or summer.

ingredients

digestive biscuits, 2 eggs, 150gr butter, 200gr sugar, 100gr white chocolate.

This is a famous Piemontesi biscuit whose origins can be found at Casale Monferrato.

The history is well documented and the recipe was invented by Domenico Rossi.

The best 'Krumiri' are dark in color and contain no preservatives whatsoever. They were named after a popular liqueur of the time. That was in 1878.

Bagna caôda is a dish of garlic, anchovies and olive oil which is served hot with vegetables in season such as peppers, cauliflower, celery or potatoes. It is neither a first nor second course but a real stomach filler.

How sardines came to feature in one of the region's signature dishes is a real question, especially when you find them in the local markets totally out of context from the usual typical food products of Piemonte.

The medieval salt trade from Provence in France and attempted evasion of commercial taxes are the reasons.

ingredients

100g of sardines preserved in salt, 50g of butter, 50g olive oil, garlic, cream, bread, vegetables.

'Bonet' typical dessert from Piemonte region made with chocolate, rum and amaretti

A classic and simple dessert pie recipe from Piemonte made with pears in season.

Experiment by combining a couple of types of pears to vary the flavour of the finished dish.

This recipe is based on version released by the Associazione Nazionale Le Donne del Vino del Piemonte.