Piemonte Itineraries

The carnival of Ivrea is one of Italy's most spectacular thanks to one enterprising ingredient - the Battle of the Oranges. Three days of build up and offically sanctioned violence are 'organised' when the squares and piazze are turned into battle grounds between 9 competing teams and 3000 people. The origin of the madness goes back to a legendary people's revolt against Count Ranieri of Biandrate and is based on liberty and freedom of expression. Before the battle on the Sunday of Carnival, the populace are fed with free beans, perhaps to sustain them during the rigors of battle. The…

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…

The Ente Turismo Alba Bra Langhe & Roero has produced a fantastic guide called 'Le Vie della Fede' or Faith Routes in the province of Cuneo, Piemonte. For those German search engines it's 'Auf den Spuren der Kirchen'. The booklet is a one-stop reference to 66 Roman, Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Baroque places of reflection from around a total of 269. Most are a throwback to when pilgrims travelling south sought a well earned break having put the worst of the treacherous Alps behind them. Within the guide there is also a further route called the 'Vie del Silenzio e della…