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:

We recently received an email from the CENTRO POINT A.M.I. Bike of the Upper Po Valley who specialize in Piemonte mountain bike holidays. These guys form part of the 'scuola nazionale maestri di mountain bike' or 'the national school for mountain bike experts'. The email outlined various routes for discovering this area near the source of the River Po and we highlight a few here.

If you are looking for an itinerary through the region that captures a variety of sights, tastes and flavors try this one in the southern part of the province of Alessandria.

Start at Gavi, the town which produces some of the most sought after wine in Italy. It is dominated by the fortress built under the Republic of Genova and was home to Mario Soldati, not a soldier but the famous writer.

The Strada del Vino dell'Alto Monferrato e Terre del Gavi winds its way through the mountain communities of Alta Val Lemme-Alto Ovadese and Alta Valle Orba, Erro e Bormida in Piemonte.

The Wine Route has two main points of reference in this zone just south of Alessandria: the Ornithological Museum of Tagliolo and the public enoteca 'Bottega del Vino' in Cavatore.

The Consorzio Operatori Turistici Lago Maggiore based in Stresa has produced a small guide to the zone. It's not so much an itinerary as a list of places you should not miss, so here goes.

If anyone has ever wondered where the River Po starts its long, slow path to the Adriatic Sea, it's here at 2020 metres above sea level.

The territory can be divided into 5 areas which group together geographic and environmental similarities.

The 'Sentieri Pavesiani e del Moscato d'Asti' or Paths of Moscato d'Asti Wine is a route through the wine hills to the south east of Alba in the province of Cuneo.

Your reference point is the town of S.Stefano Belbo recognisable from all around by its ruined, medieval tower which once guarded everyone and everything along the River Belbo.

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 Honey Road or Strada del Miele in Piemonte is a sweet itinerary through the heart of the most beautiful landscapes of the Roero.

Locally it has been described as a 'cultural corridor' and is 40km from Bra to Cisterna d'Asti passing through 11 small towns and hamlets of the ridge of the Rocche.

Lake Maggiore is shared by two Italian regions. While the eastern shores nestle in Lombardia, the western side of the Lake marks the north eastern corner of Piemonte and even the border with Switzerland a few kilometers north of Cannobio. As you might expect, the cultural exchanges over the centuries have left their mark in the names of the towns and various comuni.