The Jewels of Piedmont

A Celebration of Slow Food

Tour Dates

24 October 2025 – 31 October 2025

Tour Cost

€3,695 per person
Single supplement: €385

Piedmont is the birthplace of the global “Slow Food” movement and this itinerary celebrates much of this region’s world-class produce. We hunt for the legendary white truffle of Alba, enjoy creamy risottos and alpine cheeses and visit a lively local market. We have a fun cooking class with a talented Piemontese chef and we visit one of Italy’s pre-eminent wine museums with an opportunity to learn about and taste wines from all over the country. The walking takes us on gentle trails through the immaculate vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco, and we follow mountainous tracks, past glassy alpine lakes and tiny hamlets suspended in time. We visit palaces, castles and monasteries and explore the pivotal history of this prosperous region. Piedmont is recognised throughout Europe for its culinary expertise and we have the chance to dine in some of its most prestigious restaurants.

Read review (Naked Hungry Traveller: November 2010)

Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Read article on Slow Food from The Independent (10 December 2009). Slow Food is a partner of the Banca del Vino wine museum which we visit on this tour.

This tour starts and finishes in Turin and the pick-up and drop-off point is at the Hotel Concord on Via Lagrange, close to the main train station. We can also arrange collection and drop-offs at Turin airport. Many people choose to extend their walking holiday in Italy by spending more time in Turin or by visiting Milan, Venice, Florence or Rome. For more ideas on where to go visit our City Guide page.

What’s Included?

7 nights beautiful accommodation (2 different hotels)
Two experienced and knowledgeable guides to look after your every need and bring this stunning area to life.
Gourmet meals including wine in a variety of superb restaurants, including several award winning establishments.
Support vehicle, enabling you to walk as little or as much of the trail as you please
Transport to/from Turin station or airport at the start and end of the holiday
Comprehensive pre-trip information.
Luggage transported for you so all you need to carry is a small backpack
Museum visits, food/wine tastings as per the itinerary

Our tours are genuinely all-inclusive – learn more about what we offer

Tour Highlights

Outstanding food and world-class wine
Truffle hunting with a local expert
Stunning hikes with backdrop of snow-capped mountains

Walking/Terrain

Terrain: Rolling hills, farm tracks through woods and vineyards. Rugged mountain trail on day 4

Shortest/Longest Day: 6.5km/4.1miles:10.5km/6.6miles

We have graded this hike a Level 2. Some of our tours are more challenging than others, so see how we grade our hikes to make sure you choose the right one for you. If you are interested in this tour, then you might also like to take a look at Parma, Tuscany and the Ligurian Sea or A Tuscan Harvest

Accommodation

Antico Podere Propano: Very comfortable hotel in a former farm on the edge of the medieval town of Saluzzo, rooms set around a peaceful courtyard

Corte Gondina: Delightful boutique hotel in village of La Morra with pretty garden and pool

Itinerary

LEAVE BLANK

Day 1

Meet outside the Hotel Concord on Via Lagrange, 47 at 10.00am. The hotel is 300m from Turin Central Porta Nuova Station. From the main entrance of the station, cross over the main road, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, and turn right. Take the first left (through the arches) and the hotel is on your right after 50m.
Our minibus with the Hedonistic Hiking logo will be parked in front of the hotel and we will be there wearing Hedonistic Hiking shirts. If you miss the meeting point, you will need to make your way to Saluzzo by train (1hr20mins). Change at Savigliano for the connection to Saluzzo. Alternatively, it is a 15min taxi journey from Savigliano to Saluzzo. It may also be possible to catch up with the tour at Racconigi where we will be until approximately 3.30pm.
Drive (1.5 hours) to the medieval town of Saluzzo, the artistic jewel of Piedmont nestled at the foot of Monviso (3841m). En route we have a guided visit of the Palace of Racconigi, the summer residence of the Royal House of Savoy. We spend the next 4 nights in a very comfortable, and peaceful, restored Cascina (farmhouse), Antico Podere Propano, just on the edge of the town. Later in the day, we visit the Cistercian Abbey at Staffarda before dinner at an elegant restaurant near the Abbey.

Day 2

In the morning there is the opportunity to visit the lively weekly market before a short drive takes us to the Val Grana, a valley renowned for its wonderful produce. We hike through orchards and farmland, passing by remote hamlets. After a picnic lunch, we enjoy a private guided tour of a carefully restored silk mill. After returning to the hotel there is time to explore the shops and cafes in Saluzzo. Dinner in town this evening. (8km/5 miles)

Day 3

We drive to the Colle di Sampeyre high above the tree line at 2285m. Descend through open meadows to the hamlet of Elva with its 15th-century church decorated with outstanding frescoes. Mountain and woodland tracks pass through dramatic scenery, which is dotted with hamlets suspended in time, and lead us down towards the pretty Maira valley. Dinner in a local restaurant.

(10km/6.3 miles)

Day 4

A beautiful drive up the fertile Po valley takes us to the foot of Monviso and the source of the river at 2020m. From a mountain refuge, we climb up on mountain trails past pristine lakes, enjoying magnificent views of Monviso and the Cottian Alps. Approximate ascent/descent 500m. Dinner in a wonderful local restaurant in Saluzzo this evening.

(6.5km/4.1 miles)

Day 5

A short drive takes us to the pretty medieval town of Cherasco—famous for its many churches, chocolates… and snails. We have a chocolate tasting with a delightful local artisan. We then continue to Pollenzo, the home of the University of Gastronomic Sciences and visit the Banca del Vino. This unique wine museum, housed in the historic cellars of a former Royal residence, offers visitors the chance to learn about and taste some of the best wines from around Italy. We continue to the Langhe region where we indulge in a leisurely lunch at a fabulous restaurant with views over the vineyards. We stay for 3 nights at the charming Corte Gondina Hotel in La Morra. Time to stroll around the village or relax and enjoy the private spa in the afternoon. In the evening we meet a local winemaker who talks to us about the fabulous wines of this region. Light supper in the hotel.

Day 6

We start the day by heading into the woods with a local truffle hunter to search, with his dog, for the prized tuber. Our hike continues, descending through Barolo vineyards past a pretty rural chapel, stopping en route to visit the cellars of one of the local producers and taste their range of wines. After our picnic, we return to the hotel by van. In the afternoon, we visit a small farm for a fun cooking class, learning to make some local specialties and we enjoy a truffle-inspired menu.

(7km/4.5 miles)

Day 7

Starting from a village in the foothills of the Alta Langa, we walk through hazelnut groves and vineyards with panoramic views of the Langhe and the snow-capped Alps beyond. Picnic in the countryside near the village of Sinio. Later in the day, we visit the pretty regional capital Alba to experience the passeggiata before our final dinner in a Michelin-star restaurant.

(10.5km/6.6 miles)