Discover Italy off the well-trodden path.

Discover Italy Off the Well-Trodden Path

It is often said that the simple pleasures in life make us the happiest, like taking long walks through chestnut-covered hills or seeing the world open to us in a tapestry of farmland and wild spring flowers. Other simple pleasures that elicit happiness are, soaking up the pasta sauce on our plate with a piece of bread, or enjoying every creamy lick of our favourite gelato flavour.

When we slow life down and enjoy the moment, we start to understand a bit more about what it’s like to be Italian. For 12-days on our Walks and Wonders Tour of Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria, Jim and I escort our guests on an immersive experience into Italian culture that’s full of these simple pleasures that evolve around Italians’ love for nature, food, family, and friendship.

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Even on a grey winter’s day with the roads iced up in the shade, walking the hills of the Oltrepo Pavese in the northwest of Italy was always more enticing for Jim and I than staying indoors by the fire! If you haven’t been to Varzi and the Oltrepo, imagine a mix of Tuscany and Provence – and without the tourists! This area is the base for our Walks and Wonders Tour.

On our walking tour you’ll enjoy walks through forests, along country lanes on beautiful rolling hills, and the charming towns of the Oltrepo. You’ll also visit the lakes of Piedmont and a stunning walk along the hills of the Ligurian seaside. We have taken care of all the logistics. You can choose to walk for as little or as long as you like. We have a support vehicle at hand for guests running low on energy or who become a bit sore on the walks.

Walking the Via del Sale

Most of our tour meals are hearty regional and local lunches enjoyed after we do our walks and guests are ready to sit back and share a lovely long lunch. Most evenings are left free to choose to unwind with an aperitivo or share a pizza at one of the local restaurants. The Oltrepo region, and Varzi in particular are famous for salame and some scrumptious pasta dishes. It is also known for its high-quality wines. The Oltrepò is the largest pinot noir (pinot nero in Italian) wine region in Italy, and the third largest in the world, after Burgundy and Champagne. The region uses pinot nero grapes primarily to produce its Metodo Classico sparkling white wines, which are increasing in quality and national importance every year. Lunches are mostly accompanied by the local red wines, Barbera and Bonarda, which pair beautifully with local dishes.

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The walks over the 12 days of this tour offer a range of enjoyable experiences. Most are in the verdant rolling hills around Jim’s dad’s hometown of Varzi, but we also enjoy a 10km stroll next to the rice fields, parklands and canals of Pavia and experience a more challenging climb along the old mule track of an ancient Salt Road! Each day you can opt to do as little or as much as you want – it’s your holiday after all!

a group of people are sitting at a table in front of a castle .

Our 12-day Walks and Wonders Tours is fully booked for 2024, but if you would like to join us in 2025 on the 13th - 24th of May you can contact us by clicking here to arrange a private tour.