Walk with us and Earn the Right to Indulge!

Some lunches in Italy are more of a marathon than a sprint. Pace yourself, that’s the name of the game. And then there’s the wine; so many different varieties - each one better than the last!

We have just finished our 12-day Walks and Wonders Tours for the year. We’re now thinking of calling it the 12-day Walks and Wonders (plus a whole lot of scrumptious food and wine) Tour! Every day we look forward to discovering different regional wines and dishes. With appetites of hungry walkers, we’re more than ready to sit down and enjoy a couple of hours of conversation and laughter together.

Our tour commences with an introductory walk around the medieval town of Varzi, followed by aperitivi at our favourite bar. In the evening, we head up into the hills surrounding Varzi for a memorable welcome dinner. We start our meal with a variety of 4 or 5 appetizers (antipasti), such as artichoke patties topped with Taleggio cheese, chickpea pancakes with pancetta, and carpaccio with lemon and celery. These were accompanied with the local salame, pancetta, coppa and culaccio (culatello). The local wine that pairs beautifully with cold meat is the slightly fizzy Bonarda and a local white Pinot Noir. Next arrives a most exquisite risotto with fresh porcini, followed by pici with a hearty ragu sauce topped with fried Parmigiano. For “secondi” or mains, we enjoyed Italian-style roast veal accompanied by roast potatoes with rosemary and olive oil. To top off a fantastic evening’s dinner, we were presented with dessert and coffee. Pistachio tiramisu! Just divine. Everyone loved this dessert, so we dutifully asked the chef for the recipe - which will be in our next newsletter! 😊

How to Cook Like Nonna - Just Enough, But Not Too Much!

On Day 2 we cross the border from Lombardy into Emilia Romagna. Today’s meal is not quite as large as others, but it is still an impressive array of local dishes. By now we have walked the hills of the Staffora and Trebbia Valleys, so we arrive with a very healthy appetite. Our lunch destination is a restaurant that has been owned and operated by the same family for 4 generations. The highlight of this meal is always the creamy amaretto and coffee semifreddo for dessert. The tortelli with ricotta and stinging nettle in a butter and sage sauce are delicious and they pair beautifully with the local Ortrugo white wine, which is a local dry and slightly effervescent wine. This dish was followed by an incredible plate of maccheroni al ragu, unique to the town of Bobbio, which paired just as well with the local Gutturnio wine; a blend of the Barbera and Croatina grapes. Gutturnio is a lovely well-rounded wine with a cherry aroma.

Day four starts with the local market that fills Varzi’s town piazza. It is a great place to buy clothes and sample regional cheeses, fresh fruits, and salame. Guests relax and explore the market and have lunch at their leisure. Our afternoon's 3-hour walk takes us through one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Oltrepo Pavese, crossing into the region of Piedmont and back again. We commence our walk at the quaint village of Cecima, a medieval town built with the stones of the Staffora river. Cecima sits on a hilltop offering views of Mount Penice, Mount Boglelio, and the Staffora River. Guests marvel at the views as we wind our way through rolling hills scattered with rustic farms, orchards, and vineyards.

Today’s restaurant is family-run and very well-known throughout the region. It seemingly sits in the middle of nowhere but is heaving with people for a Saturday lunch. From the presentation and taste of the dishes, it’s obvious that the family has a passion for high-quality produce and regional cuisine. Once again, we are delighted with an array of appetizers. But it was the caramelle pasta (called so because they’re shaped like a wrapped lolly) filled with spinach and ricotta with a crumble of black truffle in a butter sauce, that blew our minds. Another highlight of the 3-hour lunch was the trolley of regional cheeses accompanied by an amazing local chestnut honey. This lunch felt well and truly deserved after we had climbed 4km uphill along the ancient Salt Road. After lunch we enjoyed a nice long afternoon walk through farmland, chestnut forests, and vineyards.

Today began with a stroll through Varzi’s antique/ bric-a-brac market and was followed by a walk in the hills above the Staffora Valley. This particular walk is quite spectacular and offers views of two castles (that are now privately owned), quaint villages, fields of wildflowers, barley, and lucerne, plus ash, oak, and chestnut forests. We arrive at a tiny hamlet to an agriturismo famous for its scrumptious food and for making everything by hand.

The rustic building that houses the restaurant was built in in 1864. It was once a tavern, a school, a food shop, and a tobacconist! Unfortunately, it closed in the 1970’s when young people were moving away from the country to the city. However, on the weekends it now thrives in its new guise as a renowned restaurant brought to life by the great-grandchildren of the original owner.

The food here is amazing. The wine is homemade and a unique blend of 3 local grapes. As is typical at these restaurants, everyone is seated around 1 pm and the dishes come out one by one. As the plates continued to be served, a guest commented that they had a love-hate relationship with the waiters and were getting Stockholm Syndrome as they came to our table with one tasty dish after another!

A slow walk after lunch along the windy back roads is just what we need! 😊

Today we start with an uphill walk on a quiet country lane that passes farmland, chestnuts, oaks, and firs. Our destination - an ancient abbey dating back to 1030 AD. The abbey is a serene and spiritual place with 15th-century frescoes and stunning views over the valley. Interestingly, it is also believed that King Edward II’s temporary tomb was here.

After building up an appetite we enjoy lunch outdoors at a family-run agriturismo known for their delicious sheep and cow cheese. One daughter runs the farm whilst one makes the cheese. The mother, Carmela, cooks the delightful food! Most of the dishes here are vegetarian. The red and white wine is homemade, and they are light and tasty. They complement the dishes perfectly. Carmela is from the region of Basilicata. Last time we were there we were lucky to get a fresh batch of Orecchiette Lucana (from Basilicata) with a tomato-based sauce and a good amount of olive oil, which was delicious. We also arrived at the right time to watch the homemade bread being placed into the wood-fired oven in preparation to sell at a market in a nearby town, Pavia, the next day.

After lunch, we visited the farm where the goats and cows are milked. Most of the cows here are unique to Varzi and are called Razza Varzese (The Varzi Breed).

Much of our walk after lunch is downhill to Varzi. We start our walk from Oramala Castle, which sits imposingly over Varzi. The castle has a long history of exchanging hands between the ruling kings and feudal lords. It is said that Dante Alighieri and Frederico Barbarossa both stayed at Oramala.

Day Ten is a special day on tour because we head to the beautiful Ligurian seaside. We arrive at San Rocco, which sits 221 metres above sea level, and walk down into the town of Camogli. After exploring the shops and pebbled beach of Camogli, we meet at a local restaurant that juts out over the bay to enjoy a wonderful meal of freshly steamed mussels for entrée and mussels in a light tomato and olive oil sauce for the main. The local white, Vermentino, naturally goes well with our seafood. It is a delightful airy setting with open windows all around us and sea views in every direction.

Our last day of the tour is indeed a special one! We visit our friend Giovanella who owns and runs the Castello di Luzzano winery. Castello di Luzzano is a magical mix of the old and the new, with history and modern art intertwined. Giovanella has surrounded herself with employees that have a passion for producing the best wine possible, whilst respecting the natural flavours of the grapes that are grown here.

We start with a tour of the vineyards which sit directly on either side of the border of Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. This means Giovanella can produce DOC and DOCG wines from two different regions. Two of the more notable wines here are the Malvasia di Candia, and the Pinot Noir. The Oltrepo Pavese is the third largest pinot noir wine region in Europe and the largest in Italy. Hence, it’s a very important wine for the local winemakers. The region is becoming well known for its amazing sparkling wines, and Giovanella recently won an award for having one of the best dry red Pinot Noirs in all of Italy!

Luca, who is just as passionate about making good wine as Giovanella, shows us around the estate. He takes us on a tour of the wine cellar which is over 1000 years old. Then he shows us where the Roman artifacts are stored as they have been uncovered onsite over the years - Julius Caesar came through this valley and one of his soldiers stayed and created a vineyard on the land. We were also lucky to see an array Giovanella ‘s artistic creations in the winery. She is wholly responsible for hand designing all the wine labels and a significant portion of the art displayed throughout the estate. Lunch is in the old 18th Century Customs house which has been transformed into a beautiful restaurant. Luca joins us for lunch and explains the wines to us as they are paired with our lunch. It is a wonderful experience, with great food, great wine, and passionate people producing something they are immensely proud of.

The afternoon walk is along the ridge top of the Oltrepo Pavese wine region heading down into the area most famous for sparkling Pinot Noir wines. We stop in Santa Maria della Versa for our last gelato together and return to Varzi for our farewell aperitivo; gin and tonic is a popular choice! Tomorrow is farewell day and once again it’s very sad for us to say goodbye to our wonderful guests who we have spent this magical time with over the past 12 days.

Places for our 2025 walking tours are available now and if you would like to know more about this magical itinerary simply click here.

Tanti Saluti!

Lynette and Jim.

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