Tag: nature

itinerary in Valle Maira between nature and typical cuisine – Italian Cuisine

Proximity tourism is the key to 2020 holidays. An interesting destination could be "the other" Piedmont

Piedmont is a popular destination for many, with unique destinations between mountains, lakes, nature, perched villages and historical monuments. In addition to the undeniable richness of food and wine, known all over the world.

Today we want to tell you about a part of the region a little less traveled: the mountains of the Maira valley, a territory full of charm that faces west, on the border with France.
Defined by many as the Unknown Valley, it is perfect for that type of tourism defined slow.

How to get there, what to do, what to see, what to eat

The Maira Valley it is about 45 km long; easily reachable from Turin and Milan, taking the Provincial Road 422 from Cuneo towards Dronero.
It gives unique emotions and unexpected paths, with different levels of difficulty in mountain excursions and regenerating overnight stays in the refuges.
It is ideal for those who want to think of a real holiday of relaxation, good food and sunbathing in a cool and windy climate.

We start from an interesting excursion to Villar San Costanzo, a few kilometers north of Dronero, between nature reserves and Romanesque architecture.
The stone Ciciu del Vilar (the stone puppets), about 600 meters high. In geomorphology they are called Earth pyramids, 12 thousand years old: columns of very compact earth surmounted by a stone boulder, are located at the entrance of the Maira Valley, in the Villar nature reserve. They closely resemble the chimneys of the Cappadocia fairies.
In the same place, to visit: San Costanzo al Monte and Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Located in a privileged position, in the middle of the woods, on the slopes of Monte San Bernardo.
For info and visits to the Sanctuary of San Costanzo al Monte, tel +39 0171 917080.

TO Droneroamong other things, we go for medieval architecture and its Ponte Vecchio, a fifteenth-century structure, renamed Ponte del Diavolo.
On the old woman Via degli Acciugai, where once men left for the Ligurian coast (between September and May) to buy anchovies: the return by train and the sale by street vendors, on wooden carts, where the kegs full of salted anchovies were loaded.
TO Macra cells, the Mountain Community has set up multimedia stations to remember this tradition and the hard work of the anchovies.

There Maira Valley cuisine it is simple, made of few ingredients, but it is a sincere cuisine, very often contaminated by the Provencal flavors of nearby France. Flavors that were brought back here by women who migrated for the season (from the olive harvest to the mimosa) or for nannies.
Potatoes, chestnuts, mushrooms, legumes. Many soups (pumpkin, vegetables and nettles), gnocchi, prepared with Prazzo potatoes, Ravioles (typical of Occitan cuisine), anchovies and Bagna Cauda with them.

Let Macra and Celle move towards Marmora. For a long regenerating break at the Relais Alpino Brieis, a popular hotel that is located in Borgata Brieis in Marmora.
An inn with every comfort, perfect after long walks, excursions on foot or by MTB. The small spa, with Finnish sauna and a beautiful wooden tub with hydromassage. A restaurant offering typical local dishes, in the kitchen the young chef Francesco Marullo.

Elva
In a lateral valley of the Maira Valley stands Elva, at 1637 meters above sea level. It was a possession of the Marquisate of Saluzzo. Between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century the Elvese specialized in a curious profession, i pelassier or hair traders, who bought in Northern Italy, and then made wigs that were sold all over the world.

Where to sleep in Elva
Le Colonne Resort, inn with spa and restaurant offering typical cuisine, is located in Borgata Serre, the capital of Elva.

Elva refuge
La Sousto from Col – Colle San Giovanni (Colle delle Cavalline), tel +39 346 782 4680.
Overnight only by reservation. Kitchen service from Thursday to Sunday, better to book.

What to buy in Elva

Honey
Elva honey by Floriano Turco, mountain honey, nomadic organic beekeeping; we are more than 2000 meters above sea level, in Elva Floriano Turco has the honey extraction laboratory in a renovated high mountain hut.
Location San Giovanni. Receives by appointment only, tel +39 338 2030388.

Typical cheese
Toma di Elva, also called Case of Elva or Toumo de Caso (house toma in the Occitan language). It is produced by the Elvese Dairy, Serre Capoluogo township, Elva; La Meira Dairy, Borgata Meira.
Dairy Sarvanot (in Stroppo – Borgata Cucchiales, 20) for Toma di Elva and Berulet, raw sheep's milk cheese. The dairy does not sell directly; it is possible to buy the products on Friday morning in the Valle shops (Ape Maira in Stroppo, La Gabelo in Prazzo)

Mountain huts for overnight stays

Stroppia refuge
To be seen: The Stroppia waterfalls, the highest in Italy (only in spring, because in summer the natural basin from which the waterfalls originate dries up).
Rifugio Gardetta, Plateau Monte Rocca.

Locanda Mistral Borgata Ponte Maira, Acceglio (Cuneo).
Organize an excursion in the mountains, in contact with nature, and overnight in Acceglio at Locanda Mistral. The owner, Renato Botte, is also an expert mountain guide and can accompany you on various excursions.
In the kitchen Manuela, Renato Botte's wife, who will make you taste the cuisine and traditional dishes of the Maira Valley, rigorously made with local products.
They propose an interesting Weekend package (three days and two nights) until October 18th.
It is part of Green Pearls Unique Places, a platform specializing in sustainable tourism.

The nature of Mont Blanc does not stop, the Saussurea Botanical Garden reopens – Italian Cuisine

The Saussurea Alpine Botanical Garden, a wonder of the Alps that hosts 900 specimens of alpine life, reopens in summer 2020

Nature does not stop and with the melting of the white snow, it discovers rocks, plants and a flourishing vegetation. It is then that the Saussurea Botanical Garden awakens. The spell is for the eyes of those who want it. Of those looking for it. Of those who waited for him to get rid of the torpor and fear of these months in which everything stopped.

Garden Botanist Saussurea

Completely immersed in nature, you will finally feel free, overwhelmed by the immense, in contemplation of infinite and infinitely beautiful spaces. The Saussurea Botanical Garden he will welcome you into his womb which is cyclically renewed, and together with you he will rewrite the possibility of continuing the path to the top, strengthened by past obstacles.

The garden was wanted by Laurent Ferretti, and takes its name from the Saussurea alpina, in turn named in honor of Horace Benedict de Saussure, the Swiss scholar who in 1786 promoted the first ascent to Mont Blanc. Opened in 1987, the garden has never stopped enriching its structure and proposing new initiatives.

The garden welcomes 900 different species of alpine plants and is divided into two areas. There before it houses the flower beds arranged in rocks, divided by geographical area. We observe the mountain flora of exotic regions such as North America, New Zealand and the Himalaya. In second in the garden area, on the other hand, some plant environments typical of the Alps have been recreated, including for example the scree, which is the area characterized by the continuous supply of mobile debris, i.e. rocks of different sizes that fall from the highest part of the mountain. There snowy valley it is another characteristic environment, it is, as the name says, of valleys covered by snow for most of the year, which then remain impregnated with humidity in the few months in which they are free from snow. A third example of an alpine mini-ecosystem is l'Alneto. Typically populated by green alder (Alnus viridis), it is usually found in humid environments, such as landslides facing north, or near water courses.

Renovation work and activities

During 2019, thanks to a European interregional cooperation program between Italy and France, the Saussurea Foundation conducted renovation works which ended just before the autumn snowfalls and which will be visible in the summer of 2020, when the snow melts (possibly from June 20 to September 20). During these works a new path of deepening dedicated to some macro-areas: the mountain, i glaciers, i vertebrates, the invertebrates, i lichens. They are interactive areas where you can use binoculars, magnifying glasses or leave writing memories. A lively, dynamic dialogue that also promotes stories, memories and signs.

The outdoor route is followed by an informative moment within thecozy chalet. A brand new interactive touchscreen, full of images and information will bring diehard tech lovers to make a hypertextual exploration of the garden.

The Saussurea Botanical Garden organizes a rich series of activities for visitors, among which the path of Photo-Botanical Trekking. The photographer Enzo Massa Micon will guide you in the discovery of unsuspected perspectives of petals and leaves against the incomparable background of the Mont Blanc. The wonders of botany will reveal themselves together with the secrets of photographic technique. You can participate with a professional camera, or simply with your smartphone.

The fresh air and the distance from the ordinary world are a natural invitation to meditation. Giovanna Cucchieri will lead lessons in the garden Natural Yoga. Barefoot in the grass, participants will be invited to perform simple, static and dynamic exercises, focused on breathing and movement.

Over time, some plants of the mountain have assumed a highly symbolic value. Among these, a special role plays the Edelweiss, protagonist of many mountain legends and metaphor for a pure and unconditional love. Her role as queen of the mountain is an opportunity for one theatrical representation at high altitude.

The garden has also thought of the little ones, organizing a series of engaging experiences for children, who can bring with them a magical memory of this place.

Suspended in an enchantment between the valley and the sky, the Saussurea Botanical Garden awaits you in its renewed soul. In a unique context, capable of transforming each experience into a dream to remember. In an atmosphere of reflection, which helps us to find the meaning of our participation in the unceasing becoming of the world-system.

Incoming search terms:

https://gordon-ramsay-recipe com/tag/saussurea

Among the trees, in the middle of the river, suspended in the void: the hotels to enjoy nature – Italian Cuisine

In Sweden he is about to inaugurate a floating hotel from which to admire the northern lights. But even Italian facilities offer unique experiences

In the summertime floats on the waters of the river Lule, in winter it is set in the ice. And from its rooms with huge windows to the ceiling, you can admire the sky without having to go out. The Arctic Bath hotel, designed by Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, is about to open in Sweden: it is the ideal place to enjoy the Northern Lights phenomenon, from October to March, or the midnight sun. There are only six rooms, set up on a circular structure that has a natural pool with very cold water inside. The inevitable wellness center has twelve cabins for massages, thermal baths and crystal treatments. A structure that, as the designers wanted, has the least possible impact on the environment.

Who loves to immerse themselves in nature, always in Sweden, can also choose the Treehotel, with its own rooms in glass, bird's nest, Ufo-shaped, suspended among the tall trees in the pine forests of the northern part of the country, with a panoramic view of the river.

The rooms of the Free Spirits Hotel in Canada are real spheres in the trees of the rainforest coastal Vancouver Island, British Columbia: a unique hotel, where you can seek peace and relaxation by doing glamping, a new type of camping, between green and luxury. Or from which to go to discover the natural wonders that the island offers.

In the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in Peru, the Skylodges Adventure Suits allow you to sleep suspended in a transparent capsule at 300 meters of height (but with all the comforts), for a breathtaking experience where the condors fly.

And in Italy? In the Renon (Bolzano), the Adler Lodge Ritten is a cozy retreat in the forest, among fragrant trees, Spa in the woods and lakeside chalets. It was opened in late June. There is the possibility of reach the structure with the cable car starting from the center of Bolzano. Guests arriving by foot from the forest to the plateau face a large clearing overlooking the entrance of the central structure, all covered in black wood. Around, 20 chalets (some on the shore of a natural pond) with large windows, sauna and fireplace.

In Friuli Venezia Giulia, in Claut Valcellina, stands the Tree Village, a veritable small village of small houses built on trees without damaging them. The structure provides sleeping bags: each cottage can accommodate 2 to 6 people.

Never slept in a cave? In Matera Sextantio le Grotte della Civita is a widespread hotel, of which they are part well 18 caves carved into the tufa rock, to relive the feelings of the families who lived there until the fifties.