Piedmont: round trip

Delights in northern Italy

On this bike tour you will discover the beautiful Piedmont, a true paradise for gourmets. Fantastic wines, highest quality truffles, sweet chocolate and a refined cuisine attract gourmets from all over the world to this region. In the daytime in the saddle you earn the calories for nice breaks and splendid evenings. On bike paths and side roads you cycle the first 2 days mainly on the flat, then to Asti a hilly route waits for you. Only at the town entrances and exits as well as at short connecting roads you have to expect a little more traffic. But the lovely countryside, hills covered with wine rapes and in the distance the majestic Alps, ensure new variety every day. And Turin, the first capital of Italy, will delight you with its baroque buildings, exceptionally beautiful squares and kilometers of arcades in which fine shops and good restaurants hide.

1. day Arrival Turin

Via train or plane Turin is reached quickly. In the evening personal tour information and rental bikes.

2. day Turin - Pinerolo approx. 50 km

Through one of the most beautiful city parks in Italy and along the banks of the Po you cycle to the magnificent castle Stupingi. Already overwhelmed by the sight, the roaring stag on the castle roof
removes all doubts. The late baroque splendor Castle (1730/31) served for many years as a royal hunting estate. Put here a worthwhile break before you continue cycling to Pinerolo, a small village, where the soft, delicious and aromatic cheese "seirass" is produced.

3. day Pinerolo - Saluzzo approx. 45 km

Surrounded by majestic high mountains, you cycle through the Po Valley past cherry and apple orchards, kiwi plantations and hazelnut trees. Small towns proudly presents its beautiful mansions. Look forward to Saluzzo - a medieval town whose beautiful preserved town scape earned the nickname "Siena of Piedmont."

4. day Saluzzo - Bra approx. 65 km

Today you visit Manta Castle with its magnificent frescoes or Benevagienna, a city of Roman origin with archaeological excavations. The small town of Bra is considered as the capital of Gourmets. The organization 'Slow Food' was founded in Bra. It is committed to conscious eating and drinking, to the preservation of culinary traditions and products as well as for local biodiversity.

5. day Bra - Alba approx. 50 km

Today you will cycle to the village Pollenzo that appears insignificant at first glance. Discover the chic Palace, which is now used as a hotel, the courtyard, the church and the estate, that (established in 2004) is home to the first "private University of Gastronomic Science" and features a very impressive wine library. You will then cycle into the middle of the famous wine-growing region of Barolo. Although this are initially 200 meters to master, but you'll be rewarded with a fantastic view, nice wines villages and the wine cellar in the famous wine village of Barolo. Following the river Tanno you roll in the truffle town of Alba (headquarters of the company "Ferrero"). Let yourself be enchanted in the bright lights of the evening by the ancient charm of the town.

6. day Alba - Asti approx. 40 km

Today you see to your right again the vineyards of Barbaresco and to your left the hills of the Roero. Here delicious red and white grapes grow which are processed by good wine growers to the famous Asti Spumante. As you cycle through the wine growing region Roero, you pass the castles to Guarene and Cistern to Asti. Enjoy this lively and vibrant city. Asti was the most powerful and wealthiest city of the Republic of Piedmont in the Middle Ages. Luckily today there is still much visible of this wealth. The medieval center is still preserved almost completely and invites you for strolling.

7. day Asti - Turin approx. 45 km + train ride

On lonely roads, along small streams and through the typical Piedmontese wine landscape you cycle back to Turin. In the last kilometers the river Po accompanies you back to the city. Enjoy again this
Baroque residence, cozy cafes, premium ice cream and delicious antipasti.

8. day Departure Turin

Today your journey in Italy ends after breakfast in the hotel.

Worth knowing about the bike trip

Below please find more information about your bike trip. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421-886890.

Parking facilities at the starting hotel

There are parking facilities in the hotels available on inquiry approx. EUR 15.00 per day, a reservation is not possible, notice in advance is desired, payable on site. Alternatively, there is a garage near the hotel for around EUR 21.00 per day. You will receive detailed information on parking at the hotel booked for you with the detailed travel documents two weeks before the start of your journey.

Arrival by train

Turin Porta Susa Station: by taxi to the hotel (about 10 minutes, price about 10,00 EUR) or by bus and tram. Train Station Turin Porta Nuova: about 800 m from the hotel, on foot about 15 minutes, taxi about 5 minutes, Price about 5,00 EUR or by tram / bus.

Train schedule information Deutsche Bahn

Train schedule information Trenitalia

Arrival by plane

You fly to Turin Sandro Pertini Airport in Caselle (about 15 km north of Turin): by taxi to
Hotel about 35,00 EUR, duration about 30 minutes or by train and tram from the airport to the hotel.
Alternatively, you can fly to Malpensa Airport in Milan (about 140 km from Turin): use the bus service provided by SADEM. Every 2 to 2½ hours daily. Duration approx. 2 hours, costs approx. 22,00 EUR per person. The ticket can be purchased at the airport in "Shop Airport 2000" or "Malpensa bus express".

Lufthansa

KLM

Alitalia

Sadem

Arrival by car

Vignette required at the motorways in Austria 10-day vignette about 9,50 EUR. The toll on the Italian side of the Brenner to Turin costs about 54,00 EUR from Tarvisio to Turin about 81,20 EUR.

Touring information and rental bikes

The personal route information with rental bike takes place on the day of arrival in the hotel. Any changes will be announced upon arrival at the reception.

Condition of the bike paths

You cycle on bike paths and smaller roads without much traffic. During the first to days the route is almost flat. After that the route is hilly. On day 5 you have to cycle more and more hilly parts. There is some more traffic at the entrance and exit of the towns. 

Available rental bikes

You can choose between unisex 21-speed touring bikes and unisex 7-speed touring bikes with coaster brake, men's bikes available on request in different frame sizes. 8-speed unisex electric bikes in different frame sizes are also available on request. The unisex bikes are suitable for all cyclists from about 148cm height and the men's bikes from 165 cm. You simply give your bike request when booking.

Weather and clima

The Piedmont is mainly influenced by the alpine climate, characterized by harsh winters and not too hot summers.

Cycling in italy

In Italy, warning vests are mandatory outside closed areas at night and at dusk.

Costs which are not included in the travel price

Since the beginning of 2011 guests have to pay a tourism tax in many italian towns. The costs are 3-4 EUR per person and night. This tourism tax is not included in the tour price.

7 day hotline service

In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 7 days a week in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

An up-to-date overview of applicable measures and travel and safety advice regarding Covid-19 for all countries in the EU and Switzerland can be found here:
https://reopen.europa.eu/en/

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Turin

Turin is mostly known for the car company Fiat and the football team Juventus Turin. But Turin has more things to see: In the 19th century Turin has been the capital of Italy. The city has a beautiful baroque center with many nice buildings and places. The Savoyards called the city the capital in 1563 and had the power in Northern Italy for a long time. The built a lot of castles and palaces in Turin and the surroundings. In 1997 Turin has been registered as an UNESCO world cultural heritage.

Turin

The shroud of Turin

The Shroud is a linen sheet whose weave is a herringbone pattern made in the ancient Egypt manner before Christ. It measures 442 cm long by 113 cm high plus a 8 cm strip sewed lengthwise. On the tissue there is a faint impression of an image, the frontal and dorsal one of a man who suffered the death of crucifixion. It is a sudarium or shroud and the image distinctive characteristic is of being like one of a negative film.

The Shroud of Turin

Museo delle Antichità Egizie

The Museo delle Antichità Egizie is the only museum other than the Cairo Museum that is dedicated solely to Egyptian art and culture. Many international scholars, since the decipherer of Egyptian
hieroglyphs Jean-François Champollion, who came to Turin in 1824, spend much time pouring over the collections. It was Champollion who famously wrote, “The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin”. The collections that make up today’s Museum were enlarged by the excavations conducted in Egypt by the Museum’s archaeological mission between 1900 and 1935 (a period when finds were divided between the excavators and Egypt).

Museo delle Antichità Egizie

Saluzzo

Saluzzo was once a powerful city-state and its one-time historical importance has left a stirring legacy etched in red terracotta bricks. The town today is divided into 'old' and 'new' quarters, and the two sections are a short walk apart. It's well off the beaten track but a nice place for a meal and a walk to ponder its interesting history and Alpine views.

Saluzzo

Castello Manta Saluzzo

The baronial hall at Manta Castle, on the hillsides in the province of Cuneo, is home to one of the most astonishing testaments of international Gothic painting: a cycle of frescoes depicting “Heroes and Heroines” contrasting, on the opposite wall, with the mysterious depiction of the “Fountain of Youth”.

The Manta Castle complex is the result of a series of buildings beginning with the original stronghold of the XIII century; it was embellished in the 1500s by the elegant “Grotesque” hall and a delightful gallery with frescoes. The nearby parish church as precious 1400s frescoes.

Manta Castle

Pollenzo

It was Carlo Alberto who perceived the potential of the land at Pollenzo, transforming it into a true and functioning agricultural enterprise, including vines and cellars where the oenologist Paolo Francesco Staglieno was charged with experimenting on new winemaking techniques using Nebbiolo grapes.
These methodologies continue to be used today in the traditional great reds of the Langhe: Barolo and Barbaresco. In 1832 the King decided to start reclamation and planning works for the surrounding territory totalling about 685 hectares. King Charles Albert asked architects Pelagio Pelagi and Ernesto Melano to give the residence a neo-gothic style, drawing inspiration more from the style of English Courts than French ones.

Pollenzo

Cheesemaking in Bra

Close to Alba lies the town of Bra, famous for cheese making and the famous Bra DOP cheese. The northern Italian city is the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Every 2 years, the Cheese Festival takes place in Bra and attracts visitors from near and far.

Cheesemaking

Alba

Alba’s history goes back several thousand years with evidence dating it to the Stone Age. The area was inhabited by the Ligurians who invaded the area five centuries before Christ. The arrival of the Romans placed a distinct Latin influence on the area and the town became a significant trading centre along the river Tanaro and an eight sided parameter wall was erected giving the old part of the town the shape still seen today.

Today Alba, the natural capital of the Langhe, is a chic sophisticated town with Via Maestra being the home of many high class shopping establishments. Alba’s popularity as a town contributes to the ever increasing price of property in the area.

Alba

Castle of Guarene

A castle or palace has dominated Guarene from its hill for seven centuries. In the Medieval era a
fortress stood on this site. In the 18th century a new summer residence was designed and built here for the Counts of Roero by Count Carlo Giacinto – the most well-known member of the family lineage and an important figure of the 18th-century Piedmontese aristocracy. The palace is an impressive three-storey edifice, reaching 25 metres in height and surrounded by extensive and elegant gardens landscaped in the Italian style in the first half of the eighteenth century.

Castle of Guarene

Piedmont Wines

We're sure you have heard of Tuscany and the Veneto, probably even the wine regions of Sicily and Umbria. But, do you know about northern Italy’s Piedmont wine region?
Piedmont is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets with its rural charm, breathtaking beauty, amazing food and endless selection of incredible wine. The region is best known for its three Bs: Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera. But, it also offers fascinating whites, unique indigenous reds and a growing sparkling selection.

Piedmont Wines