Into the wild

Day 1

• Early afternoon arrival in Mezzanego, in Valle Sturla, and appointment with Mario and Nadia to visit an olive grove restored on the hills behind the village.
• Transfer by own means to Frantoio Oleario to discover how oil is produced.
• Tasting to discover the different characteri- stics of the oils produced by the Cooperativa Agricola, with the possibility to join the cam- paign “Adopt an olive tree”.
• Dinner at leisure.
• Overnight accommodation in B&B or apart- ment.

Day 2

• Full day walking tour, on the trail of the Wild Horses of Aveto accompanied by Eve- lina, a naturalist, environmental hiking guide and co-founder of the Wild Horse watching Project to observe and protect these ma- gnificent animals. An opportunity to obser- ve the behaviour, sociability and lifecycles of the horses in nature, very different from those of domestic horses, crossing the uni- que landscapes of Parco dell’Aveto. The tours are usually held between Lake Giacopiane and Monte Aiona. Lunch at leisure.
•Dinner at leisure and overnight accommo- dation.

Day 3

• check-out.
• Transfer by own means to Prato Soprala- croce and meeting with the women of the town for a short introduction to the hamlet and its unique past.
• Cooking show: a unique experience to di- scover how our Ancestors cooked: “sotto il testo”, namely inside a cast iron bell heated over a high flame that was the traditional oven still used on our mountains. You will experience this method of ancient cooking, seeing how to layout the variegated chestnut leaves used as oven paper and discovering all the secrets of this delicious cake. As we wait for the Baciocca to be ready, irresistibly ste- aming and scented, the women of the town will teach you to “roll out the pastry” with the rolling pin.
• Final tasting of the Baciocca just out of the oven.
• Delivery of recipe and issue of the certifica- te of “Master of Baciocca”
• Lunch at leisure
• Transfer by own means to Casal Cermelli for an unforgettable experience: gold searching with pan as in the best old Wild West tradi- tion.
• Start with a visit to the Gold Museum, an exhibition area that encloses ancient tools of the trade, such as elements dating to the Ro- man Age, manufactured articles, objects and documents linked to gold searching. The first part of the activity is dedicated to explaining the research techniques, with the first practi- cal tests. Then, equipped with all the neces- sary tools - boots, buckets, shovels, sluice boxes and gold pans -, it’s off to the river! Sieving, washing and refining the sand to eli- minate all the impurities to start to see the golden flakes with a naked eye. Take home the 92 percent pure gold you collected to re- member this unique experience.
• At the end, the guests will relax with a si- noira snack of the local tradition accompa- nied by local wine. During the transfer, we recommend to visit the Marengo Museum near Alessandria, built on the site of one of most important battles won by Napoleone Bonaparte.
• Departure for Lu Monferrato to stay in a lo- cation that was once home to one of the most influential families of Monferrato: in the 14th century, the Marchesi Paleologi, who owned a large part of the area that is now Piedmont, chose the current location of the Palazzo, today relais, to build their Historic Residence. You can still enjoy that privileged choice by staying in a setting full of history and charm. • Dinner at leisure and overnight accommo- dation.

Day 4

• Breakfast in hotel and departure for an agriturismo with panoramic view of the hil- ls of Monferrato to discover the world of growing and processing the hazelnut of Pied- mont. After a journey among the colours of the land with a walk in the hazelnut grove, guests will visit the processing laboratory
• Picnic among the vineyards of the farm.
• In the afternoon, transfer to a small winery of Grana run by the same family for several generations, with a history that goes back a hundred years.
• Visit of the winery and wine tasting, accom- panied by local salami and cheese.
• Dinner at leisure and overnight accommo- dation.

Day 5

• Breakfast in hotel and check-out.
• Walk towards the big Benches of Lu and Cuccaro, the Big Bench dedicated to lavender.
• Return.