Hotel Tips

The best thing is to book the ‘mezza pensione’ option – as the hotel restaurant is one of the greatest attractions and is known throughout the region for its genuine Ligurian and Piedmontese cuisine. Generally, the half-board deal is very good value and makes it possible to have a terrific, multifold traditional Italian dinner every evening. Taste, therefore, any mushroom (‘funghi’) or game (‘cacciagione’) dish of the locality if they are in season.

You really do need to go into one of the artisan ‘amaretti’ bakeries in the village of Sassello to really soak up the local culture. A great tip is to visit the historic Virginia shop, where you can often see the traditional sweets being made and can sample different varieties before buying some to take home. It’s a yummy, real local product that turns out to be an excellent souvenir.

Use of the hotel as a base for a “mountains and sea” vacation. While you are staying in the tranquil mountains, pretty beaches on the Italian Riviera at towns like Albisola and Varazze are only 30 minutes away by picturesque driving. The ‘’mountain –hiker’’ types can take enjoyable walks under conditions of cool state in the forest of the park Beigua in the morning and to bath in the warm waters of Mediterranean Sea in the afternoon.

For hikers and mountain bikers, in particular, it would be cool to advise the hotel owners to provide a map of the local trails ‘sentieri.’ This area is within the Beigua Regional Nature Park and is well crisscrossed with well-marked paths. The owners are locals and know the area well; they will recommend the best routes for your level, be it an easy walk through the forest to pick the right mushrooms or a trekkier one to any panoramic viewpoint.