Friendly Piedmont

Details

Piedmont is much more than anyone may expect: it is history, culture, food and wine in their major expressions. It is great mountains, the Western side of Alps, where the 2006 Winter Olympic games took place, where the longest river in Italy, the Po, originates. Piedmont is also Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore with their amazing small islands, where one of the greatest Italian chefs finds his home. Not forgetting truffle and Barolo, as well as Barbaresco in the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, UNESCO Heritage since 2014.

Turin, its capital, was the first national capital in the XIX century and it is now well renowned for palaces and royal residences (Venaria Reale), as well as for its International Movie Museum, and for ots baroque architecture.
Turin is still recalled as the trailblazer for the gay movements in Italy: its gay pride has been one of the first in Italy and it is still performs an amazing parade.

Travelling to Piedmont means to discover one of the best examples of Italian culture, history, architecture food and wine. Not forgetting that a trip to Piedmont is for all tastes: its paths in the green hills of Langhe and Roero or Monferrato challenge the best bikers; Nevertheless, you can rent a car and follow the gay friendly Piedmont itinerary at your convenience.

Any season is a good season, here: winter is amazing for ski lovers, springtime is the green season and the region blossoms in all shades of colors; summer is the season to go and visit vineyards or travel to discover small hamlets and their castles; Autumn is the best season: it is the vintage time and also the truffle hunting experience. Any season is for amazing food and wine, for great hospitality of excellent hotels or b&b or ‘agriturismi’.

Piedmont is much more than anyone may expect: it is history, culture, food and wine in their major expressions. It is great mountains, the Western side of Alps, where the 2006 Winter Olympic games took place, where the longest river in Italy, the Po, originates. Piedmont is also Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore with their amazing small islands, where one of the greatest Italian chefs finds his home. Not forgetting truffle and Barolo, as well as Barbaresco in the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, UNESCO Heritage since 2014.

Turin, its capital, was the first national capital in the XIX century and it is now well renowned for palaces and royal residences (Venaria Reale), as well as for its International Movie Museum, and for ots baroque architecture.
Turin is still recalled as the trailblazer for the gay movements in Italy: its gay pride has been one of the first in Italy and it is still performs an amazing parade.

Travelling to Piedmont means to discover one of the best examples of Italian culture, history, architecture food and wine. Not forgetting that a trip to Piedmont is for all tastes: its paths in the green hills of Langhe and Roero or Monferrato challenge the best bikers; Nevertheless, you can rent a car and follow the gay friendly Piedmont itinerary at your convenience.

Any season is a good season, here: winter is amazing for ski lovers, springtime is the green season and the region blossoms in all shades of colors; summer is the season to go and visit vineyards or travel to discover small hamlets and their castles; Autumn is the best season: it is the vintage time and also the truffle hunting experience. Any season is for amazing food and wine, for great hospitality of excellent hotels or b&b or ‘agriturismi’.

Read more

Itinerary

Accommodation at a gay-friendly 4-star hotel.
Day off to start visit the city on your own.

Meet your local gay/gay friendly guide for a walking tour of three hours. The tour is named ‘Completely Another Story’ and will take you to discover the gay history of Turin through its historical places.

Have lunch in a local ‘osteria’, which is called ‘piola’: here you can taste the original Piedmont cuisine made of agnolotti, braised veal, great cold cuts and cheese. Whenever you like, try the typical ‘bicerin’ (‘small glass’) made of coffee, cream and chocolate, in one of the old-style bars in the center.

In the afternoon, have a visit to the International Museum of the Movie located in the ‘Mole Antonelliana’ the tower symbol of the town. Also, you will immediately perceive the squared geometry of Turin of Roman origin: not easy to get lost here, in a city which allure goes back to the XIX century: if you like antiques, Turin is the right place for you.

This was the hunting residence of the last king of Italy in XIX century and has been recently restored to its original splendor.

Here you can walk within the great rooms and the famous royal corridor and imagine the king and his court’s life. A hunting reserve is also nearby, plunged into the green of a huge park. Fountains and water games enrich your experience here.

You can have lunch in one of the several ‘trattoria’ in Venaria or eat a fantastic ice-cream with hazelnut cream: hazelnuts are one of the ingredients of Nutella which was invented exactly in Piedmont!

From Venaria, you can move to the Alps, to Cesana, where you can stop for the night, in one of the local small hotels on the way to the ski runs.

If you travel in winter and you like skiing, here you are in the right place!

You are on the Milky Way, 400 km of ski runs. We also advise a visit to Sauze D’Oulx a beautiful hamlet with typical mountain cabins. Great location for trekking and for walk amongs pine woods.

If it’s winter time and if you like skiing, you can try the Sestriere ski runs for a full day snow immersion! Or you ca visit Limone Piemonte and Bardonecchia, you can go bike riding or trekking.

Time off to enjoy the Piedmont Alps.

Here you are in the very heart of the UNESCO Heritage of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. The Langhe are well known for their smooth hills and for the ‘Slow Food’ movement, which was born here more than twenty years ago. It is a super district for excellent cuisine and high-standard products.

Alba is the town of the white truffle (in autumn season, whereas you can taste black truffle during the rest of the year). Wine tasting at one of the famous winery in Alba and lunch in town: depending on the season you can have ‘hand-made tagliolini with truffle’. A glass of Barolo or Barbaresco is a must, here.

In the afternoon, you can drive to Barolo for a super wine experience. Look around, and you will see vineyards almost everywhere ‘I Carrubi’ is one of the most famous vineyard in Langhe.
Back to Alba to your four-star hotel.

Overnight.

Enjoy a truffle hunting experience: meet our guide Mario and his dog Ricky at ‘La Morra’ and enjoy a unique experience amongst the hazelnut trees to hunt black truffles. Learn the techniques and at the end you will enjoy a truffle tasting and discover all secrets about this product. In the afternoon , you can visit one of the most famous castle in Piedmont: Grinzane Cavour…. Or just go back to Alba for a light lazy afternoon. In 2017 Alba had its first gay pride, with thousands of people taking part to the parade.

Asti is the core of the Monferrato area: green hills, small hamlets and castle around. In Canelli you should not miss a visit to the ‘Cathedrals underground’. They are better known as ‘Infernot’ stone caves underground where wine was left to mature.Asti is the town of the ‘Palio’ and of the famous ‘Asti spumante’. You can spend a whole day here, enjoying the slow life of a small country town. Overnight at a four star hotel in Asti or in Canelli.

Here, two major lakes are worthy a visit: Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore.Lake Orta is the right place to slow down your trip. Its hamlets and blossoming balconies reflecting on the lake waters almost lead to an out-of-time atmosphere. Here you can walk along the narrow roads and squares: the village of Orta San Giulio is spotted of neoclassical villas and it is in front of the San Giulio Island, which you can reach by boat. Here you can have lunch with lake fish at the only one osteria on the lake or you can decide to move to Villa Crespi, a moresque villa, now converted in a superb restaurant with a very famous Italian chef. You can have dinner here. It would be a once-in-a-life experience! Overnight in Orta.

Stroll along the alleys and take your time to visit the ‘Borromee Islands’ in the lake: the Isola Bella, the Isola Madre and the Isola dei Pescatori. Visit the Villa Borromeo in Isola Madre (the villa was built in the XVI century by a rich bishop family, the ‘Borromeos’) which will astonish with its frescoes and its Italian botanical garden. Make a tour of the three islands and go back to Stresa, for your overnight.

Stresa is a touristic town on the Lake Maggiore, you can find here some good opportunities for shopping. Also, you can drive to Pallanza and Arona, to visit the statue of ‘San Carlo’, 35 mt high: you can step up to the statue head and enjoy an amazing view on the lake.

A day off, to do whatever you like: maybe go back to the place you liked most! Return to Turin.

Overnight

Check out and drive to Caselle Airport –Turin. Handle back the car.

End of services.

What's Included

Accommodation
Car Rental
Escorted Tour
Professional gay-friendly guide
Wine tasting

What's Excluded

Everything not clearly mentioned on what's Included
Fuel, extra insurance and motorway fees
Personal extras
Tips
City tax (to be paid on the spot)

Additional Information

  • Accommodation in double/twin standard room in four-star hotel, breakfast included.
  • The tour is fully customizable to suit your needs.

The Voice of Our Clients

Ian
Ian
Read More
My husband and I booked the tour of the “Vatican in a gay light” for one morning during our trip to Rome. Our guide, Dario, was very knowledgeable of the historical significe of the art works as well as many of the anecdotes that provided context. We learned a great deal and truly enjoyed ourselves. This tour is too notch! Thank you.
Matt Berg
Matt Berg
Read More
Excellent pre-cruise Quiiky tour in Venice. Great guide who had so much intimate knowledge of Venice. Besides being very handsome he is a local resident for more than 2 decades with so much intimate knowledge that you can’t get from a guidebook. This is my second time using Quiiky for tours and transfers; they’re my first choice in Italy!
Dan & Vince
Dan & Vince
Read More
First I would like to thank you and your company and all involved for a wonderful trip. From beginning to end we continued to be amazed by all the wonder service we received from all of you. We had a fabulous time for our anniversary. All the guides were great and all better than we expected. It is hard to pick a best as they were all awesome, that being said, three stand out for being most personable and had a excellent sense of how to move us along our tours. Quiiky gets 5 out of 5 for all other ratings. Yes, we would positively reccommend for anyone considering travel to Italy. AND, Giovanna, you’re the best.
 John Bindlechner-Wigan
John Bindlechner-Wigan
Read More
We adored our Quikky tour of the Vatican with our guide Claudio. We had been a little apprehensive about visiting the Vatican but this tour is the way to go! Claudio had an expert knowledge of the art collection and we enjoyed hearing the "other", more scandalous stories of the private lives of Michelangelo and the popes. We loved our visit to the museums, Sistine Chapel, grotto and St Peters - I recommend joining the queue and adding on the view from the dome of the basilica - well worth the stairs!
Denis Dallaire
Denis Dallaire
Read More
The excursion to Capri was great! The headphone system worked really well and the guide Andrea was super nice and fun! He was a really good guide and would not hesitate to have him again. The food and drink offerings were very good. Thank you for a wonderful experience!
Oliver Broad
Oliver Broad
Read More
Thanks for a great alternative tour of the Vatican. Having visited back in 1999 I wanted something a little different to do with my husband who had never visited before. It is great to see Quiiky offering tours with a twist and can most definitely recommend this one for your next visit to Rome.
Greg Brady
Greg Brady
Read More
First had a wonderful pre-cruise Quikky tour in Venice. Our guide was super friendly, knowledgeable, and a great deal of fun. Then I went on a tour of the Vatican and our tour guide was incredible. He is an expert on the Vatican and on the pertinent gay history (which turns out to be much more than you might even think). He literally made the Vatican come alive and provided one of the more fascinating tours I have taken anywhere. And the two wonderful owners of Quiiky picked us up and took us on a vehicular tour of Rome. Others got back from Rome complaining of the crowds and the heat... we got back energized, happy, and filled with fascinating information after an afternoon filled with fun and personalized care. Don't make the mistake thinking you will get an equivalent tour from a straight guide/company -- if you are gay, Quiiky is the way to go.
Auston Matta
Auston Matta
Read More
I highly recommend Quiiky Travel for any guided visit to Rome or Italy. I was both surprised and entertained by everything GAY I learned about the Vatican on my tour. They are passionate about providing an excellent travel experience and I have no doubt that you would enjoy one of their tours or travel products.
Denis Dallaire
Denis Dallaire
Read More
What a wonderful experience to Messina and Taormina. Antonio was a great guide with good knowledge and history-telling. Really enjoyed the history of the museum Cusena. Again the food and drinks on the boat were very good. Thank you so much!
Santiago Stanley
Santiago Stanley
Read More
Our excursion to Messina and Taormina today was excellent. Antonio was amazing. Our food experience was on point … starting with the granita and Brioche in Messina and the arancini and cannoli in Taormina!!! The boat trip around the bays was spectacular and the food again!!! Eggplant Parmesan and the sardine dish and olives… Again Antonio was patient , knowledgeable sweet and always on time!! Excellent experience!!!
Adam Martindale
Adam Martindale
Read More
We had a fantastic tour of the Vatican with Paolo from Quiiky. Paolo was knowledgeable, personable, fun and really gave us a different insight into the history of art and the gay artists that are part of the Vatican’s history and more! Highly recommended!
Theron Clark Stuart
Theron Clark StuartGroup Traveller
Read More
It was easy to schedule our tour. Everything was explained in great detail, so there was no confusion on the day of the excursion. The vans were spotless and comfortable. Our guide for the Colosseum was exceptional in every way. He was cute, knowledgeable, witty, flexible and engaging. We met so wonderful folks and shared a wonderful lunch with the guys from our group. Could not have been happier with Quiiky.
Curtis Korchinsky
Curtis KorchinskyGroup Traveller
Read More
Fantastic company to work with. Very easy and simple…..and good value. Will definitely book with them again!
Ron Davis
Ron Davis
Read More
BEST TOUR COMPANY YOU COULD WISH FOR! I have done two tours in Rome with this amazing company and both times it was 20-30 people Expert process, memorable tours, top notch experience. We arrived by cruise ship and they handled everything. Regardless of how you arrive you will receive a tour that is personal and you feel like you w learned secrets and things you would never ever have heard or known. I wholeheartedly recommend them.
Previous
Next
Departure:

Friendly Piedmont

From € 1,250

Duration: 13 nights / 14 days
Destination: Piedmont
Inspiration: Adventure

Why Book with us

100% LGBTQ FRIENDLY

Gay owned company

ITALIAN SPECIALIST

Offices in Rome & Milan

24/7 SUPPORT

Customer care available 24/7

FAST QUOTATION

Your quotation in 48h

Daily Tours

Enrich your trip and discover more about LGBTQ+ Italy by booking our Untold History Experiences.

No data was found