SP20 Near Venante, Italy

I woke early  Saturday morning and decided to go for a run around the lake at Avigliano. It was a very still morning and the only people about were a few fisherman setting up their spots for the day. At various points there were houses right on the lakefront and here the path would divert aound them on  a series of pontoons that formed a three-sided rectangle. When the path ran out on the other side I was able to follow a small road  that ran through a couple of sleepy villages and back to the campsite – about 5km in all.

Trende, France

Today we had decided to head south from Turin to a small “France Passion” site at Olivetta St Michel. The France Passion sites are vineyards, farms , olive groves etc., in France,  where the owner allows campervans to park overnight on their property. There are generally no facilities provided and the idea is that you may return the favour by buying some of their produce, but there’s no obligation.

To be eligible you have to buy the book that lists the properties and includes a unique membership card and window sticker which you show to the owner on arrival. With this particular property the book said that you should call before arrival so, with some trepidation, I made the call. Surprisingly I understood most of what was said although got a bit lost with the detailed directions so simply said “d’accord” and figured we could rely on the SatNav. Yes, he had space available and seemed very friendly  and helpful on the phone .

Trende, France

We took the toll road from Turin to Cuneo where we picked up the SP20. This road wound it’s way through a number of beautiful valleys and villages nestled on the edge of the Alps. Two villages that particularly stood out were  Vernante and Trende, where we stopped to visit the archeolgical museum. It was a very impresive modern museum but with very few visitors and seemed a little incongrouos in such a small village.

Trende, France

Road to Breil Sur Roya, France

Road to Breil Sur Roya, France

Entering Breil Sur Roya, France

The final climb to the Olivetta St Michel was fairly hairy and, being right on the border, we passed back and forward between France and Italy several times. We called into the shop Remo had described on the phone and met his wife who directed us to a small clearing in the olive grove about 500 metres up the road. We parked and then walked back down to the shop and, after a tasting session, stocked up on olive oil, olives, pesto and sundried tomatoes.

Remo’s shop, da Bruno, Olivetta St, Michel, Italy

The reason for detecting an Italian accent on the phone soon became clear as we realised that the town was actually in Italy and locals were native Italian speakers. Although listed in the France Passion book, apparently half of the olive grove was in France and half in Italy so we weren’t sure which country we stayed in that night!

Olive Grove, Olivetta St Michel, Italy

Olivetta St Michel, Italy

After a walk around the small village we returned to the campervan where a light snack with bread turned into a bit of a feast as all the local produce was delicious. This was a great way to stay in more remote places and experience the local people and their produce and we vowed that, where possible, we would stay on France Passion sites from now on. Although out of the question at the next stop as that would be Nice.

Olivetta St Michel, Italy