THE HOUSES - THE AREA - WEATHER - BOOKING - GETTING HERE

YES.

Italian drinking water is amongst the cleanest in europe. Our houses all have proper roads, services and supplies.

Note.
If you are thinking of going to Tuscany, some of the remote farmhouses in the hills still do rely on wells. They also can be many kilometres along unsurfaced access roads.

 

NO.

Bring towels for swimming. All the others are supplied.

 

A good night's rest is important.

We choose comfortable good quality, orthopaedic grade, medium to medium/firm, cotton based, hypo-allergenic products. Our sheets are also cotton or cotton based.

 

In the summer, usage is normally something like 10 or 15 euros for a week's stay. If you keep within these usual amounts, there is no charge.

At above Summer usage, you will only be expected to pay for what you use, but we will only charge you the price that it costs us.

In the cooler months, it will cost more but they are not difficult houses to heat and the charges are generally quite low.
.

 
All cottages have good quality fan ventilation.

Is air conditioning necessary?

NO.
The thick stone walls and the traditional shutters keep the houses generally cool. We supply fans in all the bedrooms for when the air might be a bit still.

YES.
It is very recommended for car travel, especially in high summer.

 

The cottages are not apartments nor parts of a holiday complex, as many lets are.

These are independant houses, on at least two sides.

A lot of the nearby houses are owned by Genovese as second homes. Others are owned by local people, many of them produce wine and will be pleased to invite you to try some.

 

The term 'cottage' has been gaining use across Europe, just like the term 'Bed and Breakfast', which is now an official Italian category. We have used it to reflect their traditional rustic character and their status as full houses.

Strictly speaking, a 'villa' is a large house in its own grounds.

The term 'casa vacanza' is also seen, mainly as a direct translation of the term 'holiday house' but is often applied to flats or appartments.

The open swimming pool complexes are normally open for the whole of June, July and August.

There are smaller indoor pools at Acqui Terme and Ovada.

You can normally bathe in the sea from May to the beginning of October.

 

The sets receive all 'free-to-air' from the main Astra and Hotbird clusters.

There are several hundred channels and many languages. There is usually something for everyone, from all parts of the globe; even if you come from as far as China, Japan or Russia.

There several music channels and some sports channels. About 8 to 10 news channels are in English, such as Sky News, BBC World, CNN ..

 

Can I get access to the internet?

There 3 or 4 'internet cafe' points in Ovada if you need access to a computer as well as internet.

We have free access to the internet available at the farmhouse. You are very welcome to visit. Bring your laptop and sit in the garden while others in the family, perhaps, can wander along our parkland walks.
 

 

Both villages, Trisobbio and Tagliolo, have general stores and pharmacies.

At Trisobbio/Castle Cottage, they are close at hand, only 100 metres. At Tagliolo/Roveta Cottage they are 10 or 12 mins walk, about a 1km.

A few minutes away by car, in the nearby towns, there is a full range, from small specialist shops to a choice of hypermarkets.

At 30 minutes distance and catering for a wide range of pockets, is currently the largest 'designer outlet' in europe.

 

Independant travellers will value the experience of genuine culture.

The Alto Monferrato remains relatively 'undiscovered' as a destination. It is immensely scenic and every bit as good as many of the areas listed in the main guide books.

You will not come across guided tours or multi-lingual restaurant menus. A phrase book and a few words will go a long way but local people will generally be understanding and helpful.

If you are having problems, younger people will often enjoy an opportunity to practice English. If you find yourselves really stuck, come and see us and we will help you back on track.

 

All places will get a few. Here tends to have fewer.

Summers in the Alto Monferrato can be very dry and the water tends to stay underground. Mosquitos need surface water in order to breed.

 

Our area has such a negligible risk, as have most areas of the North West, it is classified as borderline insignificant.

Have a look at the maps. - We checked them before we came here as well!

Try this link, in English: Seismic Zones in Italy

These maps are in Italian, but simple to follow: Map1 - Map2

 

The Alto Monferrato remains a popular place for the Genovese to have their summer retreats. The summers are long and slighter hotter than on the coast, averaging around 28 to 30 C (85F) during the day. But they are dryer and the nights are cooler so they are more tolerable.

Full summer is normally between July to mid August. In the shade, expect about 20-24c (72F) at night and 32-34c (92F) during the day.

You can go swimming, comfortably, in the sea, from May to September. The local pools are open through June till the end of August.

The end of May and the beginning of June are normally very pleasant. The flowers are out, the weather is warm and the countryside is still green.

The last two weeks of September are when the grapes are harvested.

 

Generally, during the summer, there is only rain for one day every 6 weeks, on average. November is generally wettest.

There is usually around 60 cm (2ft) of snow once or twice from the end of December to the end of February but while it can snow more, it has also been known to have to water the garden even in January.

 

The mountains surround Piemonte on almost all sides, like a huge wall that protects us from the elements. There is usually only a gentle breeze and no more than a moderate wind when there is a change of weather.

The Alto Monferrato is generally a little warmer in the winter, than the other parts of Piemonte, as it rests against the Appennines and not the Alps.

 

Is air conditioning necessary?

NO.
The thick stone walls and the traditional shutters keep the houses generally cool. We supply fans in all the bedrooms for when the air might be a bit still.

YES.
It is very recommended for car travel, especially in high summer.
 

 

Someone has to pay for the glossy brochures and agents. We have our own website and handle all the bookings ourselves.

Where possible, we pass these savings on to you and hope that this makes our offers more competitive.

 

We live here. We own the houses and we are on hand to help you, directly.

The B&B is fully registered. Please feel free to phone us for a chat.

 

This is not always the case.

In our experience, if you see a 'Featured' or 'Recommended' property on a website, it usually means that the owner has decided to pay for a front page listing. Nothing more.

If there is anything that you feel we haven't described or photographed, let us know, so that you can make a properly informed decision.

 

This won't happen. We also guarantee your money back.

 

This is probably the safest method possible.

Credit card companies want you to use their product. They guarantee your purchase has a good outcome.

 

We are specially authorised to take credit card bookings.

Our personal policy is to fully incinerate any data when it is finished with. You can choose to use our professional system at the farmhouse, or you can pay online, using PayPal.

When should I aim to arrive?

Guests should aim to arrive from 16.00 to 20.00.

Very late arrivals may be subject to surcharge or declined.

 

We are very close to several major airports, including those that offer 'low-cost'. Our favourite is Genoa (Genova), which is also the nearest.

Next choice, Milan Linate, then Bergamo, otherwise Turin (Torino) or Malpensa terminal 2 and are fine.

Malpensa terminal ONE is a stunning but 'budget' flights to there are limited.

New for 2010, Turin Levaldigi has now opened for budget flights. Currently seeing around 100.000 passengers per year. We haven't been there yet but we estimate the journey time to us to be around 90 minutes, similar to the main Turin airport.

 

Do you have any advice about hiring cars?

Ryan Air have a special deal with Hertz but we are finding recently (2009), from family and other guests, that hiring a car on arrival at the airport now seems to be the best way for hiring a car - The 'exclusive' Ryan Air deals are now not so good, plus you could well be stuck in a long queue with lots of other passengers from your flight.

There is a good choice of hire companies at all the airports. 50 to 70 euros per day seems to be a general price. Note, Milan Malpensa has the hire cars at Terminal 1, allow a possible 15/20 mins extra time for the airport shuttle to take you there.

Allow the cost of fuel and motorway tolls into your calculations of the flight costs. Genoa (Genova) can be often be a better option even when it looks a little more to start with.

Piedmont (Piemonte) is nearer than many people think, so we also recommend you think about bringing your own car.

There are lots of reasons for this:

 

If this is how you like to travel, a self-catering stay at Castle Cottage at Trisobbio could be an excellent option: Shops, bar, swimming pool, mountain bike hire, country walks, stunning views and nature trails are all within just a minute or two by foot.

The nearest terminal for the new high speed train passenger trains is at Alessandria. From there, it is then a short distance by local train to either Ovada or Acqui Terme.

You can also travel from Genova, which has some very scenic journey through the mountains and takes around an hour.

Both of the Cottages and the Farmhouse B&B can be reached by bus or taxi from the station. Weekdays, there are around six buses per day.