We are incredibly lucky to have been quarantined in the French Alps and we’ve really enjoyed seeing friends, hiking a lot and drinking far too much beer. But on 15th June most of the internal Schengen zone borders reopened for travel and tourism which means we can go to Italy! We did a summer season in Piedmont and fell in love with the place.

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From La Tania, it took us just over an hour and a half to reach the Petit St. Bernard pass which links France with Italy. There were no officials on either side checking vehicles or documents. It was a stunning drive and we went for a 5km hike at the border to make the most of the sunshine.

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We wild camped at the Colle San Carlo which is the starting point for the Lake Arpy hike. It was a 12km route with nearly 500m elevation with stunning views of Mont Blanc pretty much the whole way up and down.

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After hiking, we drove to the village of Sarre which has a beautiful castle with vineyards in the grounds. We stayed at Camping Monte Bianco (€22 per night with electricity) and went for a wander around the village in the afternoon.

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Piedmont is next on our route and we are so excited to revisit the towns of Alba, Asti and Turin, and eat some delicious vegan food!