We got up planning to leave but decided the alpine air was too good to not stick around and enjoy. N+G went off on the motorbike and we wandered into town. The road runs alongside a fast flowing stream, although in melt-water time it would be a torrent. Kayaks and rafts tumble downstream and every now and then a minibus with trailer passes by to fetch them at the end of their run. The town is a quaint muddle of narrow lanes flanked by chalet houses with...

Our second bad night's sleep in 3 days doesn't put us in the best of moods this morning. We don't bother to visit the farm shop before setting off for the High Alps. The road from Pinerolo starts as a gentle, continual climb, but soon we are passing through small towns with chalet buildings and overhanging balconies which are a bit of a hazard in a tall vehicle. Further on the bends get tighter and when we come up behind a tractor the locals get impatient and ...