Discovering Sassello: Where Nature and Taste Come Together

Sassello is renowned for its mushrooms and Amaretti cookies. While the latter, made with soft almond paste, are available year-round in the numerous pastry shops in the town, porcini mushrooms can only be found in June when the temperature awakens the fungi in the forests of the Sassellese region.

Ancient forests with towering trees provide a welcoming and relaxing atmosphere, perfect for the prized “boletus” mushrooms.

A relaxing trail, suitable for all, takes you through the mild climate of the Savonese hills. Initially, you’ll cross the sunny southeast-facing slope on a slightly uphill dirt road. Amidst the pine forest and rugged ophiolitic rocks, this is an ideal route to take in the afternoon, perhaps after a meal enjoyed in Sassello’s restaurants which invariably offer dishes based on mushrooms and red meats. Upon reaching the Salmaceto Pass, you will enter the “real” Forest of Deiva with its majestic chestnut and oak trees accompanying you along the cool northern slope of Cima di Deiva.

It’s a path to be enjoyed with the family, on a mountain bike, on foot, or even… running, why not? Early in the morning, before work and family commitments, grab a pair of running shoes and go! Run! A friend of mine from Urbe, a great mountain running athlete, uses this loop as part of his training: he completes it in 48 minutes!

The Beigua Park Authority has recently restored Casa Giumenta, enhancing it with a nature trail. Descending gently, you return to the starting area, where close by there is a soft Amaretti cookie production workshop in Sassello, if you’ve built up the appetite while running…

The Deiva State Forest is located near Sassello and covers approximately 800 hectares. Particularly interesting is the contrast between the two sides of the mountain: to the south, there’s a forest of maritime pine and holm oak, while the northern slope is characterised by extensive woods dominated by chestnut, black and wild pine and beech trees.