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When online meetings goes on the ground..A weekend spent discovering Italy. What a surprise is Bella Baita, a precious gem in Val Chisone.
Our first email was more than 1 year ago, after a while I finally decided to organise a trip. If only I knew what Marla and Fabrizio are doing there, I would organised it much time before.

Lovely and yummy breakfast
Lovely and yummy breakfast at La Bella Baita

 

Marla ( from the US) and Fabrizio are running La Bella Baita Bed and Breakfast. They are both chefs and I can only let you image what it means. I had two of the most delicious dinners since the time I was going to my grandparents every Sunday for lunch. Simple (for them but not for me) and gorgeous meals, also Fabrizio told us exactly the name of the person who produced all we had for dinner, it was simply amazing to see what really is to shop locally at the markets with local growers, dairy farmers, beer and wine producers, and butchers. They also shop in local natural food store and only shop in the big grocery stores as a last resort.

Just a gorgeous polpettone!!
Just a gorgeous polpettone!!

They cook almost everything from scratch at home, including bread, because they believe just think home cooked food tastes the best and you know what you have put into it.
They have a family garden where they use bio-dynamic gardening methods (with the joy of the whole family), they don’t waste any food, they recycle the culinary refuse mainly with composting worms and some select food bits for Mama Egle’s chickens.

chef at Bella Baita sustainable tourism
Chefs at work for the happiness of the guests!!

If everything said before is not enough to consider La Bella Baita a sustainable accommodation, here is a list of their good practices:
– Use of energy efficient light bulbs, and encourage guests to turn off lights when not in use.
– Recycle bins, they separate glass, metal, plastic and paper.
– The heat is completely from wood that they harvest and manage from their property that has sustained Fabrizio’s family for over 100 years.
– There is a natural spring on the property and the water that is piped into our pipes is collected from the mountain in a storage system that Fabrizio’s father organized and built with the other residents and maintains it even today.
Marla and Fabrizio are strongly committed to making the environmental footprint as light as possible and encourage their guests to do so as well.

Signs in Val Chisone sustainable tourism
Signs in Val Chisone

With the TEM (sustainable tourism mountains or in Italian Turismo Ecosostenibile Montano) La Baita is involved in many ways to the promotion of the area and the sustainability in general, this is the reason why they are happy to organise on request and in advance memorable home-style meals, shared with them & Cooking classes.
They are also involved in many projects and initiatives:
– The association and the Valley’s producers attends International fairs such as La Dolce Vita in London
– They organise promotional presentations of local dishes
– They have attend many international and national meetings, where we went to discuss about tourism and ecotourism, for example DestinazioneItalia 2020
– They made it possibile to add the Val Chisone to many International guides.
– Signaling pathways and trails in Val Chisone
– Present with the Province of Turin and other partners in the Strada Reale dei Vini Torinesi,
– Training sessions on tourism industry and diversability , European Ecolabel Certification and tourist reception
– Promotion of the association & sustainable tourism in the mountains

Bella Baita team (Marla and Fabrizio) with Mike, Ale and Sara
Bella Baita team (Marla and Fabrizio) with Mike, Ale and Sara

It is not so easy to find such inspiring people, I can’t wait to visit them again and next time I already decided to ask a Cooking together session with Marla.

If you are planning your time in Italy do not miss the chance to meet with them, see bellabaita.com to find out more about rooms and their beautiful location.

Enjoy your visit

Sara