Campeggio Cairo

After taking in views of the Alps from the top of the tower at Museo Valdese (five minutes’ walk), spend some time exploring the collection of weapons, liturgical items and farming objects that reveal the life of the Protestant Waldensians. If this museum has whetted your appetite for all things Waldensian, visit the Gheisa d’la Tana (10 minutes’ drive), a church cave where this religious community would gather to worship and avoid persecution. When only a spot of wild swimming will do, head to Tumpi of Bobbio (15 minutes), a series of natural pools fed by small waterfalls and surrounded by forested hills. Be warned, though: you’re close to the Alps here, and the water is pretty... well… ‘refreshing’ is putting it mildly. The city of Turin (an hour) is well worth a visit. Check out the extensive collection of mummies at the Egyptian Museum, or head to the Museo della Sindone to see the Holy Shroud, or Jesus’s burial cloth. Then take the weight off your feet at an open-air café and indulge in some people-watching while sipping a bicerin coffee drink.