WHY HERE
The city of my legal residence is Bolzano, in South Tyrol (Italy - North East Alps / Dolomiti), a lively and multicultural city, but too expensive to lead a full "artist's life".
The atelier where I currently work is located in a much less expensive Italian region - in the "Occitan" area of Piedmont (Northwest Alps) - it is housed in the large barn of a typical stone farmhouse, characteristic of the middle Valley of the river Po, still undergoing a slow renovation.
THE ENVIRONMENT
There are 13 valleys in the Occitan area of Piedmont, each valley has 3 types of rural houses (low, medium and high valley), each of them is built according to precise criteria of exposure to the sun, use and availability of materials on site: the accounts are soon done ... there are 39 types of houses, in the mountain area between Val Susa and Val Tanaro, a real "catalog" of mountain architecture, to be studied and preserved. (more info here: Portal of the Italian Occitan Valleys - italian and occitan).
If the topic of Occitan Alpine architecture pokes you, and now you don't sleep at night, you can download for free the beautiful book "Building recovery and quality of the project" (italian) written by architects Maurino, De Matteis, Doglio (project of the Local Action Group - LAG for rural areas development)
The house-atelier, where I work, is a typical farm house in the shape of an "L", facing south-east, and is made up of rooms for civil (dwelling) and rural (stables, barn, entrance hall, sheds), half of which have been recovered to use.
It is part of a very tiny hamlet: only 4 houses, surrounded by meadows with grazing cows, streams and wild forests, and is a refuge for wolves, foxes, wild boars, badgers, weasels; going up a little it is possible to come across roe deer, deer, hares, squirrels, jays, dormice and woodpeckers.
All around there are many other small villages, immersed in the woods, some very old (about 1500 AD), beautiful but now (incredibly!) abandoned.
The various "city-life" services (shops, supermarkets, banks, post offices, buses, restaurants, cafes, first aid, general practitioner, etc.) are all very close, grouped in the village of Paesana, 1,5 km away.
The nearest city is 20 kilometers away, 20 kilometers (the road is very comfortable, all straight, slightly downhill): it is the beautiful Saluzzo (16,000 inhabitants), a true medieval jewel.
The "Stone King", the Monviso, or Monte Viso, dominates everything: a rock pyramid 3,850 meters high, already called Vesulus (= visible from afar) by the ancient Romans. (for more info see the Monviso Natural Park sites, and the site of the guides on the Vesulus area).
The Stone King determines the cool and airy climate of the whole area. (in the photo: the Monviso seen from Durandin, above Ostana - photo of mine, 2014).
SOME GOOD REASONS
Are you artists and are you looking for an interesting and easily accessible place where you can do your atelier without selling a kidney?
Take a trip to the Po Valley.
Are you denied for art?
Pop over to the Valley of Po - you might change your mind.
Are you into your heart an hermit and do you want to become unreachable, exept the back of a mule?
The Valley of Po is for you (remember to bring with you a map, a compass and the Garmin!).
Are you:
sportsmen
retirees (and you like petanque a lot...)
families with children
couples looking for romance
naturalists
trekkers
historians
geologists
collectors of wonderful things
ghost village seekers
.... none of these categories?
It doesn't matter, the Valley of the river Po has been there for a few million years (Tethys sea permitting :-) and is waiting for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKnTud_fIJI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kRC8uDvCRk
Here a beautiful report by RAI GEO TV on the Valley of Po area: https://www.raiplay.it/video/2018/12/L-Occitania-italiana-16099e38-3efc-438a-b89b-0942c1e782c2.html
Do you want the Recipe for Happiness? Here she is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yafRoYXlns0
THE VILLAGES of the VALLEY OF PO:
REVELLO http://www.visitrevello.it/it/home/
MARTINIANA http://www.comune.martinianapo.cn.it/Home/GuidaDettagli/Galleria-fotografica
GAMBASCA https://www.comune.gambasca.cn.it/ archive/pagine/Una_storia_millenaria.asp
SANFRONT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YPnbdiYHHA
PAESANA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ss0VcpbLUY
OSTANA https://www.comune.ostana.cn.it/vivere-ostana/ https://www.raiplay.it/video/2018/12/L-Occitania-italiana-16099e38-3efc-438a-b89b-0942c1e782c2 .html
ONCINO https://www.comune.oncino.cn.it/album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-90qixEFEB0
CRISSOLO https://www.comune.crissolo.cn.it/ita/videogallery.asp
If that's not enough for you, here are some other great excuses, within a radius of 80 kilometers (round trip within the day):
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The metropolis of Turin, its royal palaces, noble residences, art galleries, endless cultural events throughout the year.
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The art cities of Saluzzo, Alba, Cuneo, Mondovì, Asti ...
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The internationally renowned landscape and wine areas of the Langhe, Roero, Monferrato
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The ski and tourist areas of Limone Piemonte, Frabosa, Pian Munè and Crissolo, the Sestriere, Bardonecchia, ...or the areas not too beaten by tourism ... or those definitively remote and "lost"!
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Slow food (https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/it/regioni-presidi/piemonte-it/), excellent products such as truffles, hazelnuts, wine, apples, peaches, small fruits, chestnuts, mushrooms, garlic, leeks, and many others (if you come here on a empty stomach... it is better)
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The various international festivals: Turin (electronic music festival, cinema, the Book Fair, Artissima ...), Alba (classical and contemporary music), Barolo (Collisioni agri-rock festival, literature and music), Stresa (symphonic and choral music festival), Novara (jazz music festival) ... impossible to list them all.
To this is added much more, scattered throughout the territory practically everywhere: from village fairs to themed ones, to art exhibitions, concerts, guided excursions, sports ...
And then... the whole world knows it: put your finger at random on the map of Italy, you will find excellent reasons to go there everywhere, Piedmont is no exception - the least that can happen to you is the remote village with medieval origins.
Here is the (not complete) list of events in Piedmont: https://www.piemonteweb.it/Appuntamenti_Principali.asp
Below some "starting" links:
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_Po (the Valley of Po)
http://www.vallidelmonviso.it/valle-po/ (the Valley of Po and Valleys around Monviso)
https://www.cuneoalps.it/le-valli/13-valle-po (Valley of Poi and Cuneo valleys)
https://www.visitpiemonte.com/it (Piedmont)
https://visitsaluzzo.it/ (Saluzzo - "capital" city of the Valley of Po)
https://www.campeggiovallepo.it/ (camping in the Valley of Po - Paesana)
https://www.facebook.com/unpodisosta (camper parking area in the Valley of Po - Paesana)
https://www.visititaly.it/cosa-vedere/piemonte/provincia-di-cuneo.aspx (province of Cuneo - what to see)