A “little paradise” among the Alpine Pearls

Piccolo Paradiso is a real little paradise among the Alps of the Gran Paradiso. Let’s discover this magical place, which is hidden in silent larch pine forests, just a stone’s throw away from the Ceresole Reale Alpine Pearl. This is the perfect place to forget about stress, thanks to the opportunity to go for long walks through the forests (which, according to scientific researches, save people from negative thoughts), meditation and silence therapy in the nearby of Orco river. The only sound you will hear will be the voice of water and nature.

Piccolo Paradiso (that in Italian means “Little Paradise”) is a eco-friendly camping, the only one in the Piemonte region side of the Gran Paradiso National Park. Here you can spend your holidays in tents, camper or in cozy wooden houses. This is the ideal starting point for high altitude hikes around Colle Nivolet or at the bottom of  Levanne or again along the lake of Ceresole Reale. A magical place where you can take refuge under the trees and find an authentic contact with nature. We have interviewed Alessandra Oberto, the landlady of the Piccolo Paradiso camping. This is what she told us:

Alessandra Oberto, landlady of Piccolo Paradiso camping

Alessandra, could you please tell us how Piccolo Paradiso (“little paradise”) camping was born?

My parents created this camping about 30 years ago. I have been working here for my entire life and year by year I’ve experienced a growing feeling of awareness about nature: taking care of it in respect of the environment is not just something important, but also something not to be ignored.

This is the only camping you can find in the Piemonte region side of the Gran Paradiso National Park. Being located in a larch forest along the banks of the river Orco, the stay of the guests will be accompanied with a pleasant natural background sound.

Having obtained the “Quality Mark” of the Gran Paradiso National Park some years ago, we moved closer to the eco-hospitality philosophy. So, here we are, ready to work while winking at this wonderful world.

What makes “Piccolo Paradiso” unique of its kind?

Energy conservation, low-energy and timed lighting, water-saving features with water flow reducers, cleaning products that are exclusively ecological. We also use no-motorised means of transports inside the camping. This is why we use wheelbarrows where possible (very appreciated for the reduction of the acoustic pollution, too).

We have created also a “Silence Therapy” area along the banks of river Orco, where you will have to lower the ring tone of your phone and pay more attention to the silence. Guests who use biodegradable products will be given also free use of the “discharge for chemical wc”. We practice waste sorting and work for the reduction of garbage. If our guests want to go for a ride by bicycle, they can rent them from the camping, and they will be surprised by seeing that every bike has an “ecological maxim” written on their plates.

Silence Therapy near the river at Piccolo Paradiso Camping

What are the itineraries no one should miss?

The “Tour of the Lake” on foot or by bicycle is our first piece of advice, most of all in the early mornings, when you will be able to see wonderful landscapes.

You can reach by bus the many tours around “Colle del Nivolet“. The bus runs in July and August, and its service works thanks to the collaboration with the Municipalities of Ceresole Reale and Noasca, the Gran Paradiso National Park and Torino Tourism and Province.

During summer the Gran Paradiso National Park organises a lot of activities within the project “Walking in the clouds“, offering always unforgettable days, suitable for people of every age.

Some of the itineraries you can not miss are: Jervis Hut, Dres Lake, Colle della Terra, Punta Basei, Punta Violetta and (for the expert ones) Leonesi Hut, which is at the bottom of “Levanne”.

The tour around Ceresole Reale Lake is suitable for everyone

Ceresole Reale, along the path towards Colle della Terra, photo by Fulvio Spada via wikimedia

Which good practice for sustainability have you adopted?

First of all, we try to convey the eco-sustainability philosophy to our guests through any possible means, even through messages and drawings set in the common areas.

Then, there are: the decision to use a wheelbarrow as a means of transport inside the camping; the use of ecological cleaning products; the energy conservation and the water one; the care we have for the waste sorting; the use of timers for the showers with hot water to avoid unnecessary wastes.

House made of wood and local stones, at the entrance of Piccolo Paradiso camping

What does it mean to be an “Alpin Pearl”?

It means love for our own “World”, having respect for the “environment that hosts us” and that we will leave to our sons, it means the wish to give something “natural“, the respect for the nature that surrounds us and that gives us something every day, the “Teacher of Life” par excellence.

It means to preserve the beauty of nature in its every single facet, through the realization of very simple acts, like not spoiling it with our garbage.

It means living following the “Three Rs”: respect for yourself (live in a better place), respect for the others (also for our sons and daughters), responsibility for everything you do (with the awareness of having treated what we borrowed with the maximum respect).

You might also like:

Alpine Pearls: green holidays in the Alps

Il viaggio tra le Perle Alpine inizia da Moso in Val Passiria

Tree Sleeping: quando il camping è…. sugli alberi!