Dining (well) among the rhododendrons: a gastronomic guide to the Oasi Zegna in Piedmont

There’s a moment, between May and June, when the mountain takes centre stage. At Oasi Zegna, rhododendrons bloom suddenly, transforming the slopes into a natural garden that needs no filters. It’s a good reason to drive up the panoramic road, but also to stop in the right places to eat. There’s no shortage of agriturismi, inns and restaurants with a view, where the dishes speak the language of the land: polenta, toma cheese, cured meats, wild herbs. Here’s where to stop.

A visionary project of nature, enterprise, and community

Oasi Zegna is not just a nature park: it is the result of a pioneering vision that blends industry, landscape, and collective wellbeing. In the 1930s, Ermenegildo Zegna, a textile entrepreneur and mountain enthusiast, launched an ambitious reforestation project in the Biellese Alps, planting over 500,000 trees around the family wool mill in Trivero. In 1938, he promoted the construction of the Zegna Panoramic Road, a 26-kilometre route connecting Trivero to the Cervo Valley, with spectacular views and easier access to mountain communities. In 1993, this vision was realised in the form of Oasi Zegna, a 100 km² protected area managed by the Zegna Foundation, which promotes environmental protection, education, outdoor sports, and sustainable development. Today, nearly a century later, the Oasi is a unique example of territorial regeneration — an open-air laboratory where nature, culture, tourism, and community intertwine. In 2025, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Zegna Foundation, two new initiatives were inaugurated: a photographic exhibition by Francesco Jodice titled Stories of Woods, Factories and People, hosted at Casa Zegna, and the “Ermenegildo Trail”, a new trekking route that crosses symbolic places of the original vision, blending memory and landscape.

Agriturismo Oro di Berta

In Castagnea, a tiny hamlet nestled among woods and silence, Oro di Berta is a true agriturismo, born from the intelligent restoration of an old workshop. Tristano and Paola have transformed it into a place that feels suspended in time, with four rustic yet well-kept rooms, exposed beams, and thick walls full of stories. The kitchen is entirely in Paola’s hands, with help from a friend, and it speaks the Biellese dialect without hesitation.
It begins with “paletta” from Val Sessera, a Slow Food presidium, accompanied by homemade salumi, cotechino with polenta, fried pumpkin, sweet-and-sour onions. Then come plin with porcini cream, braised beef with soft polenta, a sumptuous cheese board with tome at various stages of ageing and goat’s milk ricotta. The meal ends with bonet and an irresistibly soft chocolate cake. All served unhurriedly, with house barbera wine, coffee, a little grappa, and some conversation with Paola, who always stops by for a chat at the end. Because here, time moves at another rhythm, and flavour is part of memory.
Frazione Castagnea, 31 Portula (BI)

Cascina il Faggio

Hidden among beech trees and greenhouses, just above the Santuario del Brugherio, Cascina il Faggio is a country house immersed in greenery, managing to balance an agricultural spirit with aesthetic care. The structure has expanded significantly in recent years: indoor and outdoor solariums, a large playground with a pedal-car track, a panoramic pool, and even a cocktail bar housed in a vintage minivan. In spring and summer, the lawn fills with lavender and soft lights, while in the evening one might stumble upon a live concert or a sunset aperitivo with violet-flavoured cocktails and pizza.
The cuisine is true to the agriturismo ethos, using ingredients from their own land or local small-scale producers. The fixed menu changes often but always features well-thought-out dishes: Fassona beef carpaccio, platters with Maccagno toma, agnolotti with black rice cream, pork belly with pumpkin purée, DOP Gorgonzola served with passito dessert wine. There’s also a good selection of local wines and craft beers.
For romantic escapes, there’s even a transparent Sky House: a room with a view of the stars, perfect to book in spring for a night outside of time.
Via Al Santuario di Banchette, 34 Mosso (BI)

Albergo Ristorante Bucaneve

In Bielmonte, at the heart of Oasi Zegna, Albergo Bucaneve is a historic mountain lodge that has welcomed travellers and hikers for years. The in-house restaurant is led by chef Ernesto Tonetto, who brings with him international experience and a meticulous attention to ingredients. The menu changes daily, inspired by what the land offers: mushrooms, wild herbs, alpine cheeses, but also influences from the Po Valley and forays into the flavours of the Ligurian Apennines.
Among the most appreciated dishes are polenta concia served on soapstone, beef tagliata, crepes with wild herbs, and artisanal desserts. The atmosphere is elegant without being formal, with a bright dining room overlooking the mountains and attentive, hotel-quality service.
Bielmonte, 1 Valdilana (BI)

La Polveriera

It’s not a restaurant, but a small stone house, fully restored and available to rent for a night or a weekend. The kitchen is there (well-equipped), as is the outdoor table for dining at sunset with a view over the valley. Guests arrive with their shopping already done — or buy ingredients in the valley — and then cook for themselves: maybe a plate of pizzoccheri, a savoury tart with herbs, or whatever they like. But there’s also the option of treating yourself: a special breakfast prepared on-site, or a sunset dinner cooked by a private chef, just for you.
The real luxury? The silence.
Località Margosio – access via the Zegna Panoramic Road, Trivero, Valdilana (BI)