Trail 204

Trail 204 winds through the hills of Borgomale, a small town in the Alba Langhe area, at 470 meters above sea level, in a landscape dominated by the cultivation of the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe hazelnut. The trail passes through hazelnut groves and clearings of mixed forest where oak, hornbeam, and wild cherry trees alternate with moss-covered dry stone walls. Borgomale Castle, a medieval structure with a 12th-century square tower, dominates the village from above and is visible for much of the trail. The marly-clayey subsoil, rich in Miocene fossils, emerges from road cuts and natural landslides along the north-facing slope. In autumn, the undergrowth is fertile ground for black truffles and pioppine mushrooms, traditionally prized local mushrooms. From March to November, on autumn mornings, the mists of the Langhe create a landscape of hills that emerge like islands.