Casa Payer

Vegan Hotel in Italy

About us

Casa Payer came about after our return from two years spent in India, where I (Luca) and Paola met. As we are both vegetarians, we felt the need to live surrounded by nature and to follow a rural lifestyle. We wanted a kitchen garden, to make our own bread and to chop the wood used to bake it and to keep us warm.

We envisaged a house nestled in the woods that we could bring back to life with our own hands. And so, the idea to host guests was born – a journey in reverse – from wandering Asia in search of hospitality, we would now ourselves be welcoming travellers.

That our household should be vegan was non-negotiable. There was no place in our world view for the dietary habits that we had previously abandoned.

After an extensive search, we finally identified a location we liked, immensely: a large stone farmhouse, long overgrown by the thick woods that surrounded it. Electricity had never found its way there, nor had potable water, and no clumsy attempts at renovation had ever been made. It was exactly as it had been in the 1700s: stone, earth, wood, limestone. Our hearts opened; we were bewitched. The house was inhabited by just one man, Ottavio. He lived there with a wild sow he had rescued as a piglet from a hunt and raised…it was a sign: we knew we had to bring this setting back to life.

Who is Casa Payer?

Casa Payer is a suggestive stone farmhouse which has been renovated following green building standards and is run in the spirit of veganism. It is our personal life project, one that we share with our guests, offering them ecologically sustainable holidays and homemade plant-based cooking, in a pleasing corner of the Valpellice valley, surrounded by woods and the wildness of nature. Experiencing the woods is a journey into the wilderness.

It is a place where you can reconnect with nature and unburden from the stresses of daily life, following the simplicity of the rhythm of the seasons and finding time for yourself once more. To reach us, either by car or on foot, you need to take the rough track that runs through the woods from the village of Colletto for 1 km. It is a very pleasant walk.

Living areas

There are many places you can explore, either in company or alone: the herb garden, the courtyard with its solarium, the lawn, the hammocks in the birch trees, the covered terraces, the container vegetable garden and the small lounge overlooking the woods, where we serve breakfast and other meals.

Sala Mantra, the panoramic barn ,can be used for reading, music, get-togethers and small group activities.

The wood garden

These secluded mountain lands, reclaimed from the spontaneous vegetation, abound with wildlife: a hollow of biodiversity.

We have reinhabited this ancient dwelling place and borrowed a part of the woods for our own use while respecting its wild dignity. The spaces bordering the woods and our presence have become a Wood Garden. Cultivated ornamental plants, fruit trees and herbs co-exist with the wild ones: a contamination of wild and domestic, areas of overlap, experiments in permaculture.

The container vegetable garden rises out of a long strip of ground supported by an old dry dyke that overlooks the woods to the east. After a series of experiments of synergistic agriculture, we decided that the container garden solution was the most agreeable one to us. You can see the vegetable garden from the solarium balcony or walk into it just as any garden. Interaction with the woods is magical and alchemical: a narrative of forms of life and elements that coexist in synergy. Explore it with curiosity and respect through an experience of sustainable tourism.

Green-building

Casa Payer is made of Woods: the trees, the stone and the clay soil of the surrounding land.

We renovated it honouring the original building techniques, observing green-building criteria and with the desire to inhabit this ancient place that vibrates with the ancestral energy of the stone and the harmony of the wood.

Chestnut trees make up the beams while the walls and the roof are of stone. The natural limestone plaster regulates humidity levels and allows the rooms to breathe. Water used for washing and the wall heating system is heated by the warmth of the sun and using firewood originating from the woods.

Wood fibreboard insulates the roof, floors and ceilings. Paints are composed of mineral pigments, oils and plant resins. Rainwater is harvested from the large roof to water the garden and vegetable garden. In this way we stay connected to nature and are easy on the environment. Small creatures from the woods find refuge in the nooks and crannies of the house and walls.

The rooms

Casa Payer has three spacious bedrooms, each with an independent entrance, private bathroom, kitchenette, fridge and large balcony.

The rough stone walls, natural lime plaster and wood combine to create soft forms and a welcoming environment. Wall paint is made from mineral pigments, oils and plant resins.

Water used for washing and to supply the wall heating system is heated using firewood from the woods and the heat of the sun. The liquid soap in the dispensers, shampoos and bath gels are all ecological and vegan approved.

There are many places you can explore, either in company or alone: the herb garden, the courtyard with its solarium, the lawn, the hammocks in the birch trees, the covered terraces, the container vegetable garden and the small lounge overlooking the woods, where we serve breakfast and other meals.

The panoramic barn can be used for reading, music, get-togethers and small group activities.

For booking click the below link:

https://www.casapayer.it/prenotazioni?lang=en

Plant based food

Food is at the foundation of our lifestyle choices.

Every day we offer healthy, fresh and tasty homemade plant based food made from seasonal recipes.

We take great care in selecting the ingredients and in their preparation: each is carefully sourced from local suppliers and producers.
Some of the fruit, vegetables and herbs we use grow in our own kitchen garden or close to the house.

All meals, including breakfast, are served in the small room that looks across to the woods. Homemade sourdough bread, baked in our wood-burning oven, is the staple of our rich breakfasts. The cakes, muffins, sponges, plum cakes, biscuits and jams, yofu and soya milk, plant-based mayonnaise and hummus are all homemade. Muesli, herbal teas, fruit juice and freshly picked fruit are also on offer. The teas and coffee are from fair trade. On Saturdays we make pizzas with sourdough for dinner. We top them with our own tasty toppings, and we cook them in our wood-burning oven. We offer half board, though full board is available for groups taking part in residential activities.