The story of Pinocchio has charmed many generations all around the world. Pinocchio was a wooden toy who dreamed of becoming a real little boy. As the story goes Pinocchio was created by Geppetto a woodcarver who lived in a village near Florence. There was something very special and unique about Pinocchio, every time he told a lie his nose would grow...

Vernante is a village situated close to the Italian ski resort of Limone in Piemonte, and about 20 kilometres from the town of Cuneo. All around the village you will find paintings and murals everywhere you walk, all featuring the character of Pinocchio.

Why in Vernante?

The illustrator of Pinocchio was Attilio Mussino and he spent the final years of his life in Vernante. On the walls of the house that he lived in and on other homes and buildings around the town more than a hundred and fifty Pinocchio themed murals can be seen.

As you walk around the village it is hard not to feel as though you have stepped into the fairytale adventures of this wooden puppet.

You will also find a museum dedicated to Mussino which has on show the first illustrated edition of Pinocchio in 1911, the book with animated pages published in 1942 and the 33 illustrated tables of the last edition which appeared in Il Giornalino in 1952.

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There's a lovely energy as you walk through the alleyways spotting mural after mural in the knowledge that there is no place on earth like Vernante dedicated entirely to Pinocchio.

The beautiful mountains and breathtaking surroundings are a constant reminder of what a wonderful part of Italy this is. Vernante is just over an hour away from the French and Italian Riviera and about an hour and a half to Turin.

And I must add that everything I have said is true and there is no chance that my nose will have grown... Phew!