IAT Tourism Information and Welcoming Office

Porta del Piazzale Curiel - c/o Stazione Ferroviaria V.le dei Campionissimi, 2 15100 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) tel. 0131254230 - fax 131329836 tel. 014372585 - fax 0143767657 [email protected] - www.alexala.it iat@.noviligure.al.it Lun-Sab 8.30 -12.30 e 15.00 - 17.30 www.comune.noviligure.al.it

ACQUI TERME Piazza Levi, 12 - c/o Palazzo Robellini Via Cairoli, 103 - 15076 Ovada (AL) 15011 (AL) tel. 0143821043 - fax 0143821043 tel. 0144322142 - fax 0144770303 [email protected] [email protected] - www.comuneacqui.com www.comune.ovada.al.it

ALESSANDRIA Via Gagliaudo, 2 - 15100 Alessandria Corso Alessandria, 62 - 15057 Tortona (AL) tel. 0131234794 - fax 0131234794 tel. 0131864297 - fax 0131864267 the [email protected] [email protected] www.comune.alessandria.it www.comune.tortona.al.it Lun-Sab 10 -13 e 14.30 - 17.30 countryside’s Piazza XXXI Martiri, 1 - 15048 Valenza (AL) Piazza Castello - 15033 Casale Monferrato (AL) tel. 0131945246 - fax 0131946082 tel. 0142444330 - fax 0142444330 [email protected] treasures [email protected] www.comune.valenza.al.it www.comune.casale-monferrato.al.it www.valenzaeventi.it

TRAVELS THROUGH THE MONFERRATO AND THE

ATL Alexala - Piazza S. Maria di Castello, 14 15100 Alessandria - tel. 0131288095 - fax 0131220546 [email protected] - www.alexala.it the countryside’s treasures trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria To Gian Carlo trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria introduction  Alessandria: this is

In visiting Alessandria, you will visit a condensed province’s cooks. The local cuisine is quite varied version of Italy itself. You don’t believe me? Why, as well, having absorbed the influence of many just take a look around: here are the plains, the different cultures which passed through this lan- hills, the snowy peaks, complete with ski slopes, dscape throughout Europe’s history. More than and even the sea - or at least three quarters of the province the smell of it, with coastal is part of the Monferrato, a lying just around the region where the tides of time corner and influencing, from left dozens of castles and for- afar, the cuisine and lifestyle tresses behind - at least forty of part of the province. This just around this province. To is a land of great wines, with write this guide we began by plenty of original, rare appel- exploring our own fascination lations, but also a land abun- with this land... We found dant in vegetable gardens, myriad villages with myriad, rich in animal farming, salami unimaginable and often still and cheese production. But hidden, treasures. Artistic, remember: even though we have grouped villages environmental and cultural, of course, but also and towns in areas which present some sort of treasures from the land, the soil, and the kitchen, continuity, similarity, or bond, each single locale, unique products and undiscovered artisanal re- each specialty, will always be absolutely unique. cipes. But before going on I must confess that I Salami from Alessandria, such as the filetto bacia- myself am a proud son of this land and, there- to or the “noble raw” from Giarolo, you will not fore, might sometimes have let the ink flow with find anywhere else. The same can be said of the the wine, and my pleasure in a dish of well-made Montebore or of the formaggetta di capra goat agnolotti get mixed up with the enthusiasm of cheese. And of the wines: Timorasso, , promoting a land which tourism has not hurt but and . Another excellent tradition enhanced. Here, the visitor can enjoy a taste of is the rich patisserie, ranging from home-made real Italy, all at his fingertips, in a province with artisanal to an entire industry dedicated as many facets as there are villages, an attractive to confectionary and chocolate. Every village has land, just waiting to be discovered. So, finally, al- its own amaretto or cookie: be it extremely well- low us to welcome you, through these pages, to known, such as the krumiri, or awaiting discove- a land of villages and squares, country lanes and ry, all bear witness to the great creativity of this farmhouses. Enjoy the trip - we know you will!

Paolo Massobrio Journalist and food and wine critic, president of the Papillon Club Morano sul Camino A26 Mombello PO PO Frassineto Cerrina M.to M.to CASALE Odalengo MONFERRATO Grande San Giorgio M.to Serralunga di Crea Treville Ozzano M.to Rosignano Ponzano M.to Borgo Pomaro M.to Cella San Martino Monferrato Odalengo Sala M.to Monte Piccolo Castelletto Alfiano Merli Natta Frassinello M.to Alessandria Isola Camagna M.to S.Antonio Vignale M.to Molino San Salvatore VALENZA dei Torti The Fulvia way Altavilla M.to A26 M.to PO Lu Alzano Pecetto Alluvioni Cuccaro M.to Castelletto di Valenza Cambiò Castelnuovo Fraschetta and the area M.to Sale Scrivia Fubine Pietra Valenza Marazzi scrivia A7 Pavone A21

The Monferrato between the and the Po A21 tanaro a id rm o Solero b A21 ALESSANDRIA Castelceriolo Casale Monferrato Casalbagliano TORTONA The Monferrato around Casale Spinetta Berzano A7 di Tortona Villa del Foro Marengo Mandrogne The Sanctuary’s lands and the Cerrina Valley Castellazzo Cerreto Bergamasco Borgoratto Alessandrino Scrivia Acqui Terme Casal scrivia bormida Cermelli A7 Costa Vescovato The Bormida Valley Pozzolo A26 Formigaro Brignano Frascata Castellania On the way to the sea A26 Sant’Agata NOVI Cassano Fossili Garbagna S.Sebastiano Ovada LIGURE Spinola Curone Castelnuovo A7 Bormida Francavilla The High Monferrato around Ovada Alice Capriata d’Orba Bisio Borghetto di Bel Colle Silvano d’Orba Pallavicino Strevi Serravalle Cantalupo Novi Ligure Scrivia Ligure ACQUI Orsara Montaldo Rocca Albera Gavi Rocchetta Terzo TERME Bormida Bormida Grimalda Ligure Ligure Gavi and the lands of the Orba Castelletto Grondona Capanne d’Orba Arquata di Cosola Scrivia Sisola The Borbera and Spinti Valleys Roccaforte Tagliolo Ligure Cabella Ponti Monferrato Ligure OVADA Castelletto Mongiardino The Scrivia Valley d’ Lerma Belforte Casaleggio Ligure Montechiaro d’Acqui Monferrato Boiro Tortona Carrega A26 Ligure The Curone, Grue, Ossona Valleys orba Capanne di Marcarolo

a d i m r o b Pareto Balzola Villanova Monferrato Gabiano Camino Coniolo Moncestino A26 Villamiroglio Mombello Pontestura PO PO Frassineto Cerrina M.to M.to Solonghello CASALE Odalengo MONFERRATO Grande San Giorgio M.to Valmacca Serralunga Ticineto Murisengo di Crea Treville Ozzano M.to Rosignano Villadeati Ponzano M.to Borgo Pomaro M.to Cella Terruggia San Martino Monferrato Odalengo Cereseto Sala M.to Monte Piccolo Castelletto Ottiglio Occimiano Giarole Alfiano Merli Bozzole Natta Olivola Frassinello M.to Mirabello Monferrato Isola Camagna M.to S.Antonio Vignale M.to Molino Conzano San Salvatore VALENZA Guazzora dei Torti Altavilla M.to A26 M.to PO Lu Bassignana Pecetto Alluvioni Cuccaro M.to Castelletto di Valenza Cambiò Castelnuovo M.to Rivarone Sale Scrivia Fubine Piovera Quargnento scrivia A7 Pontecurone Pavone Montecastello A21

A21 tanaro a id rm o Solero b A21 Quattordio ALESSANDRIA Castelceriolo Casalnoceto Felizzano Viguzzolo Casalbagliano Castellar Guidobono Masio TORTONA Volpeglino Spinetta Berzano A7 di Tortona Volpedo Villa del Foro Marengo Monleale Oviglio Mandrogne Sarezzano orba Villaromagnano Pozzol Groppo Castellazzo Bergamasco Borgoratto Montemarzino Alessandrino Bormida Frugarolo Casal Bosco Marengo scrivia Spineto Scrivia Carentino bormida Cermelli Paderna Montegioco Frascaro A7 Costa Castelspina Vescovato Momperone Gamalero Casasco Pozzolo Villalvernia Carezzano A26 Fresonara Formigaro Avolasca Brignano Frascata Castellania Sezzadio A26 Gavazzana Gremiasco Sant’Agata NOVI Cassano Fossili Garbagna S.Sebastiano Basaluzzo LIGURE Spinola Curone Fabbrica Curone Cassine Sardigliano Castelnuovo Predosa Pasturana A7 Dernice Ricaldone Montacuto Bormida Francavilla Alice Capriata d’Orba Bisio Stazzano Bel Colle Rivalta Bormida Silvano d’Orba Tassarolo Vignole Borbera Pallavicino Strevi Serravalle Cantalupo Scrivia Ligure ACQUI Orsara Montaldo Rocca San Cristoforo Albera Gavi Rocchetta Terzo TERME Bormida Bormida Grimalda Ligure Ligure Castelletto Grondona Visone Carpeneto Capanne Bistagno d’Orba Parodi Ligure Arquata di Cosola Morsasco Carrosio Scrivia Sisola Montaldeo Bosio Melazzo Prasco Trisobbio Roccaforte Cremolino Tagliolo Ligure Cabella Ponti Grognardo Monferrato Mornese Ligure Cavatore OVADA Castelletto Voltaggio Mongiardino d’Erro Molare Lerma Denice Belforte Casaleggio Ligure Montechiaro d’Acqui Morbello Monferrato Boiro Carrega Cartosio Cassinelle A26 Ponzone Fraconalto Ligure

orba Malvicino Capanne di Marcarolo Spigno Monferrato a d i m r o b Merana Pareto  the countryside’s treasures reading guide

This book is divided in 19 sections: seven are devoted to the main towns, while the remaining twelve are districts we have divided the remaining 190 small centers and villages of the province of Alessandria into. To do this, we kept two parameters in mind: geographic proximity and cultural continuity. Most of these areas are defined by a river, a valley, a hillside community - at the same time, they also share a collective memory of the past, as well as a similar landscape, which means their agriculture, artisanal traditions, wine production and cuisine have a lot in common as well. As for the recipes, some are directly linked to a specific area, others are part of a larger system of knowledge, and are therefore shared by many districts. Each chapter ends with an appendix containing a list of restaurants, eateries and shops in which the visitor can taste the specialties mentioned in the text - all these places have been selected by food critic Paolo Massobrio.

Accessibility legend by

All the information relating to the accessibility stairway) - it is advisable to contact the structure of restaurants mentioned in this guide has been to find out whether they can be overcome, accor- collected by providing a structured questionnai- ding to the client’s specific needs. All the following re. These questionnaires have been filled in on restaurants, unless differently stated, declared to a voluntary basis, allowing technicians from the have already served disabled people in the past, “Turismabile” project to provide a technical de- and will generally offer all their support to make scription of the accessibility level of each structure. their clients’ visit as comfortable as possible. Following the contemporary international trend, we chose not to assign “accessibility points” but rather to provide all the relevant information, the- reby allowing each visitor to autonomously eva- luate whether of not each place is able to respond to his or her specific needs. In this context, saying that assistance is necessary to move through part of the structure means that, in some areas of the restaurant, there may be small obstacles (e.g. steps lower than 5 cm, a piece of furniture which must be moved) which may easily be overcome with the assistance of another person. When it is noted that the staff’s assistance will be necessary to guaran- tee accessibility to a person in a wheelchair, this means that there are major obstacles (such as a trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria alessandria  Alessandria

A26

CASALE MONFERRATO

A26 VALENZA

A7 A21 A21 A21

ALESSANDRIA A7 TORTONA

A7

A26 A26

NOVI A7 LIGURE

ACQUI TERME OVADA

A26

piemonte’s grand salon I like Alessandria. I like it more than any other templation in a cultural environment which is city. I like it because it’s a salon, a grand salon, never bragged about - but always present. Ales- almost French-like in its alleys, in its cafés. My sandria is home to one of the most lively Music favorite way to explore it is by foot; I believe Conservatories in Italy, as well as to traces of it to be the only way to appreciate its hidden a flourishing tradition of silversmiths, whose treasures: the palazzi’s courtyards, deep and in- creations, as delicate as , have been at- timate. I like the squares, completely surrounded tributed the De.Co., Denominazione Comunale, by porticos: Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza della label, a brand of origin and quality awarded by Libertà, beating heart of the city. This latter is the Municipal Authorities. These lovely crafts re- where all the major roads lead, set out in an or- main a popular attraction today. I also like the derly grid: Via Dante, Via San Lorenzo and Corso Lega square, a small but popular hangout, close Roma, the road natives spend their afternoons to the liberty-style gallery, the Galleria Guerci, on, just walking up and down, browsing the a place which, alone, would suffice to put Ales- shop windows - and checking out each other’s sandria on the maps. There is another thing, in clothes. I like the churches (there are many, and Alessandria, which nobody ever writes about: they are all lovely), and I like to know that, for a diffuse culture of the aperitivo, popular sin- two years now, Palazzo Monferrato has hosted ce the Fifties - that is, since long before anyone an art show, designed to encourage quiet con- came up with the concept of “happy hour”. In  alessandria the countryside’s treasures

Alessandria’s cafés, high-class barmen serve the to local standards of cooking (and drinking; the marocchino, i.e. coffee with cream and cocoa. province’s wines are many and their quality is The locals’ taste has always been highly refined: getting to be quite well-regarded). Have I said you can tell from the patisserie, different from all it all? Impossible: I should go on talking about the rest of Italy, but also from the pizzerie, since the bread and the focaccia, the meat on display Alessandria imported the best cooks from the in the butchers’ windows, the vast choice of Southern town of Tramonti. And then there are meals waiting to be picked up in any gastro- restaurants, wine bars, trattorias, a myriad choi- nomia. The pursuit of excellence, a mark left ce of where to eat: each place is different, and from the military bourgeoisie’s taste and spen- each place is - usually - packed. They even esta- ding power, is everywhere. Alessandria is wor- blished a label, certifying the menu’s adherence th a visit, and one day here just isn’t enough. what to see Many interesting parts of Alessandria were created side of the Tanaro river, outside the city, stands the in the Nineteenth Century: the small Lega square, imposing Military , built in the Eighteenth heart of the city, and Piazza Garibaldi with its porti- Century. The design is by Ignazio Bertola and repre- coes and , all built with an eye to symmetry sents a six-point star. It was Victor Amadeus, duke and regularity. Another interesting square is Piazza of Savoy, who ordered the construction of what is Marconi, with the lovely Figarolo di Gropello Pa- now one of the best-preserved of such complexes lace - albeit partially redone in the 1930s, it main- in Europe. Recently is has been re-converted for tains all the gracefulness of its eighteenth-century use as a cultural venue and art gallery. Three baro- origins, especially if one ventures inside the court- que “pearls” among religious buildings are yard. Other notable palaces, homes of the old ari- Lawrence’s, Saint Lucy’s and Alexander stocracy, are the Ghilini (1732, considered and Charles’ Churches. The first two’s best feature to be one of the most beautiful manors in Italy), the are the harmonious and sober terracotta façades; Guasco Palace (note the imposing stairway and the third has an amazingly rich central nave. The the 12-metre-high gallery lit by 18 windows), the (construction ended 1879), dedicated City Hall Palace (neo-classical), the Cuttica Palace to Saint Peter, is almost excessively polished, yet full (Eighteenth Century, anticipating neo-classicism in of surprises: a fifteenth-century wooden statue of the sobriety of its façade) and the Civalieri Palace the Mary of Salvation, a Byzantine Mary of Uscetto, (don’t miss the courtyard with its exedra entran- paintings by . The Church of Saint Mary ce). All of these were mainly built in the Eighteen- of the Carmine in Via dei Guasco, originally built in th Century. Another interesting corner of the city the Fourteenth Century with double-barrel arches center is the Guerci Gallery, built in 1895 with fine and vaults, has a sixteenth-century Mary of the Ro- wrought iron gates and lamplights. During the Twentieth Century other buildings were added: the Palace of the Monferrato, by Turinese artist Che- valley, who inserted some early eclectic elements in the design, the Post and Telegraph Building, co- vered by Gino Severini’s great mosaic, and palaces by Ignazio Gardella. A major rationalist architect, Mr. Gardella designed, among others, the Teresio Borsalino Hospital and Sanatorium, the Workers’ House and the “Taglieria del Pelo”. On the other trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria alessandria  sary and a eighteenth-century Crucifix. Saint John ruins of the Umiliati of Saint John of the Hood’s the Baptist of the Crucifix’s brotherhood is a gol- brotherhood’s settlement remain - these are the dmine of precious artwork, including the amazing only medieval site in the city and include a part sixteenth-century bas-relief of the Crucifixion on of the cloister and of the cellar. Finally, there are a the portal. Saint Mary of the Castle, documented few collections worth visitingt: the Art Rooms of in a text from 1107, incorporates parts of older re- the Civic Museum, the “Rooms of King Arthur” ligious buildings; nowadays it is mostly late-gothic, Exhibition Halls, the Ethnographic “Once upon a with some elements. Annexed to is is time” Museum and, especially, the Borsalino Hat a Fifteenth-Sixteenth Century cloister. Only a few Museum. products FROM THE VEGETABLE GARDEN TO THE PATISSERIE

Centrally positioned in the valley between the Bormida and Tanaro rivers, Alessandria has always been known for its vegetable gardens’ abundan- ce, so much so that an entire neighborhood takes its name from the city’s great orti. The flatlands around Alessandria are covered with rich earth particularly suited to the culti- vation of pumpkins, beets, ve- getables, cherries, apricots and of the strawberry, pride of the small village of Casalbaglia- no. The city center is known for the cookies and pastries, a refined tradition developed to answer the needs of the military bourgeoisie, who ga- thered for coffee and tea after the theatre in the salons of the mid-Nineteenth Century. Today, the Municipality has endowed these city treasures local family stores’ special- creams prepared with fresh with a quality label, faithfully ties (Marengo’s Polenta, Gal- fruit, and sweets baked only in recording the original recipes lina’s Baci, the Mandrugnin, certain moments of the year, of all kinds of fresh pastries, the Rhum Meardini, Marelli’s such as Saint Lucy’s Day’s La- cakes such as the Tartufata, Amaretti), high-quality ice- cabòn and Carnival’s Farciò. 10 alessandria the countryside’s treasures

cuisine Alessandria’s cuisine is a suc- the town’s restaurants serve ditional snail recipe: the snails cessful blend of the great Pie- rabbit tuna, a mix of rabbit are cooked in white wine and dmontese tradition with Ligu- meat with sage, nuts, clove then dressed with anchovies, rian and Lombard influences, and juniper, tagliolini pasta and hazelnuts. During a rich heritage which combi- with anchovies and leeks, ca- Lent, people eat plenty of fish nes the best local produce in punet (traditionally made with from the river as well as cod, classic dishes such as bagna left-over roast meat, cooked fried with tomatoes and ser- caoda, pig-head cima (or sac- salami and cabbage) or Boxing ved with a slice of polenta. coccia) and vitel tonnè. Day stuffed cabbage (with spi- The Pollo alla Marengo chic-

The result is a cuisine which is ced pork sausage, lean meat, ken is a whole different story: both traditional and original. fontina cheese, parmesan and it is attributed to ’s Many local dishes are vegeta- bacon) and the Alessandria- cook Dunand, who is said to ble-based, including the herb style agnolotti, small and have invented it on the eve- salad (a famous recipe in- irregular, stuffed with stew, ning of the historical victory volves eggs and Saint Peter’s sausage and vegetable, coo- of the French troops over the herb), or herb omelette, as ked in the same stew or with Austrians. well as the area’s traditional wine. Traditional se- This creative concoction of all peperonata, a simple dish of cond courses include meat there was to be found in the peppers, tomatoes and ancho- stew, also used to prepare area (chicken, river shrimp, vies, served in the summer. agnolotti, rabbit cooked with eggs, white wine) has reached The winter equivalent is the peppers and tripe, often made far and wide, even being de- sancrò, a revisited Sauer- following the “Piazza Tanaro scribed by Auguste Escoffier, Kraut, eaten before a broad- soup” recipe, in which tripe is who added mushrooms to the bean soup and garunet e cooked with onion, potatoes, legendary recipe. fagioli (garunet cutlets with leeks and bacon, or served The lesser-known - but more beans), common here as well with tagliatelle pasta. “Alla easily found in the area’s re- as in all the Monferrato. All Mandrogna” is a famous tra- staurants - Marengo veal trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria alessandria 11

is a stew cooked in white the Dead, simple bean-sha- milk, white flour, butter, eggs wine with tomato sauce, mu- ped cookies with sugar, ha- and sugar. Alessandria’s cui- shrooms and onion. zelnuts and egg-whites, and sine is extremely well-suited For , the certified around Carnival the Gazze to the area’s wines, including De.Co. pastries are comple- (Magpies), light and airy fried all kinds of Barbera, from the mented, according to the sea- sweets made with flour, butter, young light one to the more son, by specialties prepared Marsala liqueur and eggs, and full-bodied Superior Monfer- for certain religious festivities: the frittelle (also called farciò), rato Barbera, which recently in November, the Beans of soft fried cream puffs made of received the Docg label.

shopping

• Antonella Cioccolateria (Chocolatier) • Boano via Castellani, 16 - phone 0131441828 via San Lorenzo, 71 - phone 0131254797 closed: Tuesday via Dante, 80 - phone 0131252058 chocolates, sweets, “Monferrini” (bread-crusts, closed: Wednesday afternoon cooked in the oven and covered in 70% dark high-quality white meats, roast chicken chocolate) • Enoteca Millevigne (Winery) • Bar Gipsy’s (Café) via Pontida, 54 - phone 0131535970 via Galvani, 12 - phone 0131442467 vast selection of Piedmontese wine closed: Monday • Gelateria Cercenà aperitivi and home-made ice-cream piazzetta della Lega, 12 - phone 0131251643 • Bar Tazza d’Oro (Café) home-made ice-cream via Bergamo, 13 - phone 013155758 • Gelateria Cercenà closed: Sunday corso Crimea, 45 - phone 0131254268 specialties and wine from all over Italy closed: Tuesday - home-made ice-cream 12 alessandria the countryside’s treasures

• Gelateria Soban • Pasticceria Gallina (Patisserie) via San Lorenzo, 99 via Vochieri, 46 - phone 013152791 phone 0131445255 closed: Monday and Sunday afternoon home-made ice-cream, ice-cream with no su- “Baci di Gallina” cookies, “Baciona” gar, ice-cream for people with food intolerances • Pasticceria Mezzaro (Patisserie) (gluten, lactose, eggs), certified by the Italian via Cavour, 43/45 - phone 013168815 Celiac Association (AIC) closed: Monday • Guidetti Cocktail Bar Mezzarini (sweet creams served in small glasses) via Alessandro III, 33 - phone 0131260148 • Pasticceria Pasquali (Patisserie) closed: Tuesday via Trotti, 67 - tel 0131254130 - closed: Monday cocktails, wine, cheese, pastries, honey, jams chocolate baci, Bavarian cream with chocolate • Macelleria Baldon (Butchery) • Pasticceria Rolando (Patisserie) via dei Guasco, 18 - phone 0131263593 via Plana, 3 - phone 0131443538 Piedmontese breed bovine meat closed: Monday and Sunday afternoon • Macelleria Fara (Butchery) amaretti, many tastes via Rettoria, 19 - phone 0131226268 • Pasticceria Zoccola (Patisserie) Fraschetta cow salami, tripe corso Lamarmora, 61 - phone 0131254767 • La Mandragora via San Lorenzo, 102 - phone 013143772 via Legnano, 25 - phone 0131262960 closed: Monday closed: Monday morning mignon cream pastries and Tartufata (cake) organic agricolture products, food for people • Pasticceria Gastronomia Teo e Bia (Patis- with intollerances serie and Gastronomy) • Pane & Co. via Sant’Ubaldo, 32/a - phone 0131222752 corso V. Marini, 67 - phone 0131253178 www.teoebia.com closed: Sunday organic products, products for people with food sweet and savory focaccia intollerances • Panetteria Mauro Sandroni () • Salumeria Parma & Reggio (Butchery) corso IV Novembre, 45 - phone 0131253013 via Dante, 92 - phone 0131260451 closed: Wednesday afternoon closed: Wednesday afternoon bread and focaccia (specialty: hard treccia) cheese and salami from all over Italy • Pasta Fresca Fabio e Luisa (Fresh pasta) • Il Salumaio via San Lorenzo, 72 - phone 0131263548 via Dei Guasco, 20 - phone 0131253624 closed: Wednesday afternoon closed: Wednesday afternoon agnolotti, rabaton stuffed fresh pasta, rabaton, selected cheeses • Pasticceria Bonadeo (Patisserie) and cured meats Galleria Guerci • Vineria Mezzo-Litro phone 0131251741 - closed: monday (Winery) Alessandria’s traditional pastries, “Polenta di corso Monferrato, 49 - phone 0131223501 Marengo” cake closed: Monday • Pasticceria e Confetteria Wines, local salami, rice, oil, grappa, chocolate, Rovida & Signorelli (Patisserie) jams and preserves piazza Garibaldi, 23 - phone 0131252754 - paved parking lot with spaces reserved for 0131246937 - closed: Tuesday disabled persons. - the ground-level entrance historic patisserie in Alessandria, De.Co. savoury and the interior are easily and autonomously pastries accessible by wheelchair - disabled bathroom. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria alessandria 13

Cantalupo piazza Dossena, 32 - phone 013159473 • Macelleria Ferrua (Butchery) closed: Sunday and afternoons; Saturday open via Pace, 1 - phone 0131269206 from 7 am to 4 pm closed: Sunday and Monday salami, meat Piedmontese bovine meat, ox meat, home- • Az. Agr. Berto Vito (Farm) made sausages via S. Antonino, 17/19 phone 013159370 Cascinagrossa open: Friday and Saturday (8-11.30 am) • Macelleria Armano Gigetto (Butchery) meat via Gramsci, 3 - phone 0131619689 Fraschetta salami Valmadonna • De Gustibus Valle San Bartolomeo via Profumati, 12 - phone 0131507066 • Macelleria Da Davide (Butchery) bakery with organic flour what to eat • A Casa di Joséphine • Duomo via Parma, 10 via Parma, 28 phone 0131253971 phone 013152631 closed: Sunday closed: Saturday for lunch and Sunday set menu price: 30 euro set menu price: 35-45 euro rabaton, “alla cacciatora” chicken, tartrà in red Carnaroli rice with leeks and duck salami, bolli- sauce to misto, hazelnut soft icecream with -style - paved parking lot with spaces close to the en- bicerin coffee trance - a person on a wheelchair will require - paved parking lot - the step at the entrance the staff’s assistance in order to navigate the can be overcome by a wheelchair only with the interior; it is not easy to move around - disabled assistance of another person; the same is true bathroom. of the interior - the bathrooms can be reached • Alli Due Buoi Rossi by wheelchair but a wheelchair cannot get clo- via Cavour, 32 se to the WC. phone 0131517171 • Il Grappolo www.alliduebuoirossi.com via Casale, 28 closed: Saturday for lunch, Sunday evening phone 0131253217 set menu price: 35 euro www.ristoranteilgrappolo.it capunet with bagna caoda, rabaton grilled with closed: Monday evening and Tuesday butter and sage set menu price: 35 euro • L’Arcimboldo agnolotti monferrini with three-roasts dressing, via Legnano, 2 stuffed guinea hen, boiler meat phone 013152022 - paved parking lot with spaces reserved for di- www.ristorantearcimboldo.it sabled persons - the entrance, with paved slide, closed: Sunday; open for lunch Monday to Friday and the interior are easily accessible by wheel- set menu price: 35 euro chair, with the occasional assistance of another butter and sage plin, gnocchi with fonduta person - the bathroom’s structure does not al- cheese, Piedmontese veal cutlets low for a wheelchair to get close to the WC. 14 alessandria the countryside’s treasures

• Gusto (Winery) sauce, veal filet marinated with herbs and coo- piazza Principessa Mafalda di Savoia, 15 ked on stone phone 0131441141 - closed: Sunday • Torino set menu price: 24 euro via Vochieri, 108 agnolotti, fassone veal with potatoes ph. 013155752 - www.bioristorantetorino.it • La Piola closed: Monday - set menu price: 33 euro via Poligonia, 86 veal carpaccio with herbs and Montebore phone 0131226779 cheese, potato and beet gnocchi with cheese closed: Monday - set menu price: 23 euro fondue, “drunk” salami with polenta rabaton, veal with artichokes, stone-cooked - gravel parking lot with reserved spaces - the rooster ground-floor entrance and inside rooms allow - paved parking lot - the entrance and the inte- for easy movement for clients on a wheelchair rior are easily and autonomously accessible by - disabled bathroom. wheelchair - disabled bathroom. • Il Vicoletto • Dai Tre Gnüront vicolo Cremona, 1 - phone 0131261578 via Plana, 95 - phone 013156423 closed: Wednesday evening e Sunday closed: Monday and Tuesday set menu price: 32 euro - “Alla Marengo” chicken set menu price: 25 euro agnolotti, cumudà cod with onions and tomato San Michele • Osteria della Luna in Brodo • Al Mulino via Legnano, 12- phone 0131231898 via Casale, 44 closed: Monday - set menu price: 29 euro phone 0131362250 risotto with herbs and robiola di www.almulino-hotel.it - closed: Sunday cheese, roasted veal, hazelnut cake with choco- set menu price: 26 euro late cream piedmontese stew agnolotti, fassone raw meat • Osteria Porcavacca with robiola cheese and fresh tomato via Modena, 68 - ang. via U. Rattazzi - private, paved, parking lot, with reserved spa- phone 0131234274 ces - the ground-level entrance and the rooms closed: Monday - set menu price: 35 euro inside are easily navigated by wheelchair – disa- potato gnocchi with sausage and mushrooms, bled bathroom. The staff has no previous expe- seafood with green beans and potatoes in basil rience with clients with special needs. events

• “Fiera di San Giorgio” festival (end of April - beginning of May) info: www.comune.alessandria.it • “Scampagnata in centro” (May) info: [email protected] • Artisanal Chocolate fair and market “Alé Chocolate” (October) info: [email protected] • “Fiera di Saint Baudolino” festival (November) info: www.asperia.it • “Festa di Santa Lucia”, festival and procession, sale of lacabon sweets (December) info: www.comune.alessandria.it • in various parts of the province Visiting Cellars, Castles and... Wineries, (every Sunday, May to October) info: [email protected] trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the fulvia way 15 The Fulvia way Bergamasco, , Carentino, Casalbagliano, Felizzano, Fubine, Masio, Oviglio, Quargnento, Quattordio, Solero, Villa del Foro

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a portrait of nineteenth-century piemonte A legend has circulated, since time immemo- needed irrigation network, is still there to be rial, in the villages between Alessandria and admired. Today, they are full of fish and water Asti: it is said that a network of secret passa- foul. Noble families, lords with their castles, geways runs underground, connecting them were the forces behind the strong agricultural all. As a child I remember catching a glimpse system established in this area. The first manor of one of them, an opening hidden in the forest one sees is the ruin of Casalbagliano, just befo- which stretches from the Pallottini di Abbazia re Villa del Foro. Next comes Oviglio, where the di Masio boarding school to the damp valleys castle is still very much the focal point of the of the river Tanaro. According to legend, these village’s topography, and then Solero. Finally, tunnels made their way under the riverbed, con- one reaches Redabue, a true jewel. The village necting tower to church, to castle, to convent. still retains its air of self-sufficiency, surrounded The name of Abbazia is connected to the exi- as it is by prosperous farmhouses, a park and stence of one such place, a Benedictine mona- the church Juvarra designed, later used as a stery, while in the plain, close to Felizzano, a model for Torino’s Superga. The structure of this still-visible ruin used to be host a convent. Dri- and all the other villages of the area denotes ving along the Via Fulvia, by car or by bus, one the presence of a strong, resilient community, feels the echo of Piemonte’s Eighteen-hundreds; which continues to defend itself, its traditions mulberry trees dot the low fields - a silk-worm and its heritage. Young people have been very production once flourished here. A system of active in the restoration of historical sites, inclu- small lakes and waterways, composing a much- ding some of Minister ’s many 16 the fulvia way the countryside’s treasures

properties. It’s hard to believe - but quite true of Abbazia di Masio. Wine-yards, hazelnut trees, - that one of the many common ovens which forests - including one at Tenuta Zucca, which used to be at the centre of the old communi- belonged to the legendary cyclist ties is back in use, and has become a popular - provide the main ingredients for the local cuisi- meeting-place. Find it in the “Popolo” quarter ne, and for the area’s many famous restaurants. what to see

In Villa del Foro visit the Antiquarium, inside Saint Dalmatius, in Quargnento, is notable for the important archaeological site of the roman its architecture as well as for the saint’s reli- Forum Fulvii. The tower in Masio, as well as quary, kept inside. The parish church in Fubi- the gothic church in San Dalmazzo, is under- ne, dedicated to Saint Christopher and built in going restoration. In the church of Holy Mary 1490, has an elegant rose window. Religious Magdalene note the precious altar, created by buildings enrich the village of Felizzano: Saint G.B. Solaro. Outside the village stands the ca- Peter’s, Twelfth Century, holds a series of origi- stle of Redabue, medieval in origin, and next nal tiles and Saint Michael’s still has its origi- to it a church designed by baroque architect nal Romanic-gothic bell-tower, while in Saint Filippo Juvarra. Roch’s there are frescoes from the Fifteenth The Lajone castle in Quattordio was built in Century. The parish church in Oviglio is from recent times over the ruins of a seventeenth- 1308 but older still is the church of Saint Aga- century residential building. In the same vil- tha, which was already here in 850. Another lage, the City Hall, Palazzo Sanfront, has just Romanic-gothic church is that of Saints Perpe- been restored. The late Romanic church of tuo and Bruno in Solero. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the fulvia way 17

products

THE SARACENO ASPARAGUS

Asparagus was introduced in Masio at the beginning of the Twentieth Century in the Purple variety - at the time, it was sold in the markets of Asti and Alessandria. Nowadays it grows in the sandy hills of the area, where it is harvested in April and May. The local aspara- gus has a very strong taste and is used in a famous recipe: the be found in village gardens and also famous for green aspara- subrich, small omelets, always cooked over a hot brick (su-brich gus; a fair is held here in May, served fresh, made with aspa- meaning, in fact, over the brick). when the monferrina asparagus ragus, spinach, herbs, parmesan Both the asparagus and the su- dish, cooked very simply with cheese and eggs. Historically, brich recipe have received the butter and parmesan cheese, is this was a “poor” dish, prepa- De.Co. appellation in July 2006. served in abundant quantities to red with whatever there was to The nearby village of Fubine is natives and visitors alike.

HONEY

Innumerable generations of farmers have kept bees in this area, with business getting better in the last few decades. The Municipality of Masio awarded its beekeepers with a De.Co. appellation in 2006, for the following kinds of ho- ney: - Acacia: liquid, very light, flo- ral and sweet, often has a va- nilla scent. Refreshing to the palate. - Forest: liquid, doesn’t always stallize quickly or slowly. Smell, - Sunflower: liquid, but quick crystallize. Generally very sti- taste and color depend on the to crystallize. Vegetable, not cky, amber-colored, dark, with composition (linden, , very sweet, fruity. Characte- a vegetable or fruity smell, not honeydew, ailanthus). ristically bright yellow or am- very sweet and almost astrin- Particularly suited for the local ber-colored (in the Masio area, gent (not unlike malt). pastries, honey is also often often mixed with honeydew). - Wildflower: liquid, may cry- served with aged cheeses. 18 the fulvia way the countryside’s treasures

cuisine

In these villages, every special- cken with vegetables is reser- farmers used to put in soups or ty has a long history. In Oviglio ved for Sundays and holidays, in summer salads with egg and people cook the pen, meatballs followed by the sweet bread cheese. Cabbage is the main with lard, ham, eggs, cheese, called tirà, with raisins and su- ingredient of one of the Ales- parsley and garlic, while in Ma- gar, cooked in a wood-burning sandria province’s most well- sio the subrich received De.Co. oven. Local cuisine also includes known dishes, capunet, stuffed appellation (see under “aspara- freshwater fish (catfish caught cabbage leaves with pork, egg gus”). Asparagus is also cooked in the and Tanaro rivers) and garlic. The peasant dish in a green dip with eggs, or in and mushrooms. These fertile called pe, only prepared in the the oven. Every single villa- lands’ rich vegetable gardens village of Solero, is made with ge has its own way of making supply all kinds of produce, such stale bread, parmesan cheese, agnolotti, generally a variation as cabbage, beets, spinach, car- lard, salami, eggs and spinach, on rabbit, veal and vegetables. rots, beans, green beans, peas rolled in big dumplings to be Alla cacciatora rabbit or chi- and broad beans, which the eaten with broth. wine

The area produces excellent fashion designer Mila Shon li- mon cultivation; nevertheless, wines, mostly based on Bar- ved until a short while ago - its precise origin is lost in time. bera from the great vineyards Fubine and Masio. Allegedly, it is first mentioned of Quargnento - including the Barbera is native to the Mon- in Chieri and Nizza’s public re- Shon winery where the famous ferrato and is the most com- gistries from the beginning of trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the fulvia way 19 the Sixth Century A.D. The wine is a rich red ruby, types of Barbera wine exist, The Piedmontese scientist Gal- with notes of violet, rose and still and vivace, or “lively”. The lesio classified it as vitis vini- . Its main characteristic Valle Tiglione prides itself in fera montisferratensis, linking is an acidity level which is qui- the excellence of its Barbera the plant to the land forever. te refreshing to the palate. Two grapes. shopping Fubine • Apicoltura Roggero (Beekeeping) • Az. Agr. Mauro Antonio Longo (Farm) fraz. Abazia - strada Collina, 17 via della Repubblica, 11/a phone 0131799259 - De.Co. honey phone 0131778656 mobile 330510129 Marano corn flour for polenta Oviglio • Az. Agr. Battisti Silvana (Farm) Masio Cascina Milandra strada Felizzano • U Re ph. 0131776047 - “senese” breed pork meat fraz. Abazia-str. Collina, 17 phone 0131799080 Quattordio closed: Wednesday afternoon • Az. Agr. Olivazzi (Farm) Russian salad, locally produced salami, cheese, piazza Olivazzi, 2 - phone 0131773314 jam, flour www.olivazzi.it - closed: never (please arrange a visit by phone) - tajarin (hand-made pasta) what to eat

Felizzano Masio • La Torre • Casa del Popolo via Paolo Ercole, 84 - phone 0131791156 Antico Forno dell’Abbazia delle Roncaglie closed: Monday - set menu price: 30 euro fraz. Abbazia - Contrada Monvicino, 15 agnolotti with stew, “alla cacciatora” chicken, phone 0131799004 - mobile 3281135709 bollito misto closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (open only 20 the fulvia way the countryside’s treasures

in the evening) - set menu price: 15 euro Oviglio farinata, chickpea soup, tongue with green • Donatella sauce piazza Umberto I, 1 • Losanna phone 0131776907 via San Rocco, 36 closed: Sunday evening, Monday phone 0131799525 set menu price: 60 euro closed: Sunday evening, Monday Roccaverano robiola ravioli, rabbit ravioli set menu price: 35 euro cooked in rabbit stew with fresh porcini mu- De.Co. subrich, agnolotti, cod, tripe, donkey shrooms, tuna in bitter chocolate with onion stew marmelade, coffee cream - gravel parking lot with no reserved spaces, • Da Tunon the entrance can be accessed by a wheelchair via Dante, 4 only with the assistance of another person; the phone 0131776218 same is true of the interior - rooms are suffi- 0131776142 ciently spacious to be accessible to people on a www.ristorantedatunon.com wheelchair - disabled bathroom. closed: Friday set menu price: 30 euro pen (a specialty from Oviglio), salmì boar, bol- lito misto - parking lot (mixed paving and gravel) with spaces reserved for disabled persons - rooms and interior spaces are easy to navigate by wheelchair - disabled bathroom.

Solero • La Bettola via G. Di Vittorio, 17 - phone 0131217220 closed: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday eve- ning set menu price: 20 euro farinata, raw ham cappellacci with pumpkin cream, pork chops events

Bergamasco Truffle fair and market (October) info: www.comune-bergamasco.it Fubine Asparagus fair (April) info: www.comunedifubine.it Masio Subrich fair (April) info: www.comune.masio.al.it Quargnento “Palio dell’Oca Bianca” race and parade in historic dress (May) www.comune.quargnento.al.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria fraschetta and the marengo area 21 Fraschetta and the Marengo area Alluvioni Cambiò, Alzano Scrivia, Basaluzzo, Bassignana, Bosco Marengo, , Castelceriolo, , Castelspina, Frascaro, Frugarolo, Guazzora, Isola Sant’Antonio, Mandrogne, , Pasturana, Piovera, , Rivarone, Sale,

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the legend of mayno from spinetta Mayno from Spinetta is the legendary hero in the- other hand, is open to creativity and quite origi- se parts, a Robin Hood of the plains, who dared to nal: one of the most famous dishes is the histo- oppose the French troops’ occupation - the con- rical (or maybe legendary?) Pollo alla Marengo, text being the years following the historic Battle chicken cooked with eggs, vegetables and river of Marengo, where Napoleon beat the Austrians. shrimp, which Napoleon is said to have enjoyed Storytellers also like to tell the tale of Giuditta of during his Italian campaign. Some eateries in Fraschetta, a pretty maiden from Bosco who da- the Alessandria province still serve it, together ringly humiliated and tricked Napoleon’s soldiers with the rabaton; these vegetable-and-cheese in defense of the weak. This is a land which sparks dumplings, typical of Fraschetta, should not be the imagination, particularly the villages around missed, as they are the symbol and pride of Ales- Mandrogne, which, in certain months of the year, sandria’s province’s cuisine. Among the cooking assume a mysterious air, strangely South-Ame- professions’ brightest stars, Luigi Lombardi’s le- rican in character. People from the Mandrogno gend lives on in these parts. This cook from Bosco area, cattle farmers and traders, insufficiently Marengo was a contemporary of Nino Bergese: defended from the outside world, are often said together, they codified the tradition of Italian to be diffident folk. The region’s cuisine, on the bourgeois cooking. Nowadays, visitors are drawn 22 fraschetta and the marengo area the countryside’s treasures

to Spinetta’s La Fermata, one of the most renow- Lady of Motorcyclists - the Madonna dei Centau- ned restaurants in Italy, a shrine to local cuisine... ri - is paid homage to by two-wheel aficionados with a touch of creative flair. In Bosco Marengo, from all over the globe. Personally, I think that this furthermore, birthplace of Pope Ghislieri, aka Pius flat landscape is better suited to bicycles: from the Vth, the most traditional dishes are served at here it’s a lovely ride to the banks of the great the Locanda dell’Olmo. A whole page ought to Po, with time for a stop at the Da Manuela re- be devoted to Castellazzo Bormida, important staurant, on the river island of Sant’Antonio. The agricultural center, producing red beets but also, menu covers the whole range of traditional local perhaps more appealingly, chocolate, in the “Fab- specialties, including frogs, snails and all manner brica del Cioccolato” headed by maître chocola- of dishes inspired by the rich number of vegeta- tier Giacomino Boidi. It is here in Castellazzo that bles grown and harvested in this vast and gene- every year, in July, the unusual Sanctuary of our rous plain. So pick up your bicycles: off we go! what to see History comes alive when you travel through for walks and bicycle rides. In Castelceriolo, the villages of this district. In Bassignana visit close to Alessandria, there is an ancient castle the Romanic chapel of Saint John the Baptist and fortress, belonging to the Ghilini family. In and the parish church of Saint Steven, with its Spinetta Marengo the Battle Museum covers ancient, precious treasure. The church of Saints the historic victory of the French troops over the Peter and Paul in Castelnuovo Scrivia is Roma- Austrians in the year 1800. In Bosco Maren- nic as well, while the elegant Pretorio Palace go, inside the massive religious complex of the dates to the Fourteenth Century. Other points Holy Cross, there is a Renaissance church with of interest are the church of Saint Ignatius and works by some of the great masters of the time, the great Centurione-Scotto palace with its Ge- including paintings by Vasari and a statue attri- noese architecture. buted to Michelangelo. In Pozzolo Formigaro In Sale, stop to admire the Renaissance Church stop to admire the medieval castle, the Ghia- of Saint John the Baptist, the sixteenth-century re church, and the Oratory of the Holy church of Saint Calogerus and the old parish and of Saint Bartholomew. About one kilome- church of Saints Mary and Syrus. The Assump- ter from Pasturana, the ancient and hallowed tion parish church of Guazzora (Eighteen Cen- longobard church of Saint Martin has recently tury) dominates the village where the Bishops been restored. Closer to Alessandria, inside the of Tortona used to have their summer residen- Church of the Assumption in Castelspina, there ce. The parish churches of Alluvioni Cambiò is an admirable seventeenth-century altarpiece. (Saint Charles’) and Isola Sant’Antonio (Saint In Castellazzo Bormida the Sanctuary of the Anthony’s) were both built in the eighteen- Blessed Virgin of the Clay has taken the name hundreds. Among the many castles, visit the of Little Mary of the Motorcyclists and become one in Piovera - inside, some parts are painted a pilgrimage site for bikers from all over Euro- black in mourning for the death of Napoleon pe. The nearby Church of the Trinity of Lungi - and the Clarafuentes castle in Basaluzzo. All was built in the Twelfth Century, probably as the villages already mentioned, as well as Ri- part of a vaster monastic complex. The building varone (where the baroque church is dedicated has gone through a lot of changes throughout to the Nativity of Mary), Alzano Scrivia and the centuries, and only part of the apse, some Molino dei Torti are part of the protected Na- stonework and the Byzantine-style capitals te- tural Riverside Park of the Po, a lovely setting stify to its Romanic origin. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria fraschetta and the marengo area 23

products

GARLIC AND GOLDEN ONIONS

Garlic, grown since time im- memorial in the small village of Molino dei Torti, is one of the Region of Piemonte’s Tra- ditional Agricultural Products (P.A.T.). Here, the old varieties are still grown with traditional methods. This garlic usually has 8 to 10 cloves, wrapped in pa- pery skin which can be white, pink or mauve. The plant, with its green base leaves, can grow as high as 70cm. Garlic is har- vested in two different times: the borgognone variety, also called ravagno, usually eaten raw in salads, is picked in June, while the winter white variety, here known as Molino dei Torti’s garlic, is har- vested in July, then dried, and sold on the national and international markets. The golden onion is abundant around Ca- s t e l n u o v o Scrivia, to- gether with the more common red va- riety. These plants can grow to about 40cm, and produce a very sweet bulb. They are generally harvested between August and September. 24 fraschetta and the marengo area the countryside’s treasures

RED BEET AND BLACK SALSIFY

The red beet pro- duced in the villages of Castellaz- zo Bormida and Castelspina is a local variety. The edible part is the root, deep red in color; it is planted early and can be picked from July to October. Generally, it is stored after harvesting, then cooked in a 300°C oven, or steamed. Afterwards, it is ready to be packaged in bags, trays or un- der vacuum and distributed to dens, and has been, according yellowish and carrot-like, 20 to the markets. Black salsify, or to local historians, for quite a 30cm long. It is eaten in the scorzonera, is grown in the Ca- few decades. The edible part fall and in winter, boiled or stellazzo area’s vegetable gar- is the root, which is whitish- cooked in the oven. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria fraschetta and the marengo area 25

POTATOES AND CELERY

Potatoes were brought to the low Scrivia valley a very long time ago - this is documented by local historians - and are cultivated successfully, produ- cing around 400,000 quintals a year, mostly around Castel- nuovo Scrivia and Guazzora. The variety here is a yellow, round-ish potato, harvested early in order to satisfy the demand or to avoid late disea- ses if the potato is produced for propagation. It is cooked in many ways, in gnocchi, mashed, in salads, boiled, fried. Celery was first introdu- ced in the vicinity of Alluvioni Cambiò, probably before the Second World War. The villa- ge hosts a “Celery Fair” every year since 1977. The local cele- ry is thick and wide, can grow up to 60cm, is gree- nish-white, tender and crunchy, with a distinc- tive strong a r o m a t i c smell. It is har- vested in autumn to be served in salads or with a dressing called pinzimonio. L o c a l l y it is also e a t e n with bagna caoda. 26 fraschetta and the marengo area the countryside’s treasures

PUMPKINS

The province of Alessandria, mainly the area around Ca- stellazzo, was for a very long time one of the main areas for the cultivation of pumpkins - many local studies exist on the subject. Cultivation and preservation methods have changed little through the centuries. The Alessandria pumpkins are roundish and large, with a thi- ck green skin hiding a sweet yellow pulp which tends to get more sugary as it ages. The harvest is in fall, Sep- tember to November, and the pumpkins can be eaten fresh With the passing of time, most improving the product’s qua- or preserved. of the starch turns into sugar, lity.

CHERRIES

Cherry trees grow all around • the Early Cherry, a soft, Rivarone. This kind makes flat- the village of Rivarone, as well small, deep red cherry with a ter fruits which are light red, as in some parts of Monteca- delicate and sweet taste and rather hard and very sweet. It stello and Bassignana. There • the Beauty from Pistoia, also is harvested in May and eaten are two varieties: known as the Hard Cherry of fresh. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria fraschetta and the marengo area 27

MELONS

Typically, melons are grown in the low Scrivia Valley, mainly in Isola S. Antonio and Ca- stelnuovo Scrivia. The species was introduced after the war; it is grown in a sandy valley which is scarcely irrigated. The local melons are oval shaped or sometimes round, yellow, with a thick rough skin. They are a summer crop, planted in May-June and picked between the first week of July and the end of August. Melon is eaten as fruit but also cooked in ri- sotto or used to make melon ice-cream or a fruit-salad with Muscat wine.

COW SALAMI

This is a traditional dish, Cascinagrossa. Generally, the- It is a peasant dish, served made by the butchers of the se small salami are made from fried, grilled or boiled with po- Fraschetta area, especially in the meat of old cows, with the lenta. Mandrogne, Litta Parodi and addition of pig lard and spices. 28 fraschetta and the marengo area the countryside’s treasures

cuisine

The local cuisine is as rich as “poor” parts of the animal. Sale Dar Carsent cake, a self-rising the local ingredients are varied. is well-known for the S. Stefano cake which has been prepared Fraschetta’s specialties include bread-sticks and cookies, while here for centuries. Isola San- the rabaton (egg, flour, ricotta Alluvioni Cambiò offers “the t’Antonio has a typical Isola cheese and herbs dumplings), delights of Alluvioni”, cookies dip made with local vegetables, and the ciapilaia (horse or beef made with cocoa powder and good to accompany stewed ground meat cooked in red hazelnuts. Many peasant dishes meat, and everywhere in the wine and served over polenta), come from Castelnuovo Scrivia, area people cook thistles, ei- the typical salami and sausage, such as the ciapulò (ground and ther with anchovies or cooked cooked in Barbera wine with cured donkey meat), panada in the oven. Bagna caoda also spices, onion and herbs. Around (stale bread, water, oil, cheese goes well with topinambour, Bosco people prepare the gnoc- and salt), farsò (flour, egg and or Jerusalem artichoke, a root chetti, tiny egg-dough pasta sugar ), crumbè (a of the sunflower family which cooked in chicken broth, and ), tajarè e fasò can be consumed raw as well chicken necks stuffed with the (home-made pasta) and the as stir-fried. wine The area does not have a strong tely, land which has been plan- two major diseases (powdery tradition of wine-making, as ted with grapes is very easy to mildew and phylloxera), and the grape blights which spread re-convert. There is a rare wine, was later set aside in favor of everywhere at the end of the still occasionally found, the Ne- the more productive Barbe- Nineteenth Century destroyed rello of Fraschetta, which pro- ra and Cortese grapes, which the valley’s vineyards. Fortuna- bably was common before the grow in the surrounding hills. shopping

Bassignana • Salumificio Cereda (Butchery) • Pasticceria Pino (Patisserie) piazza V. Emanuele II, 8 corso Italia, 35 - phone 0131926267 phone 0131275172 closed: Monday and Tue. afternoon closed: Wednesday afternoon “Brassadé” (traditional breakfast cookies) cooked salami, cacciatorini, natural cooked ham • Il Buongustaio di Bassignana • Giraudi via Cavour, 30 - phone 0131926019 loc. Micarella - via Giraudi, 16 www.il-buongustaio.it phone 0131278472 Carnaroli rice, torcetti, winery www.giraudi.it - closed: Sunday “Giacometta” gianduja chocolate cream, choco- Castellazzo Bormida lates from all over the world • Az. Agr. Padana (Farm) • Panetteria Ferraris (Bakery) Paolo , owner - via Roma, 23 via Umberto I, 13 phone 0131275105 - red beet, “Priest Hat” va- phone 0131275276 riety pumpkin, lavander, saffron grissini bread-sticks trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria fraschetta and the marengo area 29

Rivarone via San Giuliano, 47 - phone 013184916 • Az. Agr. Solia Davide (Farm) • Sapori di Campagna regione Poggio - mobile 3386376812 via San Giuliano, 61 snails phone 013184947 open: Thursday (in summer), Friday, Saturday, Sale Sunday (4-7 PM) • Panificio Castellotti Paolo (Bakery) fruit, vegetable preserves what to eat

Bosco Marengo • Dei Tacconotti • Locanda dell’Olmo fraz. Tacconotti, 17 piazza Mercato, 7 phone 0131278488 phone 0131299186 closed: Wednesday (open only in the evening; www.locandadellolmo.it Saturday, Sunday and holidays also for lunch) closed: Monday and Tuesday evening set menu price: 31 euro set menu price: 30 euro outdoor tables peppers in monferrina sauce with anchovies, vitel tonnè, bollito misto, tripe fassone veal with Gavi wine, rabaton Isola Sant’Antonio Frascaro • Da Manuela • Hosteria de’ Ferrari via Po, 31 - phone 0131857177 via Cavour, 3 - phone 0131278556 www.ristorantedamanuela.it www.hosteriadeferrari.it - closed: Monday closed: Monday - set menu price: 40 euro set menu price: 29 euro terrace, garden chicken salad with potatoes and basil, lamb potato and artichoke cream, pisarei e fasò, ri- sauce tagliolini pasta, cod with three tomatoes sotto with salami, fried frogs, fish, pears coo- and basil sauce, ricotta and hazelnut mousse ked in Barbera 30 fraschetta and the marengo area the countryside’s treasures

Pozzolo Formigaro closed: never - set menu price: 30 euro • Agriturismo La Giorgietta vitel tonné, millefeuille, smoked ox cooked in salt strada Tortona, 18 - paved parking lot without reserved spaces - phone 3385806653 the ground-level entrance and inside rooms are open Thursday, Friday e Saturday evening, Sun- easily and autonomously navigated by wheel- day for lunch chair - the elevator has a relief/braille keyboard set menu price: 30 euro (including drinks) - disabled bathroom. credit cards not accepted • La Fermata hand-cut raw meat, Derthona agnolotti, bolli- via Bolla, 2 to misto, Bavarese nougat cream phone 0131251350 - www.lafermata-al.it closed: Saturday for lunch and Sunday Spinetta Marengo set menu price: 65 euro • Le Cicale 12 rooms - Garden, conference hall via Pineroli, 32 - phone 0131216130 stuffed Castellazzo onion cooked in salt, Car- www.lecicale.net - closed: Sunday naroli rice with wild herbs and vineyard snails, set menu price: 40 euro strawberry cake with icecream made from ex- potato and egg gnocchetti with seafood and travirgin olive oil, orange compote grilled peppers, veal filet with green pepper - gravel parking lot - the ground-level entrance mixed raw vegetables and roasted potato, ice- and the interior are easily and autonomously cream with apple sauce and Barbera dei Colli accessible by wheelchair - disabled bathroom Tortonesi wine - the elevator is accessible; a signal lights up • Giuditta della Fraschetta when the requested floor has been reached, via Genova, 30 - phone 0131213800 and the elevator also has a Braille/relief key- www.marengohotel.com board. events Alluvioni Cambiò Celery fair (August) Salami fair in Crova (September) info: City Hall, phone 0131848121 Basaluzzo Arts and Crafts Fair of Saint Bovo (May) Tagliatelle and boar fair (July) Country fair of Saint Joachim (August) info: City Hall, phone 0143489107 Bosco Marengo Saint Pius Vth Day (May) Cock and chicken fair (September) info: www.comune.boscomarengo.al.it Castellazzo Bormida International bikers meeting (July) info: www.comune.castellazzobormida.al.it Castelnuovo Scrivia Farsô fair (March) info: www.castelnuovoscrivia.info Guazzora Potato fair (August) info: City Hall, phone 0131857149 Isola Sant’Antonio Melon fair (mid-July) Fair of the Sacred Heart and animal market (October) info: City Hall, phone 0131857121 Rivarone Cherry fair (May) info: www.comune.rivarone.al.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria valenza 31 Valenza

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valenza, the city of gold Some say that gold deeply transformed the city area; the town center is pleasant, self-contained of Valenza - a little dip into history offers some yet open, just like its people. The local theatre is moving insights on the matter. The City Hall, a thrilling, newly restored, one of the prettiest in beautiful building, once hosted an exhibition on the province and puts on some excellent shows. goldsmiths during the war. In parts it paid ho- Historic cafés complete the scene, as well as pa- mage to pure Italian inventiveness, the creative stry shops with original variations on the omni- genius that managed to use cheaper materials present amaretti. The cooking tradition, on the instead of gold while maintaining the artwork, other hand, has apparently been lost: there are the worth, and the worldwide reputation. There very few restaurants worth mentioning, but it should be a way to protect such knowledge as is good to find that the few there are pay due humanity’s heritage. The master goldsmiths live homage to the great river and to the nearby Lo- in the town where, de facto, Monferrato was mellina rice-paddies, serving fried and marinated born. It is sweet and hilly, like the rest of the fish, rice, frogs and other delicacies from the past. 32 valenza the countryside’s treasures

what to see The town’s main street is via Garibaldi, which Saints”. The Church of the Annunciation dates ends, after a slight uphill stretch, in the central from 1699 - the best thing about it is the baro- square, Piazza 31 Martiri. From here the visitor que façade. Other religious buildings are Saint can access the Art Gallery and Armory as well Bernardino’s church, with an 1894 organ, and as the Museum of the Building of the Duomo, the Holy Trinity, unfortunately ruined by innume- while another worthwhile exhibit, the Collection rable structural changes. The ex church of Saint of Goldsmith Art, is in via Mazzini. Only a small Roch, refurbished a few years ago, is now used part of the great wall which used to surround for cultural activities, but the loveliest of Valen- and defend the city is still standing - it is known za’s civic buildings is undoubtedly the neoclassic as “the Colombina”. Because Valenza used to Social Theatre, built by Pietro Clerici in 1852. be a military center, undergoing repeated cycles Many private residences of the aristocracy are of destruction and rebuilding through the centu- also to be admired: the Trecate Palace, with its ries, very few of the old town buildings remain. surrounding gardens and eighteenth-century ar- Therefore, little is left of medieval Valenza, apart chitecture; the Ceriana Palace, with a majestic from the Oratory of Saint Bartholomew, with its stairway and frescoed vaults; the Pastore Palace, octagonal plan and interesting terracotta inlays a more modest building; the Valentino Palace on the late-gothic portal. The building was resto- and, last but not least, the Pellizzari Palace, now red, during the Nineteenth Century, in neo-gothic seat of the city government, a neo-classical edi- style, then again in recent times; now it is used fice from the end of the Eighteenth Century. Insi- for cultural activities, exhibits, concerts and thea- de, the Council Hall is frescoed with mythological tre shows. Nearby, note the remains of another scenes painted by Luigi Vacca (1810). portal, from the Fifteenth Century. The balcony of Casa Fancelli was built a century later- in the same palace there is also a seventeenth-centu- ry well, with terracotta decorations. In 1622 the Cathedral was inaugurated, to be later much transformed in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Inside there is a painting by Moncal- vo, the “Mary of the Rosary”, and another by the Flemish artist Claudio Gozner, “The Virgin with trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria valenza 33

products

GOLD AND COOKIES WORTHY OF A KING

Valenza, on the river Po, has an age-old jewelry tradition, and is a world-renowned goldsmith center. Its love affair with gold - which allegedly dates back to ancient Roman mines - of- ficially began in 1845, when Vincenzo Morosetti opened the first workshop. From then on, it is a tale of continuous success; today, the town is seat of a pre- stigious goldsmith school and of an international fair, “Valen- za Gioielli”. The other jewels in Valenza’s crown are its soft, fragrant Amaretti, made from a nineteenth-century recipe. The difference from other kinds is in the process of blending al- monds and apricot kernels with beaten egg-whites, obtaining a particularly light and soft mix- ture. Wrapped up in candy sha- pes, their fame reached the Ro- yal House: for decades, a large supply was regularly sent to the ’s Court. cuisine

Valenza’s cuisine is not unlike garlic and beans, different kinds ra, a nearby city, provides duck Alessandria’s, but with the ad- of rice and rice-based products specialties, such as cacciatori dition of a few products from such as rice bread. The last salami, peasant-style ciccioli, the Lomellina area, mainly rice. Thursday before Christmas, tra- aged ham, durelli, and refined Restaurants and elegant food- dition calls for a dish of stuffed fois gras patè. Wines include all stores display products from the onions, prepared with pumpkin, of Monferrato’s typical labels, : vegetables such as amaretti, Voghera grape chut- especially Cortese and still or asparagus, eggplants, onions, ney, eggs and nutmeg. Morta- fizzy Barbera. 34 valenza the countryside’s treasures

shopping

• Pasticceria Il Baciotto (Patisserie) via al Po, 5 - phone 0131941090 via G. Donizzetti, 15 closed: Monday phone 0131945334 - closed: Monday Valenza amaretti, torrone “Camillo” pastries, fruit , cream cakes • Gelateria Soban • Pasticceria Barberis (Patisserie) piazza Gramsci, 23 - phone 0131941806 viale Oliva, 9/b - phone 0131941041 www.soban.it - home-made ice-cream, ice- www.pasticceriabarberis.com - closed: Monday cream with no sugar, ice-cream for people with Valenza amaretti, Tartufata (cake) food intolerances (gluten, lactose, eggs), certified • Pasticceria Torti (Patisserie) by the Italian Celiac Association (AIC) what to eat

• Del Ponte • Osteria La Cantinetta strada , 12 piazza Verdi, 5 phone 0131952312 phone 3384675827 - 3391206726 closed: Saturday and every evening closed: never set menu price: 23-25 euro set menu price: 25-30 euro panoramic views of the Po agnolotti and fresh pasta, fried river fish, donkey agnolotti,donkey stew fassone meat battuta

events

• Riso&Rose (Rice&Roses) - wine, food and culture (May) info: www.monferrato.org • Barcé (local boats) race on the Po (July) trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato between the tanaro and the po 35 The Monferrato between the Tanaro and the Po , Bozzole, , Frassineto, Giarole, Mirabello, Montecastello, Occimiano, Pavone, , Pietra Marazzi, , , Ticineto, Valmacca

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castles and rice-paddies Everyone here will claim that these lands take in the valley, unusual for the northern regions. their name from an episode in the legend of Ale- Among these, the castle in Giaroli, which has ramo, founder of the Monferrato, who, before belonged to the same family, the Nazaro dei Bur- the end of the first millennium, was promised gundi, for the past 900 years. A bed&breakfast by king Lotario II sovereignty over all the lands has been set up in the building. Close-by is the he could travel, by horseback, in three days and Pomaro castle, probably defending the road three nights. More plausibly, although the area is from Valenza to Casale. From there, it’s uphill quite vast, the name derives from a water-sour- to San Salvatore Monferrato, a village placed ce close to Montecastello and Monte Valenza - high, as in most of the Monferrato, among vine- the water’s high iron content would have given yards - these produce Barbera and Grignolino. these “Monti” the characteristic of being “Fer- The Barbera from San Salvatore Monferrato is rati”, rich in iron. Many astonishing discoveries especially well-known, easy to drink, light and have been made in this area, such as the finding well suited to accompany the all-purpose Pied- of ruins of castles built not on the hill-tops but montese dip called bagna caoda, which of cour- 36 the monferrato between the tanaro and the po the countryside’s treasures

se is often served here. The maître chocolatier making a comeback. The whole area is also full Mauro Allemanni has recently returned to his of villas and holiday homes; the rolling hills and hometown here, while local production of extra- beautiful landscapes make it one of the loveliest virgin olive oil has resumed: olive groves used countrysides in the world. This is Piemonte seen to be a common sight in the Monferrato in the from Montecastello, Pecetto di Valenza, Pietra past, when winters were less harsh, and now, Marazzi - places suited to a motorbike excur- due to recent changes in temperature, they are sion (or to a bicycle tour, for the more virtuous). what to see On the road leading from Alessandria to Casale there are an Eleventh Century parish church de- Monferrrato, the first village you encounter is Ca- dicated to Saint Vitalis and another one, built in stelletto Monferrato, with the parish church of 1560, dedicated to Saint Valerius. In Valmacca, Saint Syrus and the castle both set high upon a the Cavaglià castle is Twelfth Century; inside the hill. The next hilltop is occupied by a tower, symbol parish church, dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, of San Salvatore Monferrato: it is easy to reco- there are paintings from Moncalvo’s workshop. gnize, having received a hole in the middle from a The imposing castle in Pomaro, repeatedly resto- cannon ball which struck it during the Italian uni- red, is set in a vast nineteenth-century garden. In fication wars. In the same village, the Sanctuary the church inside the Sannazzaro castle of Giarole of Our Lady of the Well commemorates the mira- there are more works by Moncalvo, while other culous rescue of a soldier who had fallen into a well-known local artists decorated the eighteen- water reservoir. Next in line is Borgo San Martino, th-century churches of Saint Dorothy and of the with Villa Scarampi, an eighteenth-century palace, Nativity in Bozzole. Pavone and Montecastello and the church of Saints Quiricus and Julietta - are each recognizable from the outline of their inside, note a few paintings by Moncalvo. In Fras- hilltop castles, while in Pietra Marazzi there is the sineto the parish church of Saint Ambrose is de- Oratory of Saint Bernard, Romanic, as well as the corated with works by important local artist such Civic Tower. Giuseppe Borsalino, founder of the as Ambrogio Volpi and Moncalvo. Other points of great Borsalino hat factory, was born in Pecetto di interest are an ancient house with portico and the Valenza: in 1920 a monument to his memory was Palace of the Dukes of Mantoa, built in the Se- built here by Luigi Contratti. In the same village, venteenth Century. In Ticineto, the parish church see the parish church of Holy Mary, in Baroque- of the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption has some Lombard style, the renaissance Certosa and the precious late-baroque paintings. In Occimiano seventeenth-century De Questore Palace. products RAW SALAMI FROM THE MONFERRATO

Ubiquitous in all of the Monferra- to, salami is usually bought in one of the many village butcheries, where it is produced according to old, traditional recipes. It is always made using very fresh pork, whi- trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato between the tanaro and the po 37 ch is packed in skins and aged for ce can weigh anything between cooked salami and the Muletta, 40 - 60 days or more. Each pie- 7 hg to 2 kg. Two variations are packed in natural skins.

EGGPLANT, ASPARAGUS AND CHERRIES

The eggplant is cultivated in the valley between Valenza and Casale; it is a bright purple variety with white streaks which is picked from July to September. In Valmacca the traditional crop is the “Argenteuil Val- morin ” asparagus. The edible part is light-pink and green, about 22cm long when ripe. Harvest lasts from April to the 13th of June, the feast of Saint Anthony, which fair. Finally, cherry-trees dot the razzi, with a dedicated festival is here celebrated as a harvest landscape around Pietra Ma- at the beginning of June.

RICE AND FROGS tempted in the area’s valleys, plains. A consequence has been following the example of the to include frogs in some dishes Rice cultivation has been at- nearby and Lomellina of the local cuisine.

cuisine

All the traditional Monferrato and sold in Giarole. Other de- such as the carpionata (fried dishes are prepared in this area, licacies include the “friciulin” fish simmered with garlic, rose- as well as some specialties from dumplings with local vegeta- mary, vinegar and white wine). the valleys around Alessandria. bles and herbs and “bagnèt”, Amaretti are the most common Since many of the fields are a dip each household could dessert, while in San Salvatore used for growing corn, corn prepare with parsley and pa- they make traditional baci; the turns up in many dishes such prika from the garden. Riversi- same village also has a well- as peperonata with polenta de villages used to cook a lot established tradition of hand- as well as corn cookies, baked of sweet-water fish, in recipes made agnolotti monferrini. wine

This area does not produce rounding hills are cultivated most of the other Monferrato much wine, although the sur- with Barbera, Grignolino, and grapes. 38 the monferrato between the tanaro and the po the countryside’s treasures

shopping

Frassineto Po raw salami, “The President’s” salami • Cascina Ardizzina (Farmhouse) via Ardizzina, 2 - phone 0142482649 San Salvatore Monferrato Carnaroli and Baldo rice, spelt • Pasticceria Allemanni Mauro (Patisserie) piazza Carmagnola, 21 Occimiano phone 0131233258 • Cascina San Lorenzo (Farmhouse) www.pasticceriamauro.com Cascina San Lorenzo, 52 Torta del Pozzo (specialty cake), Amaretti strada Prov. Casale-Altavilla • Tenuta Olympia (Farmhouse) phone 014250801-013150802 loc. Squarzolo, 74 - mobile 3477112277 www.cascinasanlorenzo.it extravirgin olive oil from Leccino olives what to eat

Bozzole San Salvatore Monferrato • Le Braci • Locanda Arzente via Noè, 30 regione Guastrasone, 100 - phone 0131233969 phone 014260587 mobile 3338122567 www.locanda-arzente.it - closed: Sunday evening closed: Monday to Wednesday and Monday - tasting menu: 30 euro - 9 rooms set menu price: 28 euro raw meat, tongue with green sauce, risotto with barbecued meat mushrooms events Various places Riso&Rose (Rice&Roses) - wine, food and culture (May) www.monferrato.org Borgo San Martino Strawberry fair (June) info: City Hall, phone 0142428003 Bozzole Potato fair (August) info: City Hall, phone 014260314 Montecastello Walking around Montecastello (June) info: City Hall, phone 0131355136 Pietra Marazzi Maccheroni fair (September) info: www.comune.pietramarazzi.al.it San Salvatore M.to The First Fair of S. Salvatore (May) In the Region (September) info: www.ssalvatoreinrete.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria casale monferrato 39 Casale Monferrato

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casale monferrato, or “on history” Casale Monferrato is a capital. This was true in seems to be designed specifically to facilitate past times, when the town defended the name such exchanges. I vividly remember the sense of the Monferrato, and remains true today: of wonder I felt the first time I stood in front the center simply feels like ancient Piemonte, of the Baronina convent - yet another huge thanks to the efforts of its inhabitants, who pro- building - and the lectures which are held in tect it with great pride. I made my first acquain- the Treville Palace: those solemn, ancient halls tance with Casale when visiting the Paleologi are the ideal backdrop for the local tales which castle - which is huge, as befits a capital. The form part of a past so deeply intertwined with square it gives onto, where all the roads and Europe’s. It thrilled me to discover that one of lanes which crisscross the town center even- these palaces is named after Anna d’Alençon, tually meet, is also home to the loveliest pro- one of the most extraordinary figures of Eu- vincial theatre in living memory. The town has ropean history. A strong woman, protegée of always been a focal point for the interests of Carl the Vth and a friend of Joan of Arc. Four the whole region surrounding it, the Casale- thousand letters, preserved in Mantova, are at- se: marketplace, commercial hub, center of a tributed to her: a sign of how history moves not network of relationships - Casale’s topography only through wars but also through friendships 40 casale monferrato the countryside’s treasures

built among people. Two roads lead out of Ca- changes stretching all the way to the Cerrina sale: one toward the fields, the sparkling rice- Valley and then to the on one paddies, which then go on to cover the Vercelli side, and of Turin on the other. Many of our ar- province and the Lomellina area - here, Morano tists have sung their shapes as a rolling sea. Po is the border of the province. The other one Casale’s treasure is, precisely, this intersection opens, after climbing up to Sant’Anna, onto a of worlds -testified, as often happens with state view of the soft, rich hills of the Monferrato. capitals or, indeed, states - by the mixed herita- Here, vineyards face the city, then turn their ge of its cuisine. From this complexity, a number backs to it, in a series of curves and altitude of imaginative dishes were born, among which

what to see The Town Museum and Bistolfi Art Gallery Virgin’s Genealogy, attributed to Gandolfino always has impressive collections on show. The from Asti), Saint Ilarius’, with paintings by the beautiful Jewish synagogue, built in 1595 and local artist Nicolò Musso and by Guglielmo restored a number of times (the last time in the Caccia, and the Holy Apostles (1747, note the 1960s) is an absolute jewel. Annexed to it find elliptic dome). Unremarkable from the outside, the Museum of Jewish History and Art. Close the Oratory of Jesus (1500) has a rich interior, to the town center, in Piazza Mazzini, a nine- with a wood coffer ceiling, a precious sixteen- teenth-century square, there is the Cathedral, th-century polypthic attributed to the school of dedicated to the of the city, Saint Martino Spanzotti, an altar piece by Bernardi- . The building’s plan is Romanic-lom- no Lanino, a panel with the Virgin’s Assump- bard, the interior (narthex, paintings by Guala, tion by Pietro Francesco Guala and an intere- artwork by Sammicheli, the chapel of Benedet- sting tapestry of Flemish school. The houses of to Alfieri) and the exterior (gabled façade) are the local aristocracy are also quite impressive: both quite remarkable. The church has recently Anna d’Alençon’s Palace (Sixteenth-Century; celebrated its first 900 years. ThePaleologi ca- the garden in the courtyard has a patio and a stle was originally built in the Fourteenth Cen- hanging balcony) and the mansions of Goz- tury but now presents mostly fifteenth-century zani di Treville (1714, designed by Scapitata, traits. Following restoration, the castle is finally with a beautiful hallway - the main stairway’s open to visitors, and is a must-see. Many of dome was frescoed by Guala), Gozzani di S. the town’s churches deserve to be mentioned: Giorgio, now hosts the City Hall (1778, with Saint Dominic’s (construction begun in 1472, an exquisite façade and stairway), Langosco note the Renaissance portal), Saint Catherine’s (1776, note the stairway, entrance and galle- (built in 1725 on a baroque design by Scapitta, ry), Gambera-Mellana (Renaissance, with por- most extraordinary from the outside), Our Lady ticoes on three sides of the courtyard), Natta of Sorrows (central symmetry plan, built in d’Alfiano (baroque), Sannazzaro (seventeen- 1768 following a blueprint by Magnocavallo), th-century) and the Tornielli House, from the Saint Filippo Neri’s (1667, built by Sebastiano Fifteenth Century, with single-light windows in Guala: note the paintings as well as the Greek terracotta. Last but not least, the lovely Muni- cross plan and the dome), Saint Anthony Ab- cipal Theatre (built 1785-1886) presents neo- bot’s (1555, with a precious polypthic of the classical elements. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria casale monferrato 41

products VICTOR EMMANUEL’S SWEET WHISKERS

Krumiri, Casale Monferrato’s cookies, were invented in 1878 by the baker Domenico Ros- si, who claimed to have been inspired by the deceased King Victor Emmanuel II’s “handle- bar whiskers”. The “Rossi” Kru- miri were an instant success, receiving a special mention at Turin’s Expo in 1884 and Sup- plier Patents from the Hou- seholds of the Dukedoms of Aosta, Genova and of the Royal Family, whose emblems still are le’s patisseries. Krumiri are pro- flour and vanilla, left to rest for printed on the old-fashioned duced in a traditional fashion, a day and baked at 300 °C, un- cookie boxes for sale in Casa- with sugar, eggs, butter, white til they turn brown. cuisine

Rich and varied, full of cheeses, ties, there are also quite a few with tuna sauce, green monfer- salami and pastries, Casale’s recipes “alla Casalese”, which rina garlic cream with robiola cuisine is a compendium of originated in town and can cheese, garlic and parsley, to- all that is best in Monferrato’s now be found in many restau- mato-and-egg with fine herbs, cooking. Although the local rants of Alessandria’s province. onion cream with robiola, and dishes are clearly selected from Ideally, dinner in Casale begins vitel tonnè. There are also plen- the surrounding hills’ special- with a serving of roast peppers ty of local soup recipes, such 42 casale monferrato the countryside’s treasures

as Casale Popolo’s pasta and bean soup, with lard, potatoes, beans and meat, minestro- ne with legumes and meat or with lard, cabbage and beans. Classic first courses include agnolotti alla casalese, stuffed with veal, beef, ham, eggs and truffle, and green risotto with leek and wild herbs. A second course might be stew with cu- red Fassone beef and ancho- vies, Piedmontese fritto misto, boiled meat dipped in bagnet, a green sauce with garlic and parley, or the traditional ba- gna caoda sauce, made with anchovies, garlic and oil and eaten hot with mixed raw ve- net pudding made with ama- Monferrato Casalese, Barbera getables. Krumiri are eaten for retti, milk and cocoa. Casale d’Asti, Freisa, Cortese, Rubino dessert with zabaione (a sweet offers a great variety of wines di Cantavenna, Gabiano, and cream similar to ), while from the whole region: Barbera the sweet wines Moscato and another popular choice is bo- del Monferrato, Grignolino del Malvasia di .

shopping

• Az. Agr. La Briata (Farm) • Lo Scatolino del Buongustaio Cantone Grassi, 19/a - loc. Casale Popolo corso Valentino, 53/a phone 0142563404 phone 014271698 open: Thur. afternoon, Friday, Saturday morning closed: Sunday and Monday “delle risaie” toma cheese, aromatic cheeses wine, beer, spirits and local and Italian delica- • Drogheria Corino cies via Roma, 197 - phone 0142435144 • Unica Fabbrica www.drogheriacorino.it Krumiri Rossi di Portinaro wine and spirits from the Monferrato, specialties (Factory) from all over Italy via Lanza, 17/19 • Gelateria Grom phone 0142453030 - 0142478553 via Roma, 120 - phone 014273192 www.krumirirossi.it artisanal ice-cream closed: Sunday and Monday • Enoteca Soliti Ignoti (Winery) the original producer of krumiri cookies via Cavour, 39 - phone 0142461279 • Pasticceria Torti (Patisserie) www.solitignoti.net via Volpi, 8 open: Tuesday to Saturday phone 0142452367 wine, Italian and local specialties Margherita amaretti, Camillo nougat trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria casale monferrato 43

what to eat

• La Torre - Hotel Candiani terior are sufficiently spacious to be easily and via Candiani d’Olivola, 36 autonomously accessible by wheelchair, disa- phone 014270295 bled bathroom. www.ristorante-latorre.it • Taverna Paradiso closed: Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch piazza di Stefano, 7 set menu price: 50 euro - 49 rooms phone 014275544 tagliolini with porcini aroma served with “alla closed: Monday finanziera” meat sauce - old-fashioned Casale set menu price: 29 euro brasato stew mixed Monferrato specialties hors d’oeuvre, - paved parking lot, the entrance and the in- agnolotti, zabaione cream with krumiri events • “Fiera di San Giuseppe”, festival (March) • Riso&Rose (Rice&Roses) - wine, food and culture (May) info: www.monferrato.org • Wine and Monferrato fair (September) • Krumiri and truffles (November) www.comune.casale-monferrato.al.it 44 the monferrato around casale the countryside’s treasures The Monferrato around Casale , Balzola, , , Conzano, , , Lu, Olivola, Ottiglio, , , , , Terruggia, , Villanova Monferrato

CASALE A26 MONFERRATO

VALENZA A26

A7 A21 A21 A21 TORTONA ALESSANDRIA A7

A7

A26 A26 NOVI LIGURE A7

ACQUI TERME OVADA

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the gentle monferrato around casale The first adjective this landscape - surely one of which was never found. And the legend lives on. the most beautiful in Italy - brings to mind is Another peculiarity of the area are the infernott “gentle”. The hills roll on, among picture-perfect cellars, dug deep beneath the hill-side, in the villages, each hill topped by a bell-tower or a ca- same raw tuff - architecturally, they are extraor- stle. Vineyards and forests are interspersed with dinary, and their beauty protects the slumber of a few fields of wheat or other grains, but the many a bottle of robust red wine. Some notable most striking elements are the houses: built in infernott are in Cella Monte, others in Rosignano tuff, a peculiar volcanic rock which is cut in thick, Monferrato, a village which seems to be built for rustic blocks, they are pearly white and emanate the keeping of secrets, inaccessible as it is on its a unique feeling of warmth. unlikely perch. Most tuff used to come from the Moleto quar- The Regional Winery in Palazzo Callori in the ries, which are at the center of a myth according small town of Vignale is partly set in a cellar to which the invading Moors would have left an full of infernott niches, while the palace itself immeasurable treasure of hidden gold buried so- is a testimony to the beauty of the white tuff mewhere around here. Perhaps the site was first rock building-style. Vignale has been called the excavated in order to search for this treasure, Capalbio of the Monferrato and it’s easy to see trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato around casale 45 why: plenty of VIPs have taken up residence in nott (remember that the best salami comes from the area. For 30 years now, this village has been Cella Monte). The area is full of bed&breakfasts, the venue of the important “Vignale Danza” fe- farmhouse hotels and relais de charme, having stival, celebrating dance and ballet. This corner been a tourist destination since time immemo- - no, heart - of the Monferrato is like a calling- rial. Still more durable treasures are its castles, card for the whole province; here, every stone signs of Monferrato’s changes through history. hides a story or a legend. They are all well-fortified, set high on the hil- According to one such tale, Christopher Colum- ls: for centuries, they were continuously under bus was born in Cuccaro Monferrato, which, attack, under siege, or pillaged, won over and at the time, was ruled by the lords of Genova; occupied by a number of lords, sometimes Spa- Donato Lanati, the mind behind Enosis Meravi- nish, sometimes French, sometimes a Savoia, or glia, a first-class enology research facility, claims a Sforza, or a Gonzaga. In more peaceful times, it’s quite true. The nearby village of Lu is known many artists have painted the Monferrato, or for its camparot, countryside look-outs, and chosen to live here. Aldo Mondino set up a coun- for its world record of religious vocations, whi- try studio in Altavilla Monferrato, Guido Botta’s le throughout the Monferrato all take pride in colors are clearly stolen from the autumn vine- the Monferrina bread, made from whole wheat yards and Angelo Morbelli, the well-respected and perfect when combined with a fine slice of Italian divisionist from Rosignano, turned this aged salami. You can taste it with a full glass of fascinating landscape into vivid impressions of Grignolino in many wineries set inside the infer- shadow and light. what to see Altavilla Monferrato has an interesting parish oldest in the Monferrato. The castle in Ozzano church, dedicated to Saint Julius, with paintin- is Twelfth Century, the church was built in gothic gs by Moncalvo and an onyx altar. In the same style and the palaces are modern (e.g. Simonet- village, there are two unusual collections: the ti). The Church of Saint Eusebuius (Nineteenth “Mazzetti” Grappa Museum and the Steam and Century) in Camagna Monferrato’s majestic Electric Tramway Museum. Cella Monte houses dome is similar to the Mole Antonelliana in Turin. part of the Ecomuseum of the Cantoni Stone. Within, note the large altar-piece by Moncalvo. The parish church is dedicated to Saints Quiricus The oratory to Saint Gratus in Terruggia has an and Julietta (1610), richly frescoed and decora- unusual octagonal shape; the same village has ted. Close to Conzano there is Saint Maurice’s a Municipal Palace with a theatre inside, built in convent, built in 1418 in late Gothic style. The the Nineteenth Century. Many churches grace Vi- frescoes in the cloister are some of the oldest gnale Monferrato, such as Saint Bartholomew’s in the area. The Empress of Constantinople, So- (a grandiose building designed by Magnocaval- fia, wife of John the Eighth of the Paleologi, is lo), Our Lady of Sorrows (late Gothic) and the buried here. The tower in Lu is fifteenth-century, Church of the Battuti brotherhood (Seventeenth while the Church of Holy Mary the New is deco- Century). The village is also seat of a Museum rated with works by , known of Local Agriculture, but the main attractions are as “Moncalvo”, and by his daughters. The same certainly Palazzo Callori, entirely built in volcanic is true of the parish church of the Assumption stone (tuff) and seat of the Regional Winery, and (Eighteenth Century, designed by Magnoca- the castle above the church of Saint George. The vallo) in Balzola. Close to Frassinello note the castle’s original nucleus was probably built in the Lignano castle, a medieval building among the Tenth Century. 46 the monferrato around casale the countryside’s treasures

wine

In Casale, wine comes first, it is mostly produced in another aroma and a slightly sour, tannic both in terms of economical province) have even received taste, well-matched to the local value and in terms of landsca- the DOCG appellation, the most cuisine. Other grapes in the area pe and heritage. In the Pied- prestigious of enological certifi- include Freisa, which is used for montese imagination, the area cations. These two wines usually the wine of the same name or is immediately associated with go through a longer aging pro- sometimes in combination with Barbera del Monferrato, in its cess than the simpler Monferrato Barbera grapes, and Ruchè di still and fizzy variations. The Su- quality. The local Grignolino del Castagnole Monferrato, a nati- perior Barbera del Monferrato Monferrato Casalese is slightly ve species with floral, aromatic as well as the Barbera d’Asti (a lesser-known but perhaps more notes, whose distinctive smell label some of the villages here representative of this area: it is of roses is quite unique among are allowed to use, even though a delicate wine with a grassy Piedmontese reds.

products THE MULETTA AND OTHER CURED MEATS FROM THE MONFERRATO

The hills surrounding Casale are a veritable goldmine of food specialties. The tra- ditional raw salami is often cured with wine for extra taste and improved texture, while the Monferrato cac- ciatore is a small pork sala- mi (3-4 hg each), aged for no longer than 3 months. Being “pocket sized”, it was made to be carried by hunters, cacciato- ri, inside their hunting jackets as the pig; each piece weights one have been added to the mixture, a mid-hunt snack. The hunting kilo and a half to two kilos and a custom still kept alive in a few tradition continues to this day, is aged for about three months. villages around Asti. The natural with hare being the most com- The origin of the name, meaning skin used to pack the Muletta mon game. Monferrato’s most “small mule” is unclear, althou- slows the aging process down; traditional salami is the Mulet- gh it is likely that in the past shapes vary according to the ta, made with choice parts of donkey and mule meat could meat’s grain and quality. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato around casale 47

SUGARBREAD CHICORY

The Sugarbread Chicory, or En- It is a kind of salad with white December, but recently a Spring dive, is a common cultivation in stems and green leaves which crop was introduced which is Villanova Monferrato as well as turn white when ripe - usually it picked in May and June. in other villages on the river Po. is picked between October and

GRAPE CHUTNEY

Grape chutney, called Mostar- own, with the last grapes from rind and lemon on a low fire da d’uva or, in dialect, cugnà the harvest and seasonal fruit: for quite a number of hours. A - a name mostly used in the the traditional recipe calls for primitive - but delicious - ver- - was for the longest grape must (mostly Barbe- sion of ice-cream is mostarda time the main dressing for ra), cooked with fruit such as poured over a glass of fresh cheeses and stews. quince, pumpkins, pears, figs, snow: the taste of Monferra- Every farmhouse made its plums, nuts, hazelnuts, orange to’s past winters.

GRAPPA

A fair number of distilleries, Rosignano, produce the strong using the discontinuous steam from Altavilla Monferrato to pomace spirit called grappa process. 48 the monferrato around casale the countryside’s treasures

cuisine

The cuisine of the Monferrato in sauces or agnolotti stuffing. the brains, liver, entrails, lung is very traditional, with many When visitors come to these and sausages). Classic desser- old-fashioned dishes such as parts, they usually come loo- ts include bonet, a perfect mix agnolotti alla monferrina, king for a legendary dish cal- of amaretti and cocoa, as well stuffed with stew and pork, led Piedmontese fritto misto, as local specialties such as the the classic appetizer vitel a mixture of deep-fried foods. pumpkin cake of San Giorgio tonnè as well as bollito mi- In the local recipe, it consists Monferrato, made by stuffing sto, in which veal or ox parts of breaded and fried vege- a pumpking with amaretti, including ox shoulder, culat- tables (cauliflower, zucchini chocolate, renette apples and ta or culaccio (hind quarter), flowers), sweets (semolina, Marsala. ribs and tail, and veal tongue, apple slices and amaretti) and chest and testina are all boiled savory bits (meat parts such as together - most times, a whole chicken also winds up in the mix. The bollito is served with a green sauce made with par- sley, anchovies, oil and garlic. Another typical dish, com- monly found in the province of Alessandria as well as in the rest of Monferrato, is beef stew with spices, rosemary, garlic and laurel. A few glasses of strong Barbe- ra wine are added in the pot two hours before it is served over potatoes or polenta. Leftovers are set aside for use trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato around casale 49

shopping Cella Monte Sala Monferrato • Francia Enrico • Pietro Crova via Barbano Dante, 23 via Olearo, 27 - phone 0142486728 phone 0142488172 bread, salami raw salami, Muletta • Luca Sassone via Roma, 11 - phone 0142486353 Olivola Muletta, salami, cacciatorini • La cucina di Annalisa via Vittorio , 2/a Terruggia phone 0142928311 • Il Forno della Natura www.lacucinadiannalisa.it strada Cacciolo, 20 - phone 0142401460 cakes, traditional Piedmontese sauces closed: Saturday - , organic bread

Ozzano Monferrato • Az. Agr. Cascina Bettola (Farm) • Apicoltura Antos (Beekeeping) strada Provinciale, 24 Cascina Porta Bassa, 12 phone 0142403254 phone and fax 0142487226 mobile 3334441281 honey, natural beauty products fruit and vegetable preserves, jellies, typical • Apicoltura Giuseppe Mortara sauces (Beekeeping) Cascina Nuova, 21 - mobile 3391751557 Vignale Monferrato open on appointment, 3pm - 8pm • Il Mongetto closed Sunday Jams and Preserves honey, Mielcioc (honey with chocolate) Ca’ Mongetto, 10 - phone 0142933469 • Salumificio Colombano (Butchery) preserves, jams via Leonardo da Vinci, 22 - phone 0142487182 2 mini-apartments, 3 rooms c/o the Cantina Lo- closed: Wednesday afternoon canda Agrituristica Mongetto tripe, Muletta via Piave, 2 - phone 0142933442 www.mongetto.it Rosignano Monferrato • Tenuta Zullaro (Farmhouse) • Panificio Bisello (Bakery) Cascina Zullaro via Bonelli, 2 - phone 0142488686 phone 0142925330 - www.cascinazullaro.com closed: Sunday open: Thu. afternoon to Sunday morning Grissia monferrina bread meat 50 the monferrato around casale the countryside’s treasures

what to eat

Altavilla Monferrato Lu • Tenuta San Martino • La Commedia strada prov. per Moncalvo, 18 della Pentola phone 0142930029 frazione Borghina - phone 0131741706 www.vinisanmartino.com - always open www.lacommediadellapentola.it set menu price: 30 euro - 20 rooms open in the evening (except Monday), for lunch risotto, cheese nougat Sunday and for groups upon reservation - paved parking lot with spaces close to the set menu price: 25-35 euro - 3 rooms entrance - the ground-level entrance and the agnolotti with rabbit sauce, pasta and beans, interior are easily accessible by wheelchair, with roast meat with hazelnuts the occasional assistance of another person - - gravel parking lot with spaces reserved for di- disabled bathroom. sabled persons - The entrance with paved slide and the interior are easily and autonomously Camagna Monferrato accessible by wheelchair - disabled bathroom. • Taverna di Campagna dal 1997 vicolo Gallina, 20 - phone 0142925645 Olivola closed: Monday and Tuesday (only from January • Ai Cedri to the end of April) via Vittorio Veneto, 23 set menu price: 29,50 euro phone 0142938885 hand made monferrini agnolotti, guinea fowl in closed: Sunday evening and Monday vinegar with sugar set menu price: 42 euro • L’Elfo ox tail risotto, veal filet with leeks via Matteotti, 27 - phone 0142925138 - gravel parking lot with spaces reserved for di- www.elfodicamagna.com - always open sabled persons - the entrance and the interior set menu price: 30 euro - open-air tables are spacious enough to be accessible by wheel- agnolotti, fassone meat with green pepper chair, with the occasional assistance of another person - disabled bathroom. Cella Monte • Villa Perona Ottiglio Monferrato strada Perona, 1 - phone 0142488280 • Cave di Moleto www.villaperona.it via Villa Celoria, 10 - closed: Monday and Tue- always open (in summer only Friday, Saturday, sday - set menu price: 45 euro Sunday) 13 rooms - garden, conference rooms set menu price: 28-35 euro - 10 rooms monferrini agnolotti, Scottona cutlets with ro- garden, sale of wines semary bagna caoda, panissa, roast rabbit, bonet Rosignano Monferrato Cuccaro Monferrato • Ai Cavalieri del Monferrato • La Cantina in Collina loc. Castello di Uviglie, 73 via Marconi, 9 - phone 0131771111 phone 0142488792 closed: Monday - set menu price: 20-30 euro www.aicavalieridelmonferrato.it Piedmontese agnolotti, own wines closed: Sunday evening and Monday trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the monferrato around casale 51 set menu price: 39 euro cheese, guinea fowl with Moscato passito, cho- outside tables in summer, set in an ancient garden colate cake hand-cut raw veal meat, vegetable ravioli, ta- gliolini pasta with rabbit sauce Vignale Monferrato • Serenella Terruggia via Bergamaschino, 1 - phone 0142933412 • Il Melograno closed: Monday piazza Vittorio Emanuele III, 9 set menu price: 25-30 euro (including drinks) phone 0142401531 - mobile 3388098126 agnolotti, roast rabbit www.osteriailmelograno.com • Universo closed: Monday and Saturday for lunch via Bergamaschino, 29 - phone 0142933952 set menu price: 44 euro closed: Monday and Tuesday indoor panoramic terrace set menu price: 30 euro home-made red beet tagliolini with Montebore rosemary rice, stew events Various places Riso&Rose (Rice&Roses) - wine, food and culture (May) info: www.monferrato.org “Golosaria” food fest (March) www.golosaria.it

Altavilla Monferrato Chocolate and Monferrato (October) info: City Hall, phone 0142926141 Conzano Trades of the Past fair (April) info www.comune.conzano.al.it Cella Monte White truffle fair in the Ghenza Valley (November) www.comunecellamonte.it Cuccaro Monferrato Walking around Capanne (April) - La Pulenta (September) Fagiolata and chickpea (October) info: City Hall, phone 0131771928 Frassinello M.to Bagna Caoda (December) info: www.frassinello.it Lu Saint Joseph’s festival (March) Grape fair (September) info: www.lumonferrato.org Ottiglio (together with the Municipalities of Altavilla M.to, Camagna M.to, Cuccaro M.to, Frassinello) Truffle fair from Grana to (November) [email protected] Vignale Monferrato summer “Vignaledanza” International Dance Festival (June - August) www.vignaledanza.com, Wine Festival (October) www.prolocovignalemonferrato.it 52 the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley the countryside’s treasures The Sanctuary’s lands and the Cerrina Valley , Camino, , Cereseto, , Coniolo, Gabiano, Moncestino, , Morano sul Po, Murisengo, , , Pontestura, , , Solonghello, Treville, Villadeati,Villamiroglio

CASALE A26 MONFERRATO

VALENZA A26

A7 A21 A21 A21 TORTONA ALESSANDRIA A7

A7

A26 A26 NOVI LIGURE A7

ACQUI TERME OVADA

A26

in the shadow of the “holy mountain” Friends from Villamiroglio, members of the “C’era of Barbera - with very good results. So many me- una Volta” Association, have succeeded in mo- mories are associated with each village, so many ving me to tears with a film about life in the vil- dear moments: landscapes such as these are lages of the Cerrina Valley and the surrounding unique in their ability to awaken the mind and areas. Here, as opposed to what happened in the senses. I like to think that the writer Cesare the rest of the Monferrato we’ve described, the Pavese, who took refuge in Crea during the war land has held on to the old ways. While traveling (a good book just came out collecting traces of across the hills it is not entirely unlikely to have his passage) must have felt the same warmth I the peaceful view of a castle interrupted by the feel each time I pay these lands a visit. I close my passage of a down of hares or, indeed, a pack of eyes and wake up in one of the loveliest relais wild boars. Hunting is a very popular sport, as it de charme hotels: this one is in Alfiano Natta has always been, and it follows that lepre in sal- (the village where digestive magnesium was in- mì, hare cooked in red wine, is one of the main vented), inside the castle of Razzano. The place dishes of the area’s osterie. The wine here is a is like a dream, with swimming pools among the full-bodied red which has been “rediscovered” vineyards, set in a valley surrounded by hills and, by the younger generation - this is especially true farther, by those mountains Piemonte owes its trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley 53 name to (literally, “At the mountain’s feet”). If, to whomever wishes to enjoy a country holiday passing by Murisengo, you stop at the Corte- and feel a touch of the land’s history. Wine is ranzo Rectory, which is set within another wine- produced in this castle, as well as in the Gabiano producing property, the Tenuta Isabella, you will manor, which is beautiful and imposing, set abo- have the chance of seeing, in one glance, the ve a valley where the Pedaggera village in enli- Crea Sanctuary and the church of Colle Don vened by one of the province’s main fruit-and- Bosco - one of the most amazing sights in the vegetable markets. It’s easy to get lost among world. Another good idea is a stop at Cascina the villages, just keep in mind that the Cerrina Zucca, in Ester Accornero’s farmhouse hotel and Valley road leads towards Chivasso, another part restaurant, where you can taste some lovely coo- of the Monferrato which, under the Paleologi fa- king in a warm and welcoming environment. As mily’s reign, was given to Anna d’Alençon, an if all that were not enough, there is yet another extraordinary woman who was very much a part relais in Solonghello, the Locanda dell’Arte, an of Europe’s history. To the left, instead, the road inspiring place from the bedrooms to the spa to leads towards Asti, passing through the “Holy the breath-taking view of the horizon. In Camino Men’s land”, so called because Saint Giovanni there is one of Marquis Aleramo’s castles, which Bosco, Saint Domenico Savio and the Canon later belonged to the Paleologi and nowadays Priest Cafasso were all born there. This is whe- is owned by the Zandonini family, who has pre- re the lands of Barbera and Grignolino end, and seved and restored it, including fixing the moat the sweeter Freisa and Malvasia grapes prevail. bridge - which is still hand-operated. One of the What could all these different places possibly rooms was occupied, some time ago, by histo- have in common? Plenty of stuff: agnolotti and rian Giovanni Spadolini - but that was before the fritto misto, the smell of bagna caoda and roa- building was turned into a first-class hotel, open sted rabbit - all the wonders of the Monferrato! what to see

In Camino there is one of the best-preserved ce of pillars, porticos and arches leading up to a castles in all of and the Monferrato, high terrace atop the central tower. The Church originally from the Eleventh Century. Courtyards, of Saint Remigius has an interesting empire-style hallways, balconies and annexed buildings make pulpit, and almost all the area’s parish churches for a charming atmosphere. Another such place are decorated with paintings by Guglielmo Caccia is the manor of Rocca delle Donne, with a great (“Moncalvo”) or by his daughters - in Saint Mar- view over the plains of Vercelli. In Murisengo cian’s in Alfiano Natta, in Saint Peter’s in Cere- there are a fourteenth-century castle and a cou- serto, in Saint Agata’s in Pontestura, in Saint John ple of notable churches: S. Anthony the Abbot’s the Baptist’s in Morano. This village has characte- (eighteenth-century), in rococo style, built by the ristic gothic portals around the main street and Scapitta workshop, and the baroque Church of beautiful frescoes (from before 1450) on the Saint Luis (1760), in the hamlet of Corteran- church of Saint Peter the Martyr. The parish chur- zo, built by Bernardo Vittone. Other castles top ch in Pontestura, with pictures by Guala, is me- the hills of Ponzano, of the village of Salabue, morable for its gothic shapes. Inside the city hall of Crea, of Pessine in Odalengo Piccolo, of So- of Pontestura it is possible to visit (after setting longhello, of Gabiano, of Odalengo Grande, of up an appointment by phone, 0142466339) the Castelletto Merli, and of Cereseto. The “Belve- Enrico Colombotto Rosso Foundation’s art collec- dere” residence in Villadeati combines baroque tion. The village of Villamiroglio is set under the and neoclassical elements in a beautiful sequen- parish church of Saints Philip and Michael, built in 54 the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley the countryside’s treasures

1764. The countryside of Treville is the backdrop in a Natural Park and leading up to the Church of for the Romanic church of Saint Quiricus, while Mary, which was built in different time-periods (in the sanctuary of Saint Gotthard, from the Seven- the Fourth, Eleventh and Fifteenth Century). It is teenth Century, is in Pozzengo, a village in the one of the loveliest places in Piedmont, enriched township of Mombello Monferrato. Finally, close by groups of polychromatic terracotta statues and to Serralunga di Crea there is the majestic Holy important paintings by artists such as the Tabac- Mountain, with 23 chapels and 5 hermitages, set chetti brothers and the Moncalvo.

products

GRISSIA AND SALAMI

The Cerrina Valley area can be seen as a natural extension of the Monferrato, both geographi- cally and gastronomically. Each one of the valley’s many villages offers innumerable choices of cured meat, including the Mu- letta monferrina, cacciatorini made of mixed pork and beef - or sometimes wild boar, and a local wine-flavored variety. The ce: the most common shape is The grissia is baked with bread bread baked in Pontestura or the Grissia, a large loaf with a wheat, oil, lard and yeast; each Castelletto Merli is renowned lovely crust, and the Monfer- loaf is about 2-300 grams and throughout the whole provin- rina, smaller but just as tasty. can last for quite a few days.

APPLES AND HAZELNUTS

Hazelnuts, in the regional va- riety known as “gentle-round”, are produced in a vast area en- compassing the Langhe, and Monferrato highlands. They are often grown in place of grapes, as it takes less time to insure production. Easy to shell and preserve, the Piedmontese hazelnut is especially suited to made with toasted hazelnuts, - a very juicy variety which used the confectionary industry as sugar, flour, eggs and butter, to be brought to the fields, in- its full aroma is only revealed without adding yeast. This is stead of water, to quench thirst after toasting. Here in Cerrina also an apple-producing area, during the wheat harvest - and Valley it is grown to be used in especially around the village of the Ruscaio, sour but very long- the typical flat hazelnut cake, Odalengo, where the Canditina lasting, are grown. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley 55

TRUFFLES AND MUSHROOMS

A great part of the Cerrina Valley is forested, and a hunting-place for truffles. Here, as well as in the Valle Ghenza, both the White Truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) and the Black (Tuber Melano- sporum Vittadini, also known as Périgord Truffle) can be found. The forest floor also provides an ideal habitat for various mu- shrooms, including porcini (Bole- tus), the Famigliola Buona (Armil- laria Mellea), found between the end of September and the end of November and frequently used in peasant cooking.

RICE AND FROGS

Rice is common throughout to be served in every river-side green, with black spots on its the valley of the Po: all the best restaurant. This peculiar gastro- back and white, tender meat varieties found in Piemonte are nomical tradition is not as popu- with almost no fat. The river also here in the Cerrina Valley. The lar now, but it’s still possible to provided loam to grow legumes presence of rice-paddies is also find places where one can taste and vegetables: in Villamiroglio instrumental to the raising and the esculenta or magnareccia, a whole festival is dedicated to cooking of frogs, which used i.e. “appetizing” frog, which is the local pea and asparagus. cuisine

Once more, one of the most and include Russian salad, vitel the finanziera, made with chic- common dishes is the agnolotti; tonnè, peppers with bagna cao- ken and veal parts roasted and the local Pontestura recipe calls da and, in summer, soused eggs. simmered in Marsala liqueur. for a stuffing made of roast beef Two typical regional dishes are A favorite for Sunday meals is and pork, herbs, ham, eggs, and usually served as second cour- roast rabbit or rabbit stew, or parmesan cheese. Usually they se: Piedmontese fritto misto, hare or pheasant, cooked with are served with butter and sage, consisting in various foods fried the same recipe. Other, more lo- or else with a meat sauce, but together (including veal ribs, calized, specialties, are Morano the traditional way would be to meat cutlets, liver, brains, pork, sul Po’s rice panissa, Odalengo’s cook them in Barbera wine. As sausage, chicken nuggets, apple nettle pancakes and Ponzano’s usual, antipasti are abundant, slices and sweet semolina) and bollito alla monferrina. Apart 56 the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley the countryside’s treasures

from the hazelnut cake, lasagna and the round pastries capers and artichokes, which include the Brut e Bon “ugly but called canestrelli. The village of only grow in its unique micro- good cookies”, Sanico’s sweet Treville is peculiar in its use of climate.

wine These hills are the birthplace the Gabiano and the Rubino Freisa and Grignolino. It has of Paolo Desana, known as the di Cantavenna. The Gabiano a lovely dark-ruby color and “Father of DOC” because he appellation, established 1983, a typical cherry and blackber- was the one to propose a law defines a wine made mainly ry aroma. The village of Sala to establish a quality assuran- with Barbera grapes, strong Monferrato also produces the ce label for Italy’s wines to the in taste, with a characteristic sweet fizzy Malvasia, perfect to Senate. Apart from the famous scent which evolves as it ages. accompany a tray of cookies, Barbera, Freisa and Grignolino, The Rubino di Cantavenna is while Cella Monte is home to the area produces two lesser- made by mixing Barbera gra- the rare Moscatellina, a rather known, historical appellations: pes with a small amount of sweet rosé. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley 57

shopping Alfiano Natta Murisengo • Az. Agr. Casa Faina (Farm) • Pasticceria Quilico (Patisserie) strada Crè Alto, 5 - phone 0141922420 via Umberto I, 76 - phone 0141993182 Monferrato honey www.pasticceriaquilico.it hazelnut cakes, “truffle” sweets Camino • Casa Costa di Giulia Tasso • La Butega via Bava, 10 via Roma, 1 - phone 0142469336 phone 0141993243 mobile 3288154388 www.labutega.com www.casacosta.it - 2 rooms closed: Sunday and Monday afternoon goat products vegetables from the garden, delicacies from • Alimentari Panetteria Sarzano (Grocery the Monferrato store, bakery) fraz. San Candido - via Casale, 8 Castelletto Merli phone 0141993806 • Emporio Alimentare, Dilve Penna closed: Wednesday afternoon owner (Grocery Shop) salami, local bread via San Giuseppe, 33 - phone 0141918113 closed: Monday afternoon Pontestura grissia monferrina bread • Raviolificio Gastronomia Bruno (Gastronomy) Cereseto strada delle Fontane, 8 - phone 0142466206 • Macelleria Salumeria Ferraris Marcello closed: Monday-Wednesday, Sunday afternoon (Butchery) - via Cristilliano, 4 agnolotti, salami, cakes phone 0142940297 - closed: Sunday afternoon raw salami, piedmontese bovine meats Serralunga di Crea • Pasticceria Ceruti Madonnina (Patisserie) Cerrina Monferrato fraz. Madonnina, 62 - via Distilleria • La Bottega dl’Uisot phone 0142940184 via Nazionale, 96 - phone 014294193 www.pasticceriaceruti.com - closed: Monday wines, artisanal beers, salami and other deli- “truffle” sweets, “krumiri” cookies with Gri- cacies gnolino • Salumificio Miglietta (Butchery) Moncestino fraz. Madonnina - via Distilleria • Az. Agr. Biologica San Giovanni Vecchio phone 0142940149 (Organic Farm) - via San Giovanni, 18 closed: Saturday afternoon and Sunday phone 0142945230 - www.sangiovannivecchio.it Muletta salami, “Lonzardo” with Moscato open for salami: Monday to Saturday, only upon (made with lard and lonza) reservation - open for meat: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday - salami, meat Villamiroglio • Az. Agr. La Nocciola (Farm) • Il di Arianna fraz. Seminenga - via Brusa, 5 via Molino del Conte, 3 - phone 0142947207 phone 0142945292 - www.lanocciola.it www.molinodelconte.it products made with “Piemonte” hazelnuts organic jams 58 the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley the countryside’s treasures

what to eat

Gabiano Murisengo • Ca’ Villa • Cascina Martini via Santo Stefano, 19 fraz. Corteranzo phone 0142945126 - www.ca-villa.it via Gianoli, 15 closed: Monday - set menu price: 30 euro phone 0141693015 12 rooms - panoramic views, garden, pool www.cascinamartini.com veal carpaccio with pears and nuts in sweet open only in the evening (except weekends) gorgonzola sauce, home-made tajarin pasta, closed: Sunday evening; in winter also Monday rabbit roast with potatoes and rosemary and Tuesday - set menu price: 40 euro - gravel parking lot with reserved spaces - the tables outside in the summer entrance can be accessed by a wheelchair only agnolotti del plin, red potato gnocchetti, mon- with the assistance of another person; the same ferrina creamy bonet is true of the interior - rooms are sufficiently big • San Candido to be accessible to people on a wheelchair - di- via Casale, 7 sabled bathroom. phone 0141993024 closed: Tuesday Mombello Monferrato set menu price: 25 euro • Dubini salmì hare, fritto misto monferrino via Roma, 34 phone 0142944116 Odalengo Grande www.cadubini.it • Le Corte closed: Wednesday fraz. Vallestura set menu price: 30 euro via Odalengo Grande, 2 - phone 3398645585 peppers with bagna caoda, truffles and eggs, www.osterialecorte.it Piedmontese fritto misto closed: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - paved parking lot without reserved spaces - the set menu price: 35 euro - garden step at the entrance and inside rooms’s spaces Cervia marinated veal in salt, tripe salad, cu- do not allow for movement with a wheelchair - tlets with tomato and sausage disabled bathroom - the staff doesn’t have any - the packed earth parking lot does not have experience with special-need clients. any reserved spaces - two steps at the entrance trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the sanctuary’s lands and the cerrina valley 59 can only be overcome only with the assistance Zanco di Villadeati of another person. inside, only some rooms can • Da Maria be navigated autonomously by wheelchair - di- via Roma, 131 sabled bathroom. phone 0141902035 closed: Tuesday (no long holidays) Pontestura set menu price: 35 euro (including drinks) • Osteria Adria raw meat, finanziera, stewed rabbit, cod corso Italia, 34 - phone 0142466419 - gravel parking lot with spaces reserved for closed: Monday disabled persons - the ground-level entrance set menu price: 25 euro and the interior are easily and autonomously credit cards not accepted accessible by wheelchair - disabled bathroom russian salad, traditional agnolotti with roast - the staff has no experience in assisting clients sauce, savarin with dark chocolate with specific needs.

Serralunga di Crea • Il ristorante di Crea loc. Santuario di Crea, 4 phone 0142940108 www.ristorantedicrea.it closed: Monday (never closed from June to August) set menu price: 30 euro the restaurant is set inside the Natu- ral Park of the Holy Mountain of Crea, pic-nic baskets available to be filled with dishes from our menu agnolotti, bollito misto, typical Moncalvo sauces and dressings, bagna caoda

events Various places Riso&Rose (Rice&Roses) - wine, food and culture (May) info: www.monferrato.org Camino Spring Festival (June) - Monferrato lives! (Il Monferrato è vivo!) (September) info: www.comune.camino.al.it Moncestino Salami fair (April) info: City Hall, phone 0142945061 Morano sul Po Panissa fair (June) info: City Hall, phone 014285330 Murisengo National “Golden Truffle” fair (November) info: City Hall, phone 0141993041 Odalengo Piccolo Tuff and truffle fair (October) info: City Hall, phone 0141919126 Serralunga di Crea Fraz. Madonnina - White truffle market and fair (November) info: City Hall, phone 0142940101 60 acqui terme the countryside’s treasures Acqui Terme

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acqui, the fair No one will take offence in our stating that, some points, to remind one of the carrugi of Ge- among the towns of Alessandria’s province, Ac- nova - all the way to the Pisterna, a newly-resto- qui Terme is the most charming, cozy, and inte- red neighborhood which has come to symbolize resting one. People travel to Acqui for the good “the good life”. Acqui is as florid today as it must restaurants, for a bite of farinata, a salty snack have been in ancient times, if we are to belie- made with chickpea flour, for a visit to the groce- ve the splendor of its monuments: the Romanic ry stores, packed with mushrooms from church named after Saint Peter, the Duomo and and cheeses, for the night scene. The regional the castle, with its ineffable, evocative atmo- winery in the Robellini Palace, showcasing the sphere. Acqui is built around a central square, region’s wines, is one of the busiest in all of Pie- “La Bollente”, a spring of boiling hot, sulfurous monte. And, of course, there are the hot water water; locals dare newcomers to put a hand in- springs, recently rediscovered by the public, in- side, thereby symbolically joining the town’s po- cluding young people, who flock to the hot pools pulation. Such is Acqui: a warm and welcoming and baths hosted within hotels, spas, and spe- town, whose liveliness is proven, among other cialized centers. Quality of life is high, and resi- things, by the modern Fountain of the Water li- dents spend a fair amount of time strolling up lies, whose 31 pools flow downhill towards Piaz- and down the narrow lanes - narrow enough, in za Italia, in a playful display of water and light. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria acqui terme 61

what to see The new part of town is centered in Piazza Italia, cultural events and exhibitions. On the other side of restored in the Nineteenth Century and recently the hill there are the hospital of Santa Maria Mag- embellished with the spectacular Fountain of the giore, built in the Fifteenth Century, and the Pa- Water-Lilies. The main street, Corso Italia, was also leologi’s castle, built in the Eleventh Century, then restored around the same period, as well as the re-built in the Sixteenth. Inside there is the City’s porticos of Via Saracco, which lead to the Bollente. Archaeological Museum, with exhibits dating from The “Boiling Hot” stream of sulfurous water (75° Acqui’s Roman times as well as pre-historic, proto- C) rises here in a spring which, in 1879, was cove- historic and medieval finds. The major Roman relic red with a neo-classical marble gazebo. In ancient is certainly the aqueduct, built under Augustus to times, the town was placed on the very top of the bring the waters of the Erro river to the city; its ruins hill; this is where the Cathedral stands, with its Ele- are still visible in the valley beyond the river Bormi- venth-century transept and bell-tower, a portal by da. There is also an Archeological dig of the Roman Giovanni Pilacorte (1481) and, inside, the “Virgin of Pool, which can be visited upon request. Other signi- Monserrat” (1495), by Bartolomé Bermejo. Near- ficant monuments are the ancientBasilica of Saint by, stop to admire the Presbytery’s cloister. The Peter, an Early Christian settlement rebuilt at the Bishop’s Palace is a fifteenth-century building with beginning of the Second Millennium with a notable Romanic reliefs on the outside façade and attrac- Romanic interior and a lovely octagonal bell-tower, tive frescoes inside. The Robellini Palace, built in first cathedral of the city, now dedicated to Our Lady the same period, was redesigned in the Eighteenth of Sorrows, and the church of Saint Francis, with Century, with the addition of a magnificent stairway paintings from Moncalvo and Soleri, next to the City and vast hallways, currently used by the City Hall for Hall (ex Lupi di Mirano palace, Eighteenth-century). products BRUT E BON AND LINGUE DI SUOCERA

The town, well-known becau- se of the natural hot water springs, is also blessed with some of the best and the nicest pastries. The elegant main streets’ bread-makers all its own amaretti cookies, bit- Hazelnuts, together with ho- display the lingue di suocera, ter-sweet and very soft, thanks ney, are the main ingredients i.e. Mother-in-law’s tongues, a to the care taken in beating of the local nougat, which is kind of thin, dry, sweet bread, the egg-whites. Another spe- produced in town as well as which is usually kneaded by cialty is the Brut e Bon “ugly in the surrounding country- machine but then pulled by but good cookies”, made with side. Finally, dark chocolate, hand, making for a crunchy , hazelnuts, sugar, chestnut paste, hazelnut pa- and tasty snack, an alternative egg-whites and vanilla. Some ste and rhum combine in the to the omnipresent Genoese stores add cinnamon, others Acquesi al rhum, a favorite focaccia bread. Acqui also has cover the cookies in chocolate. since the Nineteen-fifties. 62 acqui terme the countryside’s treasures

cuisine

Acqui Terme’s tables are cove- cabbage leaf. The first course and onions – but the favorite red with an array of products might include agnolotti, stuf- second course of all is undou- from the surrounding hillsi- fed with stew and spinach, btedly Acqui-style cod, cooked des, such as salami, cheeses, simmered in the same stew or with anchovies, potatoes, pine mushrooms and other forest in a glass of wine, or nuts, taggiasche olives and delights, plus some delicacies hand-made pasta called taja- white wine. The aforementio- from nearby Liguria. Appeti- rin served with mushroom ned cookies are good for des- zers include the filetto baciato sauce. Chick-peas are grown sert, and other choices include salami from Ponzone, the light to be ground into flour for the classic chocolate pudding goat-milk robiola cheese (also the farinata, or else used in called bonet, pear soufflé called formaggette del bec), the autumnal soup known as with Brachetto di Acqui wine the Ligurian cima, a mix of “Soup of the Dead” - eaten egg-nog cream, hazelnut cake, meat and vegetables and the around the 2nd of November, marron glacés or a chestnut Piedmontese fritto misto, mu- the Day of the Dead - or cisrà. cake called castagnaccio. Any shrooms preserved in oil with Second courses often include of these goes well with a glass spices and cabbage meatbal- game as well as recipes using of local sweet wine such as ls, a dish of meat, spices and mushrooms and tripe, cooked Brachetto d’Acqui, Muscat or chicken livers served inside a with lard, cabbage, potatoes the original Passito from Strevi. shopping

• Pasticceria Canelin (Patisserie) • Salumeria Centrale (Butchery) via Antiche Terme, 16 corso Italia, 15 - phone 0144322975 phone 0144323340 closed: Wednesday and Sunday afternoon closed: Monday filetto baciato, tome, cheese, preserved delica- nougat, chocolate Easter eggs cies • Torrefazione Leprato (Coffee-roasting) via Amendola, 8 - phone 0144322676 closed: Saturday afternoon and Monday mor- ning coffee from all over the world • Il Germoglio, Volpe & C. via Alberto Da Giussano, 49 phone 0144325393 “pulled” grissini bread-sticks, Acqui amaretti, kifferi, canestrelli • Oliveri Funghi via Carducci, 14 phone 0144322558 closed: Wednesday afternoon mushrooms, Roccaverano “robiola” cheese, fruit and vegetable preserves, sauces trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria acqui terme 63

what to eat

• I Caffi only with the assistance of another person - di- via Verdi - ang. vicolo del Voltone, 1 sabled bathroom. phone 0144325206 • La Schiavia www.icaffi.it vicolo della Schiavia - phone 014455939 closed: Sunday, Wednesday evening and holi- www.laschiavia.it days closed: Sunday evening and Tuesday set menu price: 44/52 euro set menu price: 40 euro rabbit ravioli with roast sauce, guinea fowl three-cheeses flan, Acqui-style cod, lamb cuts with cherries cooked in Gavi wine • Il Nuovo Ciarlocco via Don Bosco, 1 phone 014457720 closed: Sunday evening, Monday set menu price: 35 euro chowder, roasted Roccaverano goat, Gian- duiotti chocolate and zabaione ice-cream • Osteria Enoteca La Curia via della Bollente, 72/74 phone 0144356049 www.enotecalacuria.com closed: Monday (no long holidays) set menu price: 50 euro tripe salad with slices of robiola di Roccavera- no, twice-cooked Roccaverano goat, cod - cobblestone parking lot with reserved spaces - the entrance, with a step, and the interior spaces can be easily accessed by a wheelchair 64 acqui terme the countryside’s treasures

• Antica Osteria Da Bigat • Parisio 1933 via Mazzini, 30/32 via Battisti, 7 phone 0144324283 phone 014457034 www.osteriabigat.it closed: Monday closed: Wednesday, Sunday for lunch set menu price: 35 euro set menu price: 20 euro Parisio’s cannelloni, Acqui-style cod, mu- farinata, tripe soup, Acqui-style cod shrooms and truffles in season

events

• “La via dell’Acqui Brachetto d’Acqui” (August) info: [email protected] • “Festa delle Feste” - Wine Show - Palio del Brentau race (September) info: www.comuneacqui.com • “Acqui & Sapori” - Regional Truffle Show (November) info: www.comuneacqui.com trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the bormida valley 65 The Bormida Valley , Cassine, , Gamalero, , Morsasco, , Ricaldone, Rivalta Bormida, Sezzadio, Strevi, Visone

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a tale of small things Every year, at the beginning of September, Cas- notable example of a purely Romanic church (one sine comes alive in one of the loveliest and most of the most beautiful in all of Italy) - in the sur- charming medieval festivals: each time, it feels as rounding park, a restaurant offers typical, local if the village has suddenly awaken after centuries specialties. But there is more: according to legend, of sleep. On the main road, which leads from Ales- the Marquis Aleramo himself, the mythical foun- sandria to Acqui, each of these villages is nothing der of the Monferrato, was raised in this Abbey; more than a white name on a blue sign - but, trust he is said to have been left here as a child by his me, it is worth taking a detour... so be bold and parents during their trip to , a religious pil- follow one of those side roads into the heart of grimage they never returned from. It seems that the countryside. Alice Bel Colle, “Alice Lovely Hill”, Count Camillo Benso of Cavour, who often held may catch your eye, with its attractive name - this his political meetings in this area, was also fond is a wine-producing area, especially sweet Mosca- of Sezzadio. In my memory, the village of Strevi to and Brachetto. It borders with Ricaldone, native will always be the place where old wine-makers village of the well-known singer and songwriter serve passito of Brachetto wine, aged for at least Luigi Tenco, whom the village honors in a yearly twenty-five years. Strevi must be a blessed land; celebration. After Ricaldone, suddenly, the hills lift its name is spoken in every corner of the great in a majestic coup de théâtre, rising to meet the northern plains, since this is where the traditional wild High Langa around Asti. In close-by Sezzadio Carnival drink, the sweet Brachetto wine, is pro- there is a true gem - the Abbey of Saint Justina, duced. Rivalta is the native town of philosopher 66 the bormida valley the countryside’s treasures

Norberto Bobbio; here, the festival dedicated to beauty. Last but not least, I should mention Viso- the main produce, zucchini, now includes an am- ne, a village close to the spa town of Acqui Terme. bitious project, with a permanent exhibition in the Here, right on the main road, master Giovanni Ver- lovely Casa Bruni, and a new restaurant. Commu- dese, aka Canelin, has established his laboratory nity spirit is still very much alive in Rivalta, as well and shop. Known as one of the best confectionary as in Morsasco, a jewel of a town. Visit it in the artisans in Italy, this man has dedicated his enti- springtime, when the first goat cheese of the year re life to perfecting the art of the nougat - every is served in every farmhouse. All of these villages day he cooks a batch, which he tastes at least 40 thrive and languish according to the fortunes of times before allowing it to be packed in those their river, the Bormida, which has finally been re- amazingly delicious blocks which have been awar- claimed after a decade of terrible pollution, and ded no less than the Nonino Prize, awarded for now marks the scenery with its winding, watery life-long dedication to promoting local traditions. what to see

In Cassine don’t miss the complex of Saint Fran- 1956, careful restoration began on the church, cis - a Romanic and Gothic church with frescoes the only one of the abbey’s buildings still stan- from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries ding. The inside is divided in three naves termi- and, annexed, a convent, also frescoed. The fif- nating in transept apses, with fifteenth-century teenth-century Casa Zoppi is another interesting cross vaults. Note the fourteenth- and fifteenth- building. In Sezzadio, the beautiful Romanic ab- century frescoes on the apse and vault and the bey of Saint Justina was founded, according to crypt’s floor mosaic, completed in the Eleventh legend, in the year 722 by the Longobard King Century. Castelnuovo Bormida’s parish church, Liutprand, then turned into a Benedictine con- dedicated to Saints Quiricus and Julietta, was vent in 1030 by King Ottobert, marquis of Sezza- first built in the Romanic period, then expanded dio. The abbey of Saint Justina reached its highest half-way though the Seventeenth Century. Insi- splendor in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries; de, the chapel of Saint Felician is decorated with a slow decline followed, until the structure was precious marble inlays. However, the focal point closed when a Napoleonic decree assigned the of the village is the castle, built in the Fourteenth property to war veterans. In modern times, in and Seventeenth centuries. In Montaldo Bormida trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the bormida valley 67 the parish church was built in 1686 with material Grassi counts’ residence (Sixth-Seventeenth Cen- recovered from the destruction of the castle. In tury). In Visone there are an interesting parish Morsasco, the most interesting place to visit is church dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and the Pallavicino family’s medieval castle. In Rival- the Rossi palace, a sixteenth-century villa with a ta Bormida’s center there are a few notable bui- frescoed gallery. In Orsara Bormida there is an ldings such as the houses of the Biorci and Torre Ethnographic Museum dedicated to agriculture. families and the houses in vicolo Baretti. Stop In Ricaldone, since 2006, a museum honors the to note Saint Michael’s portal, sculpted in san- well-known singer Luigi Tenco, buried here, with dstone (Sixteenth Century). In Strevi the parish rooms full of records, pictures, documents and church (Eighteenth Century), dedicated to Saint portraits. In Visone the remains of the ancient Michael, was built by Alessandro Caselli next to medieval town walls (Eleventh Century) and of the Bishop’s Palace (Fourteenth Century) and the the Castle (Fourteenth Century) are still visible. products FROM THE GARDENS

The Val Bormida opens onto potatoes, pumpkins, melons, from here, the vegetables were the valley of Alessandria; the beets and lettuce. The village sold in every one of the provin- entire area is rich in vegetable of Rivalta Bormida is a traditio- ce’s markets, all the way to Mi- g a r d e n s, sown with nal center of zucchi- lan. Zucchini, still central to the ni production: village’s economy today, appear in many specialties, including scapech - a dish with its own festival and De.Co. appellation, since 2008. The Bormida Valley is also rich in mushrooms and truffles, both white and black.

AMARETTI AND NOUGAT

The valley of the river Bormida has a solid tradition of con- fectionary, producing amaret- ti, Brut e Bon (ugly but good cookies) and torrone (nou- gat). Strevi is the place to go for amaretti: the local almond, apricot kernel, sugar and egg- white cookie was awarded a De.Co. appellation. The village patisseries also make nougat cing center is Viso- and crumbly bar. The dry pa- with local hazelnuts, honey ne: after a long process the stries called Brut e Bon are from Cassine, eggs and sugar. best honey and hazelnuts are made with almonds, hazelnuts, Another famous nougat-produ- turned into a hard, compact, sugar, egg-white and vanilla. 68 the bormida valley the countryside’s treasures

cuisine

Valle Bormida’s cuisine is mo- dishes include peasant lasagna flour in a wood-burning oven to stly similar to the rest of Mon- from Acqui and Ovada, cooked make farinata, while in the area ferrato, with some influences with beans and bacon or with around Strevi restaurants serve from the nearby coastal region leeks, dried tomatoes and an- canestrini cookies with Mo- of Liguria. In every village there chovies, as pasta or in soups. scato wine, hazelnut cookies is bound to be a place where to Rivalta Bormida’s specialties and Moscato zabaione, a kind eat bagna caoda, a dip made are the bagnetto, a toma- of custard made by beating egg with oil, anchovies and garlic to and vegetable sauce with yolks and sugar with wine. Here, to be eaten with fresh raw ve- bread and eggs, and polenta as in all the South of Piedmont, getables. There are many local with soused eggs - a dish for no dinner is complete without a vegetable quiches with wild the winter months. In Cassine taste of bonet, a pudding made herbs, such as the Ligurian- and Strevi they cook chickpea with milk, amaretti style artichoke quiche. and bitter cho- In other lovely colate. dishes articho- kes are served cooked in the oven, in soups, or with goat fricassee. The zucchini flower is served fried stuffed with sausa- ge, salami and parmesan cheese. Traditional se- cond courses include Baciuà, pork cooked with wine, celery and onion, and Acqui-style cod with white wine, potatoes, olive, pine-nuts and anchovies. First wine The area around Acqui has All around Strevi there are allows for a longer period of some of the most interesting plenty of sweet and aromatic aging, has recently caught the vineyards in the province, pro- wines, predominantly Mo- international markets’ atten- ducing important DOC and scato, both fizzy and passito, tion. Another interesting sweet DOCG appellations. usually made with the last gra- wine is Brachetto, which is Among dry wines, don’t miss pes of the harvest. sold in four different versions Dolcetto d’Acqui, a dark ruby- Passito wine, especially the (sweet and fizzy, sparkling, red wine with fresh, fruity Moscato from the Bagnario passito and dry). It is good scents and a pleasant hint of Valley around Strevi, which with dessert, while not exces- almonds. has a peculiar structure that sively sweet. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the bormida valley 69

shopping

Montaldo Bormida via Acqui, 123 • Idee da Forno (Bakery) phone 0144395285 Villa Bianca, 124 - phone 014385517 home-made ice-cream, torrone (nougat) canestrelli, “bacetti” of Piedmont hazelnut, • Wine Bar - Gelateria La Casa di Bacco “Panfrollo” via Acqui, 95 phone 0144396199 Visone closed: Tuesday • Gelateria Canelin wine, home-made ice-cream

what to eat

Morsasco artichoke quiche, butter and sage agnolotti, • Podere la Rossa roast guinea fowl, hazelnut cake loc. Podere la Rossa - parking lot (gravel) with reserved spaces - the phone 014473104 main entrance has a step which can be overco- www.quellidellarossa.it me with the assistance of another person - the open Friday, Saturday, Sunday interior is sufficiently spacious to be easily navi- set menu price: 30 euro gated by wheelchair - disabled bathroom. 70 the bormida valley the countryside’s treasures

events Cassine Medieval Festival (September) info: www.comune.cassine.al.it Castelnuovo Bormida Life-sized chess games info: www.unionedeicastelli.it Montaldo Bormida Farinata fair (June) info: www.unionedeicastelli.it Rivalta Bormida Zucchini fair (August) - info: www.comune.rivalta.al.it Ricaldone “L’isola in collina”, musical festival in memory of Luigi Tenco (July) info: www.ricaldone.it - City Hall, phone 014491155 Strevi “Septembrium” fair (June) - Ferragosto Strevese (August) info: www.comune.strevi.al.it Visone Busie (local fried sweets) fair (May) info: City Hall, phone 0144395297 trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria on the way to the sea 71 On the way to the sea Bistagno, Cartosio, Castelletto d’Erro, Cassinelle, Cavatore, Denice, Grognardo, Malvicino, Melazzo, Merana, Montechiaro d’Acqui, Morbello, Pareto, Ponti, Ponzone, Prasco, Spigno Monferrato, Terzo

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from the langhe to the wild appennino monferrato’s farthest outposts Nowadays, just as it has always been, the sce- used to be more vineyards here - now it’s mo- nery changes in Spigno. Coming from Liguria, stly hazelnut trees, but what grapes there are suddenly the first vineyards announce the be- make for some unforgettable wines, the Barbera ginning of the province of Alessandria. The villa- and Dolcetto from Spigno, Morbello, Prasco and ges marked by road signs here are tiny, stubborn Terzo. A heavy snowfall is all it takes to return hamlets of a few hundred souls. Although depo- these hills to their ancient isolation. I read about pulated, they still resist: why? To find the answer the tourist destinations: Bistagno, home of the one must climb up to the hill-tops, and there Piedmontese ball game called pallone elastico, it is: nature, in it’s purest and most untouched where a careful eye can find the first buildin- form - this is a land where farmers still go to gs built in tuff, a rare kind of igneous rock, and the forest in search for firewood with which to Cartosio, picture-perfect. And not just, I might heat the winter nights, where soup is still likely add, because of its quiet, simple beauty, but also to be cooked on a wood-burning stove. There because of its famous restaurant, the Cacciatori, 72 on the way to the sea the countryside’s treasures

where one can taste a cuisine rich in mainland Another pleasure to be savoured here is the ta- Ligurian influences. The most interesting item on ste of good raw salami, well-aged - at its best, the menu, at least to my taste, are the stuffed it is called filetto baciato, a speciality only pro- zucchini and onions - but nobody leaves without duced, until very recently, in the tiny village of a taste of their goat with potatoes. Goats have Cimaferle. Or the anchovies, which, I have come been a part of the landscape here for centu- to believe, play some sort of role in local religio- ries; their milk is turned into pearl-white cheese sity. Ok, I’m joking, but it is true that this land which is served in different ways: after 15 days is infused with popular beliefs, and full of sa- with a drop of oil, after two months, aged, with cred corners. Close to Ponzone I discovered the a touch of grape chutney (mostarda) and after unusual Santuario della Pieve, a parish church six months, hard as a rock, grated over a pla- in which the Virgin Mary is portrayed pregnant, te of tagliolini pasta with butter and sage. In and is therefore revered by future mothers. Hun- Ponti the natives experimented with wrapping ters, or those who like to trek through mountain the cheese inside a cabbage leaf: it launched a forests, should be advised that these are quite whole tradition, the incavolata (“inside the cab- impenetrable. But full of good stuff to eat - not bage” but also, idiomatically, “the angry lass”). a bad idea, perhaps, for your next holiday... what to see

Saint John the Baptist’s church in Bistagno is lazzo, including the parish church of Saint Bar- mostly baroque, with a Romanic bell-tower. In- tholomew (1759), with a painting by Moncalvo. side, admire a marble statuary group by Giulio The seventeenth-century church of Saint Cathe- Monteverde. A building named after this artist rine in Montechiaro, built over a pre-existing hosts the Marengo Natural Science Hall and religious building, has a baptismal font carved the “Giulio Monteverde” Museum of Art. The from a single stone. In the same village there is well-preserved square-plan medieval tower is a Museum of Peasant Life. In Ponti it’s worth the symbol of the village of Cartosio. In Cava- checking out the City Hall, where a few intere- tore there are some fifteenth- and sixteenth- sting items including a crucifix by Giulio Mon- century palaces and a lookout tower, as well teverde and a Roman milestone are kept. Saint as the church of , close to the Ambrose, the parish church in Spigno Monfer- graveyard, with its cycle of fifteenth-century fre- rato, is a Ligurian-baroque building from the scoes. The original medieval center of Ponzone end of the Sixteenth Century. It is set in the pic- is remarkably well-preserved. Inside the Oratory turesque old graveyard. The square-plan tower of Prayers for the Dead there is a Sacred Art in Terzo is late-medieval, part of a network of Museum - the most important piece is Mara- signal towers which dot the valley (Bistagno, gliano’s group of carved wooden statues. The Denice, Merana, Castelletto d’Erro). Denice Romanic Church of Saints Nazarius and Mau- is a well-preserved medieval village, built in a rice is set inside the graveyard in Prasco. The ring around the castle tower (Twelfth Century) village castle is seat of a study centre dedicated erected by the Marquis of Carretto. Pareto is to Count Gallesio, author of the monumental arranged in a similar way, with houses grouped “Italian Pomona”, the first and most important around the Spinola castle (Fourteenth Century). encyclopaedia of fruit and fruit-tree images It also has a lovely parish church, dedicated to and descriptions in Italy (Twentieth Century). A Saint Peter, with an elaborate eighteenth-cen- series of baroque buildings characterizes Me- tury façade in Ligurian-baroque style. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria on the way to the sea 73

products MUSHROOMS, TRUFFLES AND WILD HERBS

Thanks to a special local clima- in truffles, both white and ding sage, thyme, mint, straw- te and rich forests, this area is black, while half-way up the flower, fennel, aniseed, cumin, a great hunting-ground for fin- mountains, on slopes where chamomile, coriander, tarragon, ding mushrooms, especially the fruit-trees and vineyards would herb hyssop, achillea, St. John’s porcino (Boletus Edulis), cele- hardly grow, people cultivate wort, rosemary, malva, verbena brated in various fairs around officinal and aromatic herbs. and oregano - all used to pro- Ponzone, Cassinelle and Mor- Lavender, with it’s soft purples, duce essential oils or products bello. is the most striking among for the cooking, pharmaceutical The eroded badlands are rich more than forty varieties inclu- and cosmetic industries.

THE FILETTO BACIATO

More or less a symbol of the village of Ponzone, the filetto baciato - kissed tenderloin - is a unique salami made by wrap- ping a whole tenderloin in a traditional mix of pork and fat. It was invented at the beginning of the Twentieth Century by the Malò family and soon became an important feature of the lo- cal butcheries’ heritage. Sold in 600-gram pieces, it is served cut in thin, bright pink slices. Other local cured meats include cooked and raw salami, testa in cassetta, blood sausages, sausages, cac- ciatorini, and preparations made with entrails (frizze and grive).

GOAT CHEESE

The High Bormida Valley and which used to be aged inside can be eaten fresh or aged. the area around Ponzone kitchen pots. A recent change Even though the Robiola can have an ancient tradition of in the dedicated regulation be made by combining cow herding goats and producing now allows these villages to and goat milk, producers from goat cheeses - the formageta produce Dop appellation Ro- this area prefer to use goat d’la pignata is a soft cheese biola di Roccaverano, which milk exclusively; the goats are 74 on the way to the sea the countryside’s treasures

mainly raised in the wild. A sli- chestnut, or wildflower). The re-fermented goat and sheep ce of cheese is usually served local goat-herders also love cheeses with herbs, eaten over with a dollop of honey (acacia, the taste of brus, a mixture of toasted bread or fired polenta.

cuisine

The local cuisine is somewhere mushrooms (mainly porcini) hills beyond. In olden times, in-between hillside and moun- or game (hare, pheasant and were dried by pla- tainside traditions, with the ad- boar). Polenta is cooked with cing them on the upper floor dition of ingredients and recipes cod or following the old Pucia of a house and lighting smoke- from inland Liguria, as well as recipe (a soft polenta cooked in fires in the lower part. Packed from the Langhe. This is where a cabbage, bean and vegetable in a jute bag, they were then the favorite first course ravioli broth, with butter and cheese). shelled by beating them over al plin originated - the name The mountain dish called zut- a wood block. Every farmhou- indicates the way the pasta is ta, a simple chestnut soup, is se would also, of course, raise “pinched” around the meat- prepared all around the Apen- a pig, butchered on the onset and-vegetable stuffing. Ravioli nines with ingredients from of winter to make salami and are also locally served alla cur- the forests. Taste it in Ponzone, other cured meats such as the dunà, i.e. rapidly boiled over a one of the highest points of baciuà (pig’s feet marinated in piece of linen. Other kinds of this mountain range, a village vinegar, boiled, de-boned, cut pasta are usually served with with a spectacular view on the in slices, breaded and fried). trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria on the way to the sea 75

Aleramo’s fritto is prepared in merce between coastal Liguria di dama, candied hazelnu- Cavatore by deep-frying brea- and land-locked Piedmont. In ts and hazelnut or chestnut ded meat, while Montechiaro Ponti they make a good polen- cakes, as well as the unusual Alto is known for its dishes ta served with an egg, onion Mon ed Cavau, shaped like the based on anchovies - a sign of and cod omelet. Local pastries blocks from the stone quarries the millennial patterns of com- include amaretti¸ nougat, baci in Cavatore. wine In these valleys, next to the tion is Dolcetto, both of Acqui still produced on these hills Barbera del Monferrato, the and of Ovada. which look at the sea. most important local appella- Also, the prized Brachetto is

shopping Cartosio • Az. Agr. Accusani di Robiglio (Farm) phone 0144768136 - soft nougat località Pessinelle, 2 - phone 014440196 robiola di Roccaverano cheese Ponti • Antica Macelleria RV Salumi (Butchery) Denice piazza Caduti, 5 - phone 0144596416 • Apicoltura Poggio closed: Wednesday afternoon and Sunday via Ratè, 4 - phone 014492337 cooked salami, testa in cassetta mobile 3334419272 • Andrea Adorno honey and jams reg. Cravarezza, 50 - phone 0144596112 Robiola di Roccaverano cheese, “incavolata” Malvicino (robiola wrapped in cabbage leaves) • Az. Agr. Biologica le Ramate • Cascina Blengio (Farmhouse) (Organic Farm) - loc. Ramate - ph. 0144340923 reg. Rosi, 18 - phone 0144596108 Robiola cheese and goat tome www.cascinablengio.it - 4 rooms products made with lavander and honey Montechiaro d’Acqui • Az. Agr. Ferrero (Farm) Ponzone via Roma, 14 - phone 014492236 • Salumificio Cima (Butchery) Robiola di Roccaverano cheese fraz. Cimaferle, 181 - phone 0144765244 • Beatrice Schlapfer www.salumicima.it - closed: Sunday afternoon reg. Ferretti, 9 - phone 014491332 filetto baciato Robiola di Roccaverano cheese • Salumeria Macelleria Giachero • Cascina Polovio (Farmhouse) (Butchery) corso Acqui, 6/a - phone 014478077 reg. Carozzi, 7 - phone 014492117 closed: Monday and Wednesday afternoon Robiola di Roccaverano cheese cheese, filetto baciato

Morbello Spigno Monferrato • Laboratorio Musso • Alcide Accusani frazione Costa - via Umberto I, 10 regione Moncastello, 6 76 on the way to the sea the countryside’s treasures

phone 014491370 • Agronatura Soc. coop. (Cooperative) goat cheese loc. Bergagiolo - phone 0144950035 • Az. Agr. Serina (Farm) www.agronatura.it regione Vivello Soprano closed: Saturday and Sunday (in summer only phone 0144993300 - snails Sunday) - essential oils, herbal teas what to eat Bistagno rooms inside are spacious enough to be easily • Del Pallone accessed by wheelchair - the bathroom is too corso Italia, 17 small for a wheelchair to get close to the wc phone 014479234 mobile 3393576368 - the structure has no previous experience with closed: Tuesday evening and Wednesday disabled clients. set menu price: 28 euro agnolotti del plin, pork tenderloin, “torta del Cavatore Pallone” specialty cake • Da Fausto loc. Valle Prati, 1 Cartosio phone 0144325387 • I Cacciatori www.ristorantedafausto.it via Moreno, 30 closed: Monday and Tuesday for lunch (October phone 014440123 to April also Tuesday evening) [email protected] set menu price: 28-32 euro closed: Thursday, Friday for lunch rooms: 3, 1 suite (Relais Borgo del Gallo) set menu price: 50 euro outdoor tables meat sauce agnolotti, rabbit with rosemary, Russian salad, anchovies with green sauce, ra- roasted goat, fruit violi del plin, roast goat - the paved parking lot doesn’t have any re- - parking lot (gravel) with reserved spaces - the served spaces - clients in a wheelchair can rea- interior can be easily and autonomously navi- ch the interior through a side entrance - the gated by wheelchair - disabled bathroom. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria on the way to the sea 77

• Cascina Camolin duck with Marsala wine, Roccaverano potato regione Valle Prati - phone 0144322673 gnocchi, roast guinea fowl with anchovie sau- open March to December, Saturday evening and ce and liver Sunday for lunch set menu price: 25 euro Spigno Monferrato ravioli, roastbeef with roast potatoes • Ristoro Regina via Airaldi, 27 Melazzo phone 014491506 • Ca’ di Facelli closed: Tuesday S.S. 334 per Sassello set menu price: 30 euro phone 0144341015 gnocchi with Robiola cheese, vitel tonnè closed: Monday and Tuesday; from Wednesday - paved parking lot close to the entrance - the to Saturday open only in the evening and upon ground-level entrance and the interior are spa- reservation for lunch cious enough to be easily navigated by wheel- set menu price: 31 euro chair - disabled bathroom. events Melazzo Cod fair (April) info: City Hall, phone 014441101 Morbello Boar fair (August) - Chestnut fair (October) info: City Hall, phone 0144768146 Pareto fair (May) - info: City Hall, phone 019721044 Ponti “Polentone” fair (March) - info: City Hall, phone 0144596142 Ponzone Mountain fair (October) - Mushroom fair (September) info: www.comuneponzone.it Spigno Monferrato Figazen fair (July) - Settembre Spignese (September) 78 ovada the countryside’s treasures Ovada

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ovada, the ligurian Ligurian influences are clearly felt the town of merchants and travelers to stop at, all rich in Ovada, as well as in the other six major settle- sea-food, seaside and hillside specialties. Since ments of the province of Alessandria. time immemorial, all these eateries have been The sea, only a few kilometers away, is in the in constant competition over who serves the air. This is a city of character, with a small centre best anchovies. full of lively squares; the tall, well-kept houses Also, Ovada’s bakeries make the softest, have -colored façades and, of course, the smoothest amaretti. The surrounding country- ligurian focaccia bread is everywhere. side is worthy of note, with its many defensive Commerce between the two regions brought castles which protect a strategic entryway to the chick-pea farinata here as well, and, in the the region. cold season, Piedmontese bagna caoda is ser- The first signs of the landscape, the architec- ved every other day. ture, and the cuisine which lie beyond are all Ovada is also the denomination of origin of a here to be discovered - and never forgotten. Af- famous Dolcetto, a very robust, odorous, gene- ter all, this is Piemonte’s - and the province of rous wine. Trade with nearby Liguria means the Alessandria’s - original and exclusive welcome town is full of well-established restaurants for to their lands. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria ovada 79

what to see Ovada’s best profile is the Piazza dell’Assunta - a which was recently restored; inside the second monumental façade, two symmetrical bell towers there is a triptych by Brea’s workshop, depicting and, leading from it, a series of tiny lanes which the Annunciation. The birthplace of Saint Paul of recall Ligurian carrugi. the Cross is a sixteenth-century house; because The Church of the Assumption, which dominates of its religious significance a small Historical and the square, was built between the end of the Ei- Religious Museum has been opened next to it. ghteenth Century and the beginning of the Nine- Ovada’s main exhibit venue is the Civic Paleon- teenth; inside it there are many interesting works tology “Giulio Maini” Museum, in the ex-church of art. The Church of the Immaculate Concep- of Saint Anthony Abbot (Fourteenth Century). tion was first built in the Seventeenth Century The Gallery of Saint Sebastian was built in the but redone in the Twentieth. Saint Mary of the Twelfth Century but redone in 1391 - nowadays Graces was built in 1481 (note the fragment of it is used for cultural events. Other notable bui- a over the portal and a painting by Fiasella ldings in town include the Music School (a six- inside). The Oratory of Saint John the Baptist is teenth-century villa with frescoed ceilings) and sixteenth-century, as well as the Oratory of the the Spinola Palace (typical example of a seven- Annunciation - both belong to the respective teenth-century Genoese aristocrats’ manor, with brotherhoods. The first has an unusual façade a simple, square design). products HEALTHY AND TASTY COOKIES

Yummy, as well as low in su- gar content, “salute”, i.e. “health”, biscuits followed the railway from North to - th, becoming Italy’s favorite breakfast from the end of the Second World War onwards. “Salute” biscuits are toasted slices of sweetened bread, si- milar to fette biscottate, crun- chy and carrying a faint aroma of aniseed. They are produced following an old-fashioned re- cipe and left to rise naturally. Often, these are sold alongside the bitter-sweet, soft Amaretti cookies, which are produced all over the province, using almonds, egg-white and flour, and packaged in traditional 80 ovada the countryside’s treasures

cardboard boxes or wrapped exclusively to farinata, which is ping hot (in dialect it’s called in plastic bags. In Ovada you made with water and chickpea “bela calda”, nice’n’hot) with can also find eateries devoted flour and must be served pi- a sprinkle of pepper.

cuisine

The traditional cuisine of Ova- abundantly in the nearby hills. by marinating the animal in da is a well-balanced blend of Andarini, tiny flour dumplings wine for a night before coo- Piedmontese and Ligurian ta- served in broth, are prepared king it in a pan with herbs, stes, characterized by a wide- for Easter - it is intriguing to spices and vin brulé. Wild herb spread use of wild herbs. Hors discover an almost identical quiches are cooked according d’oeuvres usually include the dish in the far-away island of to old recipes, and desserts fried panissa (also cooked in Sardinia, the andarinos from include amaretti and cane- the area around Novi) small Usini. The most typical second strelli cookies, hazelnut cake, chickpea dumplings which courses are bollito misto ser- chestnut sweets and the cho- are boiled before being fried ved with a bagnet dip of sta- colate pudding called bonet. and served with fresh cheese. le bread, parsley, garlic and The wine of choice is obviou- Agnolotti stuffed with stew are anchovies, and Piedmontese sly Dolcetto di Ovada, a ruby- cooked in Dolcetto wine, and fritto misto. red wine with a strong, fruity tajarin fresh pasta is served Another very good choice is scent and a distinctive taste of with mushrooms, which grow rabbit with Dolcetto, prepared almonds. shopping

• La Casa del Formaggio closed: Monday (Cheesemonger) Ovada “Pizzicotti” via Torino, 59 • Panificio del Borgo (Bakery) phone 0143822002 via Di Vittorio, 7 closed: Thursday afternoon www.panificiodelborgo.it cheese, salami phone 0143821381 • Pasticceria Caffetteria B&C (Patisserie) closed: Sunday via Cairoli, 155 - phone 014381216 “pulled” grissini, bread, focaccia

what to eat

• 1/4ino di Vino (winery) salami, cheese, daily specialties via Roma, 23 - parking lot with reserved spaces - the entran- phone 0143381155 ce and the interior can be easily navigated by mobile 3477377844 wheelchairs - in some parts, the assistance of 3479336046 another person is necessary - the bathrooms open from Tuesday to Sunday from 6 PM do not have any supporting structures but are wine (glass): 3,5 euro accessible by wheelchair. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria ovada 81

• L’Archivolto Piedmontese agnolotti, roast veal with Volpe- piazza Garibaldi, 25/26 do peaches phone 0143835208 - closed: Monday • La Pignatta set menu price: 35 euro vicolo Madonnetta, 18 bagna caoda, perbureira phone 0143821650 • Dalla Padella alla Brace closed: Monday evening and Tuesday piazza Mazzini, 31 - phone 0143823392 set menu price: 12 euro (for lunch), tasting menu closed: Thursday 25 euro set menu price: 25-30 euro pasta and beans, ligurian-style rabbit Monferrina ravioli, panissa, cod omelets • La Volpina • Italia strada Volpina, 1 - phone 014386008 via San Paolo, 54 closed: Sunday evening, Monday evening and phone 014386502 holidays in the evening www.albergoitaliaovada.it tastino menu: 52 euro closed: Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch cima stuffed with trout, salmon and shrimp, set menu price: 25 euro all’uccelletto meat, rififi cream

events • Procession of the brotherhoods of Saint John (June) and Our Lady of the Carmine (July), • Villages and Tastes (May) • Local products’ fair and market “OvadaInMostra” (September) www.comune.ovada.al.it 82 the high monferrato around ovada the countryside’s treasures The High Monferrato around Ovada , Capanne di Marcarolo, Carpeneto, , Cremolino, Fraconalto, Lerma, Molare, Montaldeo, , , Trisobbio

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each village, a castle Should you happen to walk these hills without its high, austere perch. The typical dish, called knowing where you are, you would not guess perbureira, is served accompanied by legendary “In the Monferrato” (or, as some historians tales about the local lord’s will to impose the claim, the Obertenga) but, rather, you might pla- ius primae noctis. Of course, each castle has its ce yourself somewhere in France, maybe the Loi- own legends - in the Eighties I took a trip here re, or the Périgord. There are castles here which with Franco Cacciabue, with the specific aim of exercise a unique fascination upon the imagina- collecting these stories. I cannot forget the wine- tion - so beautiful, so imposing. And a dominant makers boasting about their product, which they feature in these manors’ history is, of course, defined as a “cru” - France, now beyond the wine. In Tagliolo they make a magnificent Dol- border, still stuck in the people’s DNA. Trionzo, cetto di Ovada: part of the production process to this day, is known by all as the best of Dolcet- takes place in the castle itself, before the wine is to di Ovada’s cru - a title, admittedly, contested left to age in wood barrels. The Cremolino castle by the village of San Lorenzo, where the “rogue hosts a restaurant, famed for its 10-course hors pharmacist” Pino Ratto was, for years, the main d’oeuvres, which is dedicated to promoting the producer of this kind of wine. And of course area’s cuisine, an array of tastes highly influen- there was the case of Ornella Muti, the Italian ced by close-by Liguria. Rocca Grimalda is well movie star, who embarked in 1988 in the en- known as another centre of Dolcetto produc- terprise of wine production, right here in Lerma. tion. The village is impossible to miss from the She enlisted the help of a group of wine-makers main highway, as it dominates the scenery from who were busy compiling, together with Luigi trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the high monferrato around ovada 83

Veronelli, a world history of wine, and this is the di Marcarolo protects the local boar population, comment she received, from Giacomo Bologna, until it reaches critical numbers, which it often during a memorable harvest-day in his farmhou- does. And how can one forget the striped gris- se: “We can all join in the race, but it’s a race for sini, or bread-sticks, which accompany the local second place.” Nobody, in other words, had half charcuterie? The ones from Belforte are peppery a chance of beating Pino Ratto. There is wine, and full of spices. To sum it up, there are plen- but then there is also game, both of the furry and ty of secret delicacies hidden among these hills, of the feathery kind, triumphant upon the local where each old grocery store, and each butcher, table. A lovely natural reserve around Capanne has something new for the visitor to try. what to see This area is full of castles - mostly well-kept mo- thology Museum. Inside the castle of Montaldeo dernized residences of the aristocracy. In Carpe- (Thirteenth Century) there are works by Flemish neto the castle, set in a park, towers over the masters and by Caracci, as well as valuable bron- village - as a landmark it competes with the zes and bas-reliefs. The built the parish church, a Piedmontese-baroque building Cremolino castle in the Sixteenth Century over a with valuable furnishings inside. The Spinola ca- pre-existing fourteenth-century fortress. Today it stle (1499) in Lerma has been turned into an is a compact, high building somewhat between a elegant residence. In the same village there also military fort (it has a draw bridge and two defen- are a Romanic chapel with frescoes from 1412, in sive towers) and a residential palace, with many a style influenced by Giotto, and the Museum of windows giving onto the surrounding countryside. Gold. In Molare there are the Santa Maria Cam- Another manor is in Casaleggio - this one dates pale church and the Chiabrera castle, a medieval from the Tenth Century, while Trisobbio’s castle is building - within, note the paintings by Moncal- a faithful re-construction of the original, medie- vo and Pellizza da Volpedo. The parish church is val, one, of which only the tower is left. The castle from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. in Belforte was built over the ruins of an ancient Inside the Salvago-Raggi manor, works by Berni- Benedictine convent, originally established by the ni, Reni and Van Dyck are to be seen. Set at the Irish monk Columban (Seventh Century). Outsi- foot of the , the village of Madonna de, the Church to Saint Benedict, which is just as delle Rocche was built around the Sanctuary of ancient, is still standing. Inside the Capanne di the Virgin of the Rocks, built during the Seven- Marcarolo park, which protects the environment teenth Century, when the Marian cult thrived af- around the atmospheric Lakes of Lavagnina, it is ter a series of miraculous healings occured in the possible to visit the Benedicta Martyrs Memorial. area around Molare. The thirteenth-century castle in Rocca Grimalda was redone a number of ti- mes, while the parish church of Saint James still shows its ancient façade. Saint Limbania’s church is high-medieval and decorated inside with six- teenth-century frescoes. Don’t forget to peek into the Museum of Masks. The castle in Tagliolo has a tenth-century tower, but the rest of the building follows the late-nineteenth-century style impo- sed by D’Andrade. In the village there are two interesting collections: the “Ferrari” Museum of Wrought Iron and the “Celestino Ferrari” Orni- 84 the high monferrato around ovada the countryside’s treasures

wine

Although Barbera and Cortese ca Grimalda, where the land is lami, as well as with a plate give a good yield in this area, particularly well-suited to the of pasta with truffles and mu- the hills around Ovada’s main cultivation of this variety of shrooms. In recent times, more wine is the Dolcetto d’Ovada. grape. The wine obtained from and more producers have in- First mentioned in a document it is a deep ruby, garnet-red troduced the albarossa wine, a from 1593, it has long been when aged, has a fruity aroma graft of nebbiolo and barbera, one of the main cash crops and is harmonic and soft to the which yields a brightly colored both here and around Acqui, palate, with a smooth scent of wine, with a strong structure especially in the village of Roc- almonds. It is perfect with sa- and pleasant hints of spices. products

IN THE WOODS OF THE VAL DI

The forests in the High Lemme as being roasted or Valley and in the rest of the boiled in innumerable Ovada area are rich in mu- village fairs shrooms, predominantly the and harvest porcino, used by all the local festivals. restaurants in a myriad dishes, especially during the autumn months. October to January is truffle- hunting season, and the woo- ds also provide an abundant chestnut crop, used for cakes and other local dishes, as well

AROMATIC WILD HERBS

This unique landscape is an in the underwood and used in and strawberries are widely ideal habitat for many species many dishes - mainly quiches cultivated, and honey is pro- of wild herbs, which are found prepared for Easter. Peaches duced here as well.

CHEESE, HAY, AND BREADSTICKS

The hills around Ovada have a tional recipes is passed down there are quite a few different rich heritage; the skill of curing father to son in each family kinds of salami just waiting to meat according to many tradi- farmhouse. As a consequence, be tasted. Another traditional trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the high monferrato around ovada 85 production is the robiola chee- rest on a bed of hay for about a grant and tasty grissini, bread- se, made either with goat milk month. It can be eaten with oil sticks produced in Trisobbio. or with a mixture of goat, cow and pepper or with truffles, to- and sheep. Robiola is eaten fre- gether with the fra- sh or aged by wrapping each cheese in a chestnut leaf and leaving it to

cuisine

Ingredients from the forest are the preparation of risotto or of such as the lasagna alla Zerbet- the basis for most local recipes, tagliolini pasta (best with fresh ta, with broth, pasta and beans. such as rice quiches with wild porcini or spungole), in quiches For dessert, in Cremolino they herbs, veal cutlets with mu- or with potatoes. In the village serve the local Baci, hazelnut shrooms, and plenty of game. of Casaleggio Boiro try fugasin cakes or a chocolate mattonella, Mushrooms have various uses: and home-made honey cakes, while in Molare the local bakery in omelets, with salami, fontina in Cremolino the local recipe for is proud of its original “amaretti cheese and corned veal tongue, rabbit “alla cremolinese”, fritto alla Lilla”. Finally, Roccagrimal- in salads such as the typical misto and bollito, while the best da is known for the Perbureira, ovuli (Ceasar’s mushrooms) chickpea panissa, fried in olive a soup of pasta, beans, oil and and prataioli salad with gor- oil, is to be found in Franconalto. garlic whose recipe has been gonzola cheese. Fresh and dried Many local dishes are peasant jealously guarded by the village mushrooms are also used in variations of the classic lasagna, women for centuries. 86 the high monferrato around ovada the countryside’s treasures

shopping Fraconalto Montaldeo • Az. Agr. e Agrituristica La Sereta • Az. Agr. La Comuna (Farm) loc. Sereta, 47/a Cascina La Comuna, 21 phone 0109693108 phone 0143849228 mobile 3495826357 closed: Sunday www.lasereta.it 3 apartments closed: Tuesday goat milk, goat cheese Sambuchino and rose syrup Trisobbio Lerma • I Grissinari • Macelleria Salumeria Primo (Butchery) via Roma, 15 via Martiri della Benedicta, 13 phone 014371188 phone 0143877150 closed: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday afternoon; closed: Wednesday afternoon open Sunday morning cured meat, meat grissini breadsticks what to eat

Cremolino Tagliolo Monferrato • Bel Soggiorno • Da Gino via Umberto I, 69 via Roma, 41 - phone 014389483 phone 0143879012 closed: Monday, Tuesday e Wednesday closed: Wednesday; open only in the evening set menu price: 35 euro Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Piedmontese fritto misto, fried cod set menu price: 40-50 euro 3 rooms stracotto ravioli, cod with olives, fritto misto - there are no reserved spaces in the gravel parking lot - clients in a wheelchair can enter from a side door and easily navigate the inte- rior, with the assistance of another person in some points - disabled bathroom. events Carpeneto “Vino in Rosa” (June) info: tel. 014385121 Molare Polentone fair (August) info: City Hall, 0143888121 Rocca Grimalda Perbureira fair (August) info: www.comuneroccagrimalda.it Tagliolo Monferrato “Sapori d’Autunno dell’Alto Monferrato” with truffles and chestnuts (October) info: www.comunetagliolo.it Trisobbio Tarsobi, truffles and wine (October) - www.unionedeicastelli.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria novi ligure 87 Novi Ligure

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in the belly of a lush countryside Novi is a small town, in the province of Museum, the Museum of, well, “Super-cham- Alessandria, which enjoys a very personal pions”, collecting stories and memorabilia from lifestyle, made special by a few, small de- Italy’s great bicycle racers such as the legen- tails. Mainly, it’s character is due to the geo- dary Fausto Coppi and . graphy of the town’s center, where everything The adjoining complex, named after the is in walking distance and the streets are “Lush Land of Novi” - a name evoking both always full of people - at least on a Saturday. the surrounding landscape and the abun- The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta is a dance of sweets and chocolate produced in charming intersection, so typical of Novi, where town - is used for a number of important every square quickly turns into a meeting point. fairs, the main one organized by the Mu- I will never forget the peace that reigns under nicipality in the first ten days of December. the trees close to the ruin of the old, maje- The local focaccia is rather well-known, but stic castle. It is a city of corners, in the belly more so is the strange stamp used to make of an agricultural valley set under the rolling, corzetti, a round pasta, often cooked at home gentle hills where Cortese wine, including the but sometimes available in local restaurants famous Gavi, is produced. One of the most in- and eateries which are just waiting to be di- teresting things to see is the “Campionissimi” scovered in this charming corner of Piemonte. 88 novi ligure the countryside’s treasures

what to see

Novi’s heart beats in via Roma, a lovely sequence (dated 1650-79 but originally quite ancient, pro- of noble palaces from the Sixteenth and Seven- bably Twelfth, Thirteenth Century), rich in valuable teenth Century, decorated in the Genoese style in furnishings such as the decorative stuccoes, pain- fashion in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries: tings by Domenico Fiasella, the “black Crucifix”, Palazzo Da Franchi (note the hallway and the and the Serassi organ. In Via Girardengo there is staircase), Palazzo della Dogana (traces of fre- Romualdo Marenco theatre, built in 1839 by Giu- scoes, sandstone portals, spiral stairway), Aligna- seppe Becchi. The oratory of the brotherhood ni (nineteenth-century decorations), Parodi (gar- of Saint Mary Magdalene hosts a scene of the den with eighteen-century fountains and statues). Calvary, with 21 life-sized wood statues, and a Other noble palaces worthy of note are Palazzo scene of Christ’s mourners, with 8 terracotta sta- Pallavicini (artworks by Bernardo Strozzi), Spi- tues: both groups were sculpted in the Sixteenth nola (interesting decor), Franzosi (paintings on Century. Right outside the city center it is possible the façade), Spinola di Variana (frescoed portico to visit the small Parish of Holy Mary (Twelfth giving onto the courtyard), Cambiaso Negrotto Century), previously set in the countryside, with (lovely hanging terrace) and Negroni (outside de- original apses and a fresco by Boxilio, painted in corations attributed to Antonio and Giovanni Mu- 1474. Another monument outside the city walls is ratori). The road ends in Piazza Dellepiane, with the only remaining tower from the castle, built in the palace of the same name. At the centre of 1233, striking against the surrounding greenery. the square there is the “fountain of salt” (1816). For rainy days, there are the bicycle-racing the- The perimeter of the square is bordered by the med Museum of Super-champions and Novi’s Collegiate Church of Saint Mary’s Assumption Historical Society’s Document Hall. products

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE IN THE TOWN OF FAUSTO COPPI AND OF FRESH FOCACCIA

In Italy saying Novi is like saying chocolate: a single factory - the biggest one, which is also called “Novi” - produces 80 million bars a year. This quan- titative wealth, together with the presence of many smaller nearby, provided the recipe for chocolate-makers, allowed the and canestrelli cookies, the first the typical focaccia bread, flat, town to claim, in 1996, the ti- made with almonds, the second, salty and dripping with lovely tle of “confectionary production -shaped, made of olive olive oil. In 2008 it was awarded pole”. Here, at the ancient bor- oil, flour, yeast, salt, sugar and - recognition as a IGP (Protected der with the kingdom of the Sa- here comes the secret - a glass Geographical Indication) as a voy, bakeries are full of amaretti of white Cortese wine. Liguria, EU-protected regional food. Fa- trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria novi ligure 89 rinata, with oil and chick-pea flour, is prepared here as well as in the entire Ligurian Appennino - the small village of Merella, ou- tside Novi, boasts it’s very own chickpea variety, rare enough to merit the label of “Piedmontese regional agricultural product”. It is harvested in July to be served in soups or ground to make fa- rinata.

cuisine

Although Novi’s cuisine mostly follows in the lines of traditional Piedmontese cooking, it does have its own special pasta: cor- zetti (also called “crosetti” or “little crosses”), 5cm-wide disks of fresh pasta, stamped with a special hand-held press, which originally bore the imprint of a cross or a family crest. Traditio- nally, these “little crosses” are with a linen cloth. The local chi- ch are produced in the nearby served with a mushroom sauce, ckpeas are used for farinata but hills, such as Gavi’s Cortese and with stew, or else with oil and also for a pork chop soup and in Timorasso. Agnolotti are ubi- anchovies. Holidays call for a paniccia, an appetizer made by quitous, served “a culo nudo” dish of gnocchetti and broth, a taking a small chickpea polen- (naked bottom) and dressed small pasta shaped by running ta, cutting it in slices, dipping with a glass of Cortese. Roast a portion of the dough between them in flour, and finally frying polenta with anchovies and thumb and knee - if you try them in olive oil. Paniccia is a onion, known as carabigné, is this at home, do note that the perfect excuse to order a glass an old peasant dish, generally cook’s legs should be covered of the great white wines whi- only served during Lent. shopping • Bar Pasticceria La Pieve (Café, Patisserie) home-made ice-cream via Verdi, 55 - phone 01432622 • Pastificio Elvezia closed: Monday - chocolate, amaretti piazza Indipendenza, 4 - phone 01432690 • Il Gelatissimo closed: Monday - corzetti, farinata via Garibaldi, 18 - mobile 3495950395 • Il Forno del Pugliese (Bakery) opening hours: winter 1 pm to 8.30 pm, summer via Cavallotti, 130 - phone 0143323607 10 am to 12 pm closed: Sunday - “pulled” focaccia 90 novi ligure the countryside’s treasures

what to eat • Cascina degli Ulivi • Il Banco strada Mazzola, 12 via Monte di Pietà, 5 phone 0143744598 phone 0143744690 www.cascinadegliulivi.com www.ilbanco.it open: Friday and Saturday evening, Sunday for closed: Monday lunch (no long holidays) set menu price: 15-20 euro set menu price: 25 euro farinata, Merella chickpea soup, panissa 3 rooms • La Brenta Rossa spelt soup, rabbit stew, strada Pasturana, 8 • Emmalù phone 0143323562 viale dei Campionissimi, 4 www.brentarossa.com phone 0143746231 closed: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from closed: Monday Thu. to Sunday for lunch set menu price: 35 euro set menu price: 40 euro (including wines) corzetti from Novi with mushroom sauce and corzetti from Novi, cod ravioli sausage, roast pumpkin with Montebore chee- • Corona Cafè se sauce, Emmalù bowl with zabaione dessert corso Marenco, 13 - paved parking lot close to the entrance - the phone 0143746251 entrance and the interior can be easily and au- closed: Monday tonomously navigated by wheelchair - disabled set menu price: 30 euro bathroom. agnolotti with roast stew

events • Food and Wine fair “Dolci Terre di Novi”(December) • “Fiera di Santa Caterina”, festival (November) • Top Wine (1-2 March) info: www.alessandriatopwine.it www.comune.noviligure.al.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria gavi and the lands of the orba 91 Gavi and the lands of the Orba Bosio, Capriata d’Orba, Carrosio, , Castelletto d’Orba, , Fresonara, Gavi, Mornese, Parodi Ligure, Predosa, San Cristoforo, Silvano d’Orba, Tassarolo, Voltaggio

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frederick the redbeard and the marquis aleramo Gavi is a name most food-and wine-lovers asso- in Piemonte, certainly worth a visit. And then ciate with Carletto Bergaglio, a recently depar- we tasted those ravioli “a culo nudo” (naked- ted character, who exercised - in his own way bottom), the testa in cassetta (a dish made with - the revered profession of pharmacist. Not long parts of a pig’s head), the local amaretti cookies before his death, he had turned his house into and other delicacies. This is a land of golden-tip- the first and only museum in the world dedica- ped vineyards, an amiable, unique, breath-taking ted entirely to enemas. The very same Carletto hill-scape whose myriad villages are set like Bergaglio, founder of the Order of the Ravioli jewels among the fields. It’s worth the trip just and of Gavi wine, had organized a series of lec- to take in the scenery - and perhaps visit some tures on Frederick the Redbeard, “Il Barbaros- of the many wine-cellars of the area. A most sa”, who apparently once passed through this enchanting relais de charme hotel is set around area. Later, he set up a remarkable debate on such a place: Villa Sparina, in Monterotondo of the region’s identity, which would perhaps have Gavi. Facing Gavi, the village of Voltaggio, with nothing to do with the Monferrato but pertain, its renowned amaretti cookies, already feels like rather, to the lands of Obertenga. I once got Liguria. Every single one of these townships - into an animated conversation on the subject - Bosio, Capriata, Castelletto, Francavilla, Silvano we were walking around inside the fortress, one d’Orba and Tassarolo - produces excellent cru of the most important monuments of its kind of the famous Cortese as well as of Dolcetto, a 92 gavi and the lands of the orba the countryside’s treasures

wine which here takes on the DOC label from ness to the region. People here follow the coo- Ovada. The village of Castelletto d’Orba deser- king style of Alessandria, with some Ligurian ves a note for its spring-time fair, devoted to influences. An ancient dish, still served to this the area’s wines. Other resources, such as the day, is a delicious soup of bread, eggs and chi- crystal-clear water sources, lend further rich- cken livers, peculiarly known as “child’s poo”. what to see

Gavi is set under the massive fort built by the Mary of the Flag (Seventeenth Century). Art lo- Genoese over a pre-existing - according to vers come here to see the paintings of Genoe- a document from the year 973 - castle, whi- se school collected in the Capuchin’s Museum. ch was modified in different times and turned The church of Saint Remigius in Parodi Ligure into the huge fortress we still see today (fi- is interesting for its twelfth-century origins and nished in the Twelfth Century). Other things striking location. Francavilla Bisio, Mornese, to see in the center include a few remarkable Castelletto d’Orba (founded in the year 1000), churches, most notably the parish of Saint Ja- Tassarolo, Silvano d’Orba and San Cristofo- mes (note the portal), built in 1165, which is ro (with an interesting polygonal tower), each one of the most interesting examples of Roma- have a castle worth seeing, even if only from nic architecture in the province of Alessandria the outside. In Castelletto, also look for the Ro- (even though baroque elements were added manic church of Saint Innocent (Twelfth Centu- in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries). ry) with frescoes from the Fifteenth Century. A In Voltaggio there are a few interesting re- small Museum of Gold adds some shine to the ligious buildings such as the parish church of City Hall of Predosa - in the village there are Saints Nazarius and Celsius, from the Fourteen- interesting examples of religious architecture th Century, and the oratories of Saint Sebastian such as the frescoed oratory of Saint Sebastian, (Seventeenth Century), Saint Anthony Abbot the church of the Assumption in the area of (Eighteenth Century), Saint John the Baptist Castelferro, and the church of Saints Lawren- (Nineteenth Century) and, especially, of Holy ce and Vincent in the hamlet of Mantovana. products AMARETTI & CANESTRELLI

The Gavi region was brought to the attention of the national gourmet circles for its amaretti, a recipe from the end of the Ei- ghteenth Century, still prepared with passionate rigor by the lo- cal bakeries. The Gavi amaretto is distinctively soft and fragrant, with a strong taste of bitter or sweet almonds. You can tell that it is home-made from the trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria gavi and the lands of the orba 93

“three-fingered pinch” closu- gio’s amaretti are equally fa- earlier. Another typical Gavi re. The traditional ingredients mous and carry a trademark are the canestrelli, cir- are sweet or bitter almonds, registered at the beginning of cular cookies made with olive sugar, egg-whites and apricot the Twentieth century - having oil, flour, yeast, salt and sugar kernels. The village of Voltag- been invented a few decades and a drop of Cortese wine.

GRAPPA, HONEY, AND MUSHROOMS

Silvano d’Orba is known as one day of the year; the pomace of the “capitals of Grappa”: (grape-skins) should only come the spirit received an appella- from the DOC areas of Ovada, tion as “Municipal Product” Gavi, and the High Monferra- in 2004, sponsored by the to, particularly from Dolcetto famous critic Luigi Veronelli. grapes. The area is also rich in The correct procedure involves mushrooms and game from its the use of the Piedmontese wa- forests, and in honey, especial- ter-bath still; distillation should ly acacia, chestnut, and wild- be completed before the last flower.

cuisine

Autumn is the best season for tasting some of the many local mushroom dishes, and in every moment of the year there will be salami and cheeses on the table. Bosio excels in the prepa- ration of rice quiches, while in Capriata a favorite is lasagna with sturbiaroi (beans), which is a soup with long stripes of pasta. Other specialties inclu- de all kinds of stew with green sauce, cabbage with lard, small gnocchi in broth, cooked in the village of San Cristoforo, and at all, or else with a sprinkle of to the stuffing for extra taste. the excellent agnolotti from Parmesan cheese). The dough “Pulled” focaccia is made in Gavi, the town which claims the itself should be extremely thin the morning and potato focac- title of birth-place of this ubi- so as to allow the stuffing to cia in the afternoon, and then quitous Piedmontese dish. Here show through, and must ap- come rice quiches, Gavi risotto they are often served “naked pear irregular when cooked. and delicious sausages cooked bottom” (i.e. with no dressing Borage (starflower) is added with onion and Cortese wine. 94 gavi and the lands of the orba the countryside’s treasures

wine This area produces one of the years from the harvest, but it’s zers and vegetable quiches, but greatest white wines of Pie- not unlikely to find an older is also traditionally served with monte, the DOCG wine, made from riper gra- truffle tajarin pasta and with Gavi. It is produced from Corte- pes, which will have a stronger goat cheese. se grapes exclusively and has a structure and a uniquely varied The area is ideal for the culti- yellowish hue, a delicate aroma bouquet, including pleasant vation of red grapes, such as and a fresh, harmonious taste. mineral and tertiary aftertastes. barbera and dolcetto (including It is usually drunk within three It goes well with light appeti- the local variety called nibiò). shopping Capriata d’Orba • Macelleria Andrea Figini (Butchery) • Bodrato Cioccolato (Chocolatier) via Mameli, 87 - phone 0143645318 via San Cristoforo, 15 closed: Monday (open Sunday morning) phone 014368902 veal testa in cassetta open: September to May chocolates with “Bella di Garbaga” cherries San Cristoforo • Panetteria Pasticceria Fratelli Ferrari Gavi (Bakery, Patisserie) • Bar Pasticceria G.B. Traverso (Patisserie) via Ferrari, 46 via Bertelli, 3 phone 0143682265 phone 0143642713 closed: Wednesday afternoon www.amarettitraverso.it grissini breadsticks, , canestrelli closed: Tuesday Amaretti di Gavi Silvano d’Orba • Enoteca La Cave (Winery) • Apicoltura Robbiano (Beekeeping) via Circonvallazione, 9 via Pieve, 13 - phone 0143841544 phone 0143643871 - closed: Monday honey Gavi wine, local specialties • Bar Pasticceria La Pieve (Patisserie) Voltaggio via Mameli, 20 • Pasticceria Bar Cavo (Patisserie) phone 0143642817 piazza Scorza, 1 - phone 0109601218 Baci di Dama Amaretti, canestrelli • Caffè del Moro • Panificio Carrosio (Bakery) via Mameli, 41 via Scaglioso, 14 phone 0143642648 phone 0109601213 closed: Wednesday closed: Tue. afternoon and Sunday home-made ice-cream Amaretti, panbiscotto, pandolce • Macelleria Agostino Bertelli (Butchery) • Panificio Repetto (Bakery) via Mameli, 23 via C. Anfosso, 79 phone 0143642627 phone 0109601244 closed: Monday closed: Wednesday afternoon testa in cassetta, sausage Amaretti, ligurian cookies trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria gavi and the lands of the orba 95

what to eat Capriata d’Orba • La Gallina • La Corte dei Grilli fraz. Monterotondo, 56 via Roma, 39 - phone 0143467425 phone 0143685132 closed: Tuesday evening and Wednesday www.la-gallina.it set menu price: 35 euro - outdoor tables, garden closed: never - set menu price: 50 euro testaroli from Lunigiana - agnolotti - corzetti 28 rooms (l’Ostelliere) with mushroom sauce - roast goat panoramic terrace • Il Moro trout with porcini mushrooms - piazza Garibaldi, 7 Carnaroli risotto with Gavi Passito, Roccavera- phone 014346157 - www.ristoranteilmoro.it no robiola and sage closed: Sunday evening (only Sept. to May), Mon- - parking lot with reserved spaces - clients in a day - set menu price: 35 euro wheelchair can enter through a side entrance ourdoor tables, garden, winery with a slide and can easily move around, as- “rabbit tuna” - agnolotti - corzetti from Novi sisted in some points by another person - the with accessibile elevator has an acoustic system with - paved parking lot close to the entrance - signals arrival at the requested floor - disabled clients in a wheelchair can enter through a side bathroom. door and can easily and autonomously naviga- • Il Girasole te most of the interior - disabled bathroom. piazza Martiri della Benedicta, 15/r phone 0143643485 - ww.ilgirasolegavi.com Gavi closed:Tuesday • Le Cantine del Gavi set menu price: 28-30 euro - 4 rooms via Mameli, 69 - phone 0143642458 tortelloni with beets and ricotta with a cream closed: Monday, Tuesday for lunch of Quarantina potatoes, fig jelly with pastries set menu price: 40 euro - paved parking lot with reserved spaces - the charbonade with sauces, “al tocco” ravioli, ri- entrance (with slide) and interior are easily sotto with Gavi navigated by wheelchair - disabled bathroom - the elevator is accessible and has an acoustic system; both a wheelchair and another person can access the elevator together - directional signals printed in a large font. • Da Marietto fraz. Rovereto di Pessenti, 116 phone 0143682118 closed: Sunday evening and Monday set menu price: 25-30 euro panissa, “al tocco” ravioli, goat • Ai Nebbioli loc. Nebbioli, 3 - phone 0143645893 closed: Monday and Tuesday set menu price: 25-30 euro Russian salad, “al tocco” ravioli, Geno- vese-style cima 96 gavi and the lands of the orba the countryside’s treasures

events Castelletto d’Orba Wine and tastes from the High Monferrato (April) info: www.comune.castellettodorba.al.it Francavilla Bisio Raviolo fair (August) info: www.francavillabisio.com Fresonara Festival of , procession (June) info: www.comune.fresonara.al.it Gavi “Andar per Gavi” - Wine and food festival (September) (and 11 villages with info: www.consorziogavi.com the same wine appellation) www.slowfood-gavi.it San Cristoforo “Anloci foci a man” (hand-made agnolotti) fair (July) info: City Hall, phone 0143682120 Tassarolo “Super Agnolotto” fair (June) www.comune.tassarolo.al.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the borbera and spinti valleys 97 The Borbera and Spinti Valleys , Borghetto di Borbera, , , , Capanne di Cosola, Dernice, Grondona, , Pallavicino, , , Sisola, Stazzano, Vignole Borbera

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villages where humanity resists When traveling through the Val Borbera, wide- to describe this otherworldly landscape: on one eyed astonishment is the only possible reaction to side a valley, on the other the first mountains, for- the sight of the well-known Pertuso rapids, where bidding to human settlements - some even say the mountains and the river join forces to form that wolves have returned up there. When visi- a miniature version of the Grand Canyon. At the ting Carrega, the last thing you expect is for the bottom flows the Borbore - you can walk down road to continue - yet, only one kilometer away, to its gravel banks, catch fish with your hands, four provinces meet at the cross-roads for Pavia, capture that fleeting sense of belonging along its Piacenza and Genova. Here, a brave restaurant shores. Here, just few meters separate you from valiantly sticks to tradition with ancient recipes the comforting sight of a wide pasture, rising from this land, pisarei e fasò from Piacenza, Qua- up in terraces all the way to Pallavicino, a small rantina potatoes gnocchi with Montebore, or ac- village made for lazy summer days; in autumn, comodato cod. In my past, there are great memo- people from all over gather here to go hunting ries of those few times that we made it to Dova for mushrooms or game. It is hard to find words Superiore; a village whose inhabitants you can 98 the borbera and spinti valleys the countryside’s treasures

count on your two hands. Yet, the parish priest, giardino as well as his own Montebore cheese Don Sandro Maggiolo, has organized its resistan- production. Other hotels and restaurants have ce: up here they now have an agriculture coop, been opened in Stazzano, the lovely summer re- a farmhouse accommodation, and a big outdoor treat of the Riccardi Counts, in Pessinate, where festival in summer which provides financing for youthful enthusiasm even managed to catch the the whole village for the rest of the year. This is national television’s eye, and in Borghetto di Bor- one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in bera, where close to the Ratti castle, in the “Fiori- the region - the mind is left to happily wander le restaurant”, everything is prepared using local across the valley, reliving the trips our ancestors ingredients (try the meat as well as the fagiolana, used to take by foot to reach nearby Liguria and marinated in Barbera wine) - you can also sleep bring oil, anchovies and dried or smoked fish here. And as you make your way back to the hi- back to their families. The valley used to be po- ghway in , stop in the lovely village verty striken - nowadays it is enjoying a revival of Grondona, in the Spinti valley and don’t leave thanks to young entrepreneurs such as Roberto without a supply of canestrelli cookies and a taste Grattone, who opened a farmhouse hotel in Mon- of the local cuisine in the hamlet of Chiapparola. what to see

In Rocchetta Ligure there is a Museum of Life and dates from the same period - a few relics of the the Resistance; other landmarks are the ruins of Saint are held within. A short walk towards the the ancient fortifications (a door to the town) and Prà S. Martino hill leads to the Sanctuary of Our the Spinola Palace, originally built in 1620, where Lady of the Snows (1673). Cabella Ligure is set local art and history exhibits are often held. The below the medieval Doria Spinola Pallavicino ca- ruins of the abbey of Precipitano (the bell-tower stle. The Sanctuary to the Virgin of Monte Spine- and part of the walls) in Vignole Borbera are a to is in Stazzano - other monuments include the good place to sit and let the imagination wander sixteenth-century castle (redone in the Nineteenth through times long past. The “A Carbuninn-a” Century) and the parish church of Saint George, Museum in Carrega Ligure collects working tools built in the same period. There is also a notable and furniture from the farmhouses of the high Civic Museum of Natural History. Finally, in Gron- Borbera valley. The parish church of Saint Julian dona, beautiful fifteenth-century frescoes adorn was built in the Fifteenth Century and is worth both the countryside church of the Annunciation visiting. In Borghetto di Borbera there is the Ro- (note the lovely Genovese-school portal) and the manic Oratory of Saint Michael, with ancient fre- parish church of the Assumption. scoes. The parish church of Saint Victor trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the borbera and spinti valleys 99

products

COPPA, BACON AND TESTA IN CASSETTA

The Val Borbera has a well- established tradition of cu- ring meats, influenced by far- off Emilia. Coppa is made by wrapping a cut slice of meat in natural skin, after salting it and adding garlic and a few cloves. It is then carefully aged in the two valleys’ stone cellars- the result is a very soft and aro- matic salami. Bacon is made by curing the animal’s belly, a tradition kept alive by ge- nerations of butchers living in some of the many cascine - the old Piedmontese farmhouses - which dot the valleys’ lan- dscape. The testa in cassetta and pepper, nutmeg, Rhum all’Erba”, i.e. “Grass Meat”, - quite accurately and vividly, and egg Marsala - finally, it is certifies that each calf grew “head in a box” - is a pig or stuffed in a large “pocket” or, up in the mountain fields. The boar’s head cooked together traditionally, in a pine wood meat is then sold to the area’s with veal tongue and muscle. box. There is a lot of cattle in butchers or in the cooperative After cooking, the mixture is the area, and a consortium of butcheries owned by the far- cut in fine slices, adding salt young farmers called “Carne mers themselves.

MONTEBORE AND MOLLANA

A document from the year 1486 allegedly proves that a few “robiolete”, local cheeses, were sent from Tortona to the court in . Historians claim the court had requested Mon- tebore - a mixed-milk cheese with an original shape appa- rently symbolizing the area’s crumbling towers. After being produced here for centuries, it 100 the borbera and spinti valleys the countryside’s treasures

had almost disappeared befo- ghs a castle-shaped kilo; it is Mountain, in the provinces of re a few brave cheese-makers, white, hard or medium-hard, Genova, Piacenza and Ales- headed by Roberto Grattone, more or less spicy according sandria. Mollana is made from decided to try their luck in the to how long it was aged. The cow milk exclusively; it is a late ’90s and resumed produc- Mollana is another local chee- soft, almost fresh, herb-scen- tion. se, produced here as well as ted white cheese with a thin Each Montebore cheese wei- in all the valleys of the Antola white-brown crust.

FAGIOLANA AND THE QUARANTINA POTATO

The Borbera and Spinti Val- leys are home to two ancient mountain cultivations which almost risked disappearing. One is a bean, the fagiolana white Spanish, imported by the Spinola family in the Sixteenth Century. It has a thin skin and a delicate taste (even after long periods of cooking), and is used in many local dishes. The traditional cultivation method using tarasse, sticks tied together in twos, has also withstood the passage of time. Potato is grown in two varie- ties, the quarantina and the late potato. meters above sea level and cream-colored skin which can The latter is sown in March was introduced to the Genoe- be cooked on an open fire or and harvested in September; se area in the Eighteenth Cen- served with cod, rabbit or mu- it ideally grows over 400-500 tury. It is a white potato with a shrooms.

HONEY, CHESTNUTS AND THE CARLA APPLE

These valleys, being rich in nectarine flowers, are ideal for beekeepers, producing both wildflower and monofloral ho- neys, in particular chestnut, cherry, linden and acacia. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the borbera and spinti valleys 101

The predominance of chestnu- ts in the area’s population’s ancient diet is testified by the presence of abundant chestnut forests - the tree used to be so fundamental to basic sur- vival that it was known as the “bread-tree”. Today, most of the harvest goes towards flour for cakes and pastries, while a smaller part is consumed fresh during the autumn-winter season. Val Borbera is also home to the Carla apple, an aromatic and tasty variety which is extremely low in sugars and can therefo- re be eaten by people suffering from diabetes. The apples are ripe in Septem- ber and can keep all the way through Spring.

cuisine The two valleys’ cuisine is typi- made with meat, egg, chicken fallow deer, red-legged partrid- cal of mountain regions, with and vegetables. The first course ge, woodcock), rabbit liver with many dishes based on flour, will include risotto and gnoc- Montebore, goat stew (tula) cheese, and local salami. chi with Montebore cheese, with polenta and all sorts of Cured meat of all kinds will in- and trofie pasta made with recipes involving truffle, white variably be first on the menu, chestnut flour. and black, such as truffle with followed by fersulle, fried Second courses are rich in lo- poached eggs. breads with cheese and salami, cal meat and mushrooms, Among desserts, try the casta- rice and milk breads from the including the famous porcini gnaccio chestnut cake, pan- cross-road village of Capan- from the Spinti Valley. Of cour- cakes with apple slices and, ne di Cosola, a corner where se there are plenty of dishes in the winter, a cake made with four provinces meet, and cima, made with game (hare, boar, pears cooked in wine.

wine The Borbera Valley has proven ch forms the base of a yellowish, duced in the valleys include Bar- well-suited to growing the rare dry wine, with pleasant fruity and bera, Cortese, Dolcetto, as well as Timorasso, a white grape whi- flowery notes. Other wines pro- some Freisa and Croatina. 102 the borbera and spinti valleys the countryside’s treasures

shopping

Borghetto di Borbera Grondona • Cascina Borassi (Farmhouse) • Apicoltura La Mellina (Beekeeping) frazione Molo, 9 - via Borghetto loc. Chiapparolo, 27 phone 0143638742 phone 0143636646 - mobile 3289040728 Piedmontese “bionda” chicken, truffled eggs Laboratory: via XXV Aprile, 36/1 • Cascina Marco Bosio (Farmhouse) Arquata Scrivia via Chiesa Vecchia, 24 - phone 014369489 honey, chestnut beer open: Tue. to Saturday - Piedmontese meat • Salumeria Da Pina (Butchery) Mongiardino Ligure fraz. Molo - via Borghetto, 16 • Vallenostra phone 014369428 - closed: Monday morning loc. Valle, 1 - phone 014394131 testa in cassetta, raw salami Montebore cheese

Cabella Ligure Roccaforte Ligure • Panetteria Boggeri Fabio (Bakery) • Az. Agr. Castello di Roccaforte (Farm) via Casellina, 5 - phone 014399421 loc. Campo del Re - phone 0143949300 closet: Sunday and Monday afternoon goat cheese focaccia, bread Stazzano Cantalupo Ligure • Az. Agr. Agrisapori (Farm) • Az. Agr. Fulvia Meinero (Farm) Cascina Boschetto, 94 loc. Prato, 35 - mobile 3493253996 mobile 3408709819 - 3489035760 honey, organic potatoes, mountain specialties tomini, robiole, Blu goat cheese what to eat Borghetto di Borbera - there are no reserved spaces in the gravel • Cascina Spazzarini parking lot - the rooms, which can be rea- frazione Molo ched only through stairways with no suppor- via Borghetto, 25 ts, are spacious enough to be easily navigated phone 0143638730 by wheelchair - the staff can assist in helping set menu price: 25-28 euro - 4 rooms clients up the stairs to the first floor - disabled truffles and mushrooms bathroom on the ground floor - in the summer • Il Fiorile it is possible to dine in the garden, which is ea- frazione Castel Ratti sily accessible by wheelchair. via XXV Aprile, 6 • Il Mulino phone 0143697303 loc. Mulino, 1 - phone 014369483 www.ilfiorile.com www.hotelmulino.it closed: Monday closed: Wednesday set menu price: 35 euro set menu price: 26 euro - 10 rooms 4 rooms and 2 apartments risotto with Montebore, green pepper filet gnocchi with Montebore, roast with Timorasso with juniper trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the borbera and spinti valleys 103

Cabella Ligure set menu price: 20-25 euro • Capanne di Cosola with local products from the Valley fraz. Capanne di Cosola phone 0143999126 - 0143999150 Grondona www.capannedicosola.it - 11 rooms • Pernice Rossa set menu price: 30 euro loc. Chiapparolo panoramic terrace, only ATM cards accepted phone 0143680189 Russian salad, pisarei e fasò, roast duck, old- www.lapernicerossa.net fashioned milk cake closed: Sunday evening and Monday - paved and gravel parking lot with no reserved set menu price: 30 euro spaces - there is a < 5 cm step at the entrance, tortelli stuffed with gorgonzola, nuts, pears which can be overcome by wheelchair with the and vegetables, tripe with beans from the Val assistance of another person - the inside rooms Borbera, Gavi amaretto ice-cream with melted allow for movement with a wheelchair - the chocolate common bathrooms do not allow for a wheel- chair to get close to the wc - the staff has no Mongiardino Ligure experience with clients on a wheelchair. • Vallenostra • Il Ponte dal 1832 loc. Sisola-Cascina Valle, 1 frazione Cosola phone 014394131 via Umberto I, 5 www.vallenostra.it phone 0143999121 open Friday, Saturday and Sunday upon reserva- closed: Tuesday (from Oct. to March) tion - set menu price: 25 euro set menu price: 30 euro - 16 rooms rabaton with wild herbs, chestnut trofie with Quarantina potato gnocchi, boar salmì walnut sauce, local pork, roasted with pota- - cement parking lot - the entrance, with a toes, “moretta” di fagiolane step, and the interior spaces can be easily ac- - the parking lot (gravel) has reserved spaces cessed by a wheelchair only with the assistance - there is a small step at the entrance - the in- of another person - the bathrooms, which can door rooms, spacious enough to be navigated be reached by wheelchair, are too small to be by wheelchair, can be reached only with the comfortably used. assistance of another person - disabled ba- throom. Cantalupo Ligure • Belvedere dal 1919 fraz. Pessinate, 53 - phone 014393138 closed: Monday - set menu price: 40 euro ravioli “a culo nudo”, boiler meat arbatella, local cheeses • Agriturismo Repetto Marco frazione Prato - phone 014390896 open Friday for dinner, Saturday and Sunday set menu price: 28 euro (including wines) fried cuculli, savoury cakes with sausage • Locanda Pertuso loc. Pertuso - phone 014390247 closed: Wednesday 104 the borbera and spinti valleys the countryside’s treasures

events

Various places Tour gastronomici ... in the Borbera and Spinti Valleys (Spring and Autumn) info: www.valborberaespinti.com Borghetto di Borbera Fireworks and Porchetta (May) - Farinata and cuculi fairs (June) info: www.comune.borghettodiborbera.al.it Cabella Ligure White Quarantina potato fair (September) info: Comune tel.0143919557 Dova (Cabella) Mountain fair (August) www.dovasuperiore.it Mongiardino Ligure Cascina Valle - Easter Monday with Montebore (April) info: www.vallenostra.it Rocchetta Ligure Fagiolana fair (September) info: www.rocchettavalborbera.it Vignole Borbera Cod fair (July) info: www.comune.vignoleborbera.al.it trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the scrivia valley 105 The Scrivia Valley Arquata Scrivia, Carbonara Scrivia, Carezzano, , Castellania, , Gavazzana, Paderna, Sant’Agata Fossili, Sardigliano, , Spineto Scrivia, Villalvernia

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in coppi’s footsteps They called him the Great Heron, but his name of a unique cheese-making tradition: cheeses was Fausto Coppi, legendary Italian cyclist, gol- are refined in an anaerobic state, sealed inside den boy of Italian newspapers after the Second beeswax. The village facing Serravalle is San- World War. This is where he trained: up and down t’Agata Fossili, where the traveler can enjoy local the hills, from Castellania all the way to Liguria. hospitality at the Locanda del Barco - a menu It is a fabulous, peaceful landscape, easy to reach of authentic Piedmontese dishes which resisted and well-connected to many other valleys. True: Ligurian influences and presents lovely agnolotti millions of tourists come here looking for Serra- pasta to be enjoyed with a glass of the host’s valle, one of the largest Factory Outlets in Euro- own wine: Cortese and Barbera. Costa Vescova- pe, but everything else around the mall should do, deep in the heart of the Scrivia countryside, make the curious visitor take a second look. A is where one of the first businesses to combine special treat is a night spent in the Carezzano tourism and agriculture was inaugurated. It’s still Convent, an ex-monastery with wide corridors, there, and that in itself is a guarantee of con- spacious rooms and an atmosphere of peace and tinuous quality. Twenty years ago, Ottavio Rube silence, interrupted only by the sounds of nature, revived the traditional farming of cattle and pigs by the chirp of a bird outside. This is also the site together: his Valli Unite farm still produces meat 106 the scrivia valley the countryside’s treasures

for his restaurant’s table, as well as for sale. The gobein, agnolotti-style pasta, filled with meat, in wines can only be defined as majestic, in echo the Locanda Malpassuti. Sport lovers ought to of the extreme value wine and grapes used to tour the area by bicycle, or else by motorbike, have in this area. Meat, of course, was also im- so as not to miss any part of the sensory expe- portant: in Carbonara one should taste the local riences offered by the Great Heron’s countryside. what to see

In Castellania, in the hamlet of Sant’Alosio, area of Serravalle Scrivia, archaeologists have there are two well-preserved medieval towers. located the remains of the ancient settlement The House and Museum of Fausto and Serse of ; in the same area it is possible to visit Coppi, home of the legendary cyclist Fausto the oratories of the White and Red Brotherhoo- Coppi, is open to visitors. The parish church of ds (so called from the colors of their mantles) Saint George’s central nave, in Paderna, is early dating from the beginning of the Eighteenth Christian, while the side naves were built in the Century. The exhibition halls of Villa Caffarena, Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries. in the city center, host a Collection of Modern A number of old manor-houses still stand in Art as well as a didactic exhibition on Libarna, Cassano Spinola: the most interesting is the with archaeological remains from the Roman Millelire Palace, built in the Sixteenth Century. settlement. Arquata has a memorable parish church, dedi- Villavernia has a castle and a neo-classical pa- cated to Saints James and Anthony, which was rish church, built in 1846, dedicated to the As- partly rebuilt in the Sixteenth Century, as well sumption of Mary. In Carbonara Scrivia there as some interesting fifteenth-century mansions, is a castle with a keep - quite unusual in these such as the Grafognati House, decorated with parts - which is open to visitors. The church of pottery inlays. The citizens of Arquata used to Carezzano Maggiore, Saint Eusebius, was built get their water from a system of wells, which in the Sixteenth Century, while the castle in have now become the symbol of the city. In the Cuquello di Sardigliano dates from the Twelfth trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the scrivia valley 107

Century. In the same village there is also the Tra- ter the Second World War, the local priest Don getta church, a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady Sterpi continued Luigi Orione’s work with the of Sorrows (1799). In Gavazzana the home of “Little Group of the Divine Providence”. In San- Don Sterpi, assistant and friend of Saint Luigi t’Agata Fossili, the parish church has a lovely Orione, has been turned into a Museum - af- main altar and an interesting choir. products RAW SALAMI AND MOSTARDELLA

The most common product in mixture of garlic and red wine. made with finely ground beef, display in the windows of all It is then aged for 4 to 6 mon- soft pork fat, salt, pepper, and the valley’s village butchers ths, until the outside appears a combination of spices who- is a salami known as “raw to be covered by a thin layer se exact recipe is kept quite Tortonese”. It is a “peasant” of white mold. Mostardella is secret. Before being eaten it salami, whose origin is lost a typical Genoese salami, ori- must be left to rest, for three in time - nowadays it is made ginally made by the poor with or four days, packed in an edi- with pork meat, salt, black what was left from the produc- ble, natural skin made from pepper and a strong-smelling tion of cured meat. Today it is pig’s guts.

THE QUARANTINA POTATO

This variety of potato, which has been grown on the Ge- noese Apennines sin- ce the end of the Eighteenth Century, was for the longest time the main source of nourishment for the local population - to- gether with chestnuts. In the Nineteen fifties, farmers turned to more productive va- rieties but now, thanks to the establishment of a dedicated and the taste is cal ligurian style - or used to Consortium, the quarantina well-balanced. As an ingre- make gnocchi. The quarantina is making a comeback. It is a dient it is quite versatile, coo- potato focaccia goes very well white semi-precocious variety, king for a medium-long time: with the mustard from planted between April and May it is roasted in the oven or cut or with the local cheese made and harvested in September. Its up in small squares to go with from a mixture of goat, cow smell is delicate but persistent trenette and pesto - in typi- and sheep milk. 108 the scrivia valley the countryside’s treasures

TRUFFLES AND MUSHROOMS

The valley is known as a truf- fle hunting ground, both of the white and black kind (Tuber magnatum pico, tuber mela- nosporum Vittadini and Tuber Aestivum). A “Consortium of Truffle-Hunters from Sardigna- no and Sant’Agata Fossili” was founded a few years ago to monitor and protect the truffle “nurseries”. The local porcini mushrooms, deep dark and aromatic, further enrich the area’s forests. cuisine

Valle Scrivia’s cuisine is similar villagers introduced chestnut traditional focaccia and, for to mountain cooking, being bread (great with salami) and dessert, canestrelli from Ar- based mainly on potatoes and chestnut-and-milk soups, as quata cookies and, in Cassa- cheese, which used to be pre- well as the trofie pasta made no Spinola, the “casau-casau” pared in each household, over with white flour mixed with chocolate-covered cake. On the a wood-burning stove. chestnut flour. Day of the Dead, the 2nd of No- Pisarei and fasò pasta with Choices of second courses in- vember, “sweet broadbeans” beans and lard is originally clude the pig-head cima, mu- are baked with hazelnuts, su- from Piacenza but often served shrooms quiches and potatoes gar and egg-white, as well as in the valley, as well as gnocchi served with cheese and wild a sweet bread with dry cookies with meat sauce and Parme- herbs. or amaretti, sugar, flour, raisins, san cheese. From Liguria, the Don’t miss the Novi-influenced hazelnuts and dry figs. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the scrivia valley 109

wine There are two typical wines in The first is a light flowery wine, ripe red fruit - very good with this area: Cortese and the Bar- the second is a robust, acidic meat. bera dei Colli Tortonesi. wine with a pleasant aroma of shopping Carezzano piazza Fausto Coppi, 2 - phone 014365119 • Formaggi Sopraffini closed: Wednesday afternoon and holidays di Montaldo Luca (Cheesemonger) canestrelli cookies, grissini breadsticks strada del Convento, 12 • Bottega del Gusto phone 0131833343 Serravalle Outlet - via della Moda mobile 3409040023 phone 0143686590 pecorino wrapped in beeswax specialties from all over Italy • Salumificio Pernigotti (Butchery) • Gastronomia-Salumeria Rava via Cinque Martiri, 34 - phone 0131839131 (Butchery and Gastronomy) closed: Monday and Wednesday afternoon viale Martiri della Benedicta, 42 raw salami phone 014365364 • Salumeria Piero Tambussi (Butchery) closed: Monday and Sunday afternoon via Villalvernia, 46 - phone 0131839151 Russian salad closed: Wednesday afternoon and Sunday • Pasticceria Carrea (Patisserie) raw salami via Berthoud, 86 phone 014365235 Serravalle Scrivia closed: Sunday afternoon • Alimentari Mersoni (Grocery Store) chocolate and sweets what to eat

Arquata Scrivia closed: Tuesday • Agriturismo Lo Casale set menu price: 50 euro strada per Pratolungo, 59 outside tables, garden phone 0143635654 gobein (agnolotti from Tortona), vegetable open: Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday soufflé with Montebore fondue, Carle apple set menu price: 25 euro tart 3 rooms credit cards not accepted Carezzano roasted goat, Valle Scrivia chestnut trofie with • Agriturismo Il Convento Montebore, plum and apricot jam tart strada del Convento, 8 loc. Santa Maria di Vezzano Carbonara Scrivia phone 0131836070 - mobile 3394785015 • Locanda Malpassuti closed: Monday via Cantù, 11 set menu price: 25 euro phone 0131892643 7 rooms, 3 apartments 110 the scrivia valley the countryside’s treasures

Costa Vescovato www.locandadelbarco.it • Cooperativa Valli Unite closed: Monday (no long holidays) fraz. Montale Celli - phone 0131838100 set menu price: 30 euro - 5 rooms open: Friday and Saturday, Sunday for lunch fassone meat cut using a knife with black set menu price: 25 euro truffle slices, agnolotti with stew, green sauce credit cards not accepted with tongue, pork chops open-air tables, shop with jams, cereals, flour, organic meat and salami Serravalle Scrivia raw salami, agnolotti with vegetables, roast • Sabatini “Il Ristorante” rabbit piazza Coppi, 3 phone 0143633750 Sant’Agata Fossili closed: Sunday evening and Monday • Locanda Del Barco set menu price: 45 euro via Case Sparse,1/bis - phone 0131837054 fish, mint swordfish

events

Sant’Agata Fossili “Mestoli e Musica” fair (July) info: www.santagatafossili.com Sardigliano Truffle fair (October) info: www.comune.sardigliano.al.it Serravalle Scrivia Spring fair (May) Village fair of the Sopra quarter (September) “Fiera di san Martino”, festival (November) info: City Hall, phone 0143609411 trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria tortona 111 Tortona

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tortona, a taste of the summer When, coming from Milan by car or train, we cious to our eyes. In those times, we used to reached Tortona and saw, from far away, the go to Tortona to buy wine in big flasks called golden silhouette of the statue of the Virgin demijohns. We usually bought Cortese, allowing atop the Madonna della Guardia Sanctuary, ourselves the luxury of a white wine while in that was the first intuition of summer. We were our inland hometown people produced, exclu- children, of course, but the same anticipation sively, the red Barbera. Even after the highway was reflected in our parents’ faces as well. It connecting Piacenza to Turin was built, we still wasn’t the sea we were looking forward to, for, kept taking the road through Tortona. There we even though it’s only a few kilometers away would stop to buy good bread, dry cookies and from here, our holidays were never spent on the brassadé, allegedly invented by the beach: we went to the countryside, to the mul- altar-boys’ mothers so that the children could berry trees (muron in local speech), to the wide tie them, strung on a thread, to their clothes, wheat fields. To, at least once a year, a taste of and have something to eat during the long and the lovely sweets called “Lady’s kisses”, baci di tiring processions. Of course, Tortona was also dama. The cookies came from Tortona, wrapped the last town we saw on our way back to the in silver paper which made them even more pre- city, the place we left with melancholy and goo- 112 tortona the countryside’s treasures

dbyes. It was “our” town, a part of the history of Giuliano, first of Alessandria’s Fraschetta area’s Piemonte we had read about at school, a place settlements. I could not resist the temptation of from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. visiting, learning, feeling this town which had Our fortress. And when I grew up, I kept taking played such a role in my childhood. I found a the same route - I wonder if my brother did it welcoming environment, a prosperous cultural too? -from Torre Garofoli, through the Cavallosa milieu, a rich cuisine. Then and now, it’s almost (of the Marian Shrine by the same name), to San like being on holiday. what to see sarcophagus, and art exhibits which change periodically (info on opening hours and shows 0131863470). The palace itself is fifteenth- century, although it was subsequently modi- fied; note the three single-light windows on the façade. Other notable medieval buildings include the eighteenth-century Malaspina and Bussetti palaces. Many great works of art are kept in the Bishop’s Palace - the best is Macri- no from Alba’s sixteenth-century triptych. The Guidobono Cavalchini Garofoli palace, built in 1773, has a collection of paintings by masters such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Reni and Carracci. Of all the fortifications built by Na- poleon around the city, only one tower has survived, and has therefore become the sym- bol of Tortona. The 1838 City Theatre is richly decorated with elaborate friezes, while among religious buildings the most interesting are the Church of the Capuchins, built in 1664, Saint Matthew’s Church, from the beginning of the Eighteenth Century (with a lovely painting of a A walk along the porticos of the Via Emilia is “Virgin with child’), Saint James, a late baroque the best way of getting acquainted with Torto- building with gracious frescoed vaults, and the na. The oldest series of monuments consists of Cathedral, built in the Sixteenth Century but remains of the town’s past as a Roman colony: presenting a Nineteenth-Century façade. the ruins of a bridge (First Century B.C.), parts The latter is dedicated to Saint Lawrence and of the old walls, a few burial grounds from im- to the Assumption of Mary and holds an inte- perial times, and the so-called “Mausoleum of resting collection of paintings. The Oratories Majorian” - allegedly it is the tomb of a Roman of Saint Roch and Saint Charles were built Emperor who died here in 461, but actually it in the Seventeenth Century by the respective pre-dates his death by a few centuries, having brotherhoods, while the Church of Saint Maria been built in the First Century B.C. Canale is the oldest in town, dating from the In the Guidobono Palace there are a number of Twelfth Century, but mostly rebuilt. Don Orio- archeological remains, including Elio Sabino’s ne is buried in the Sanctuary of Our Lady the trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria tortona 113

Guardian (1931), which is surmounted by a an interesting example of the transition from massive statue of the Virgin. Outside the city, Romanic to Gothic. The interior is enriched by in Rivalta Scrivia, the Cistercian abbey of Saint a series of frescoes, including works by Fran- Mary (Twelfth Century) has recently undergone ceschino Boxilio, a painter who worked in the restoration. This church’s architecture, with its Tortona area around the end of the Fifteenth strong rectilinear geometry and square apse, is Century. products

STRAWBERRY AND KISSES IN TORTONA

Tortona, ancient Roman settle- ment, is famous for the ama- zing productivity of its vegeta- ble gardens. The most precious local product is the sweet-smelling wild strawberry, a rare species pro- ducing small, strongly scented pink fruits. Another local rarity is the “Ot- tofile” corn, so called because each cob has eight rows (otto file) of round, starch-rich- ker nels - previously reserved to self-production, is has recently been re-discovered as a source of the best polenta flour. In town, bakeries are proud of their Baci di Dama, stylish pa- stries called “Ladies’ Kisses”. The basic recipe is two cookies made with ground almonds, butter, sugar and flour, stuck to- gether with a bit of chocolate. of the old-fashioned fizzy drink by the Abbondio factory since Finally, Tortona is also the city called gassosa, produced here 1889.

COOKED HAM

A very good raw salami from easy to find in any of Tortona’s using only natural ingredients the countryside - made by butcheries. and a very small quantity of grinding pure pork with salt, Nevertheless, the local favorite salt in order to obtain a soft, whole black pepper and a mix- is cooked ham, locally prepa- pink, attractive and healthy ture of garlic and red wine - is red with 100% Italian pork, product. 114 tortona the countryside’s treasures

cuisine The hams and cheeses from in the rest of the Monferrato, with mushrooms or even truf- Val Borbera, vitel tonné veal tastier - no shortage of parme- fles from the countryside. The with mayonnaise and tuna san cheese in the stuffing - and local bakeries supply lovely sauce, and quiches are among cooked in broth rather than in desserts such as the Baci di the most popular appetizers. water. The traditional dressing Dama, “golden Kisses” (with The favorite first course is, of is simply butter and cheese, or chocolate mixed in the dough) course, agnolotti, stuffed pa- else stew or - strictly on Chri- and “bragton e busela” pup- sta locally known as gobein, stmas Eve - ajà, a mixture of pet-shaped Christmas cookies. or “hunchback”, because of nuts and garlic. The second Wines from the surrounding its shape. Tortona’s agnolotti course might include veal or hills include Barbera, Dolcetto, are usually a bit smaller than donkey stew, accompanied Cortese and Timorasso.

shopping • Az. Agr. Cascina Folletto (Farm) • Mare di Vho fraz. Bettole - strada Veneziana, 9/1 largo Borgarelli, 16 - phone 0131895240 phone 014317224 closed: Wednesday - home-made ice-cream Merella chickpeas • Pasticceria Vercesi (Patisserie) • Bar C&C (Café) via Emilia, 178 - phone 0131861822 via Sarina, 38 - coffee closed: Tuesday • Drogheria Anselmi Baci di Dama cookies via Emilia, 76 - phone 0131862350 • Pasticceria Casali (Patisserie) closed: Sunday via Emilia, 310 - phone 0131861456 specialties from all over Italy closed: Monday • Gastronomia La Casereccia Baci di Dama cookies (Gastronomy) • Salumificio Bagnasco (Butchery) via Emilia, 209/205 - phone 0131862323 strada Viola, 100 www.lacasereccia.net phone 0131821237 closed: Wednesday afternoon closed: Sunday cheese, salami, wine, beer from all over Italy raw and cooked salami, testa in cassetta trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria tortona 115

Rivalta Scrivia • Panetteria Barabino (Bakery) • Az. Agr. La Carassola (Farm) strada Pozzolo, 28 - phone 0131817221 strada Molino Bruciato, 9 - phone 0131817254 closed: Wednesday afternoon (in August closed www.carassola.it - “Ottofile” corn, sweet- every afternoon) smelling Tortona strawberry brassadé what to eat

• Aurora - Girarrosto “Cerchi” trance and inside rooms are easy to navigate be SS per Genova, 13 - phone 0131963033 wheelchair, with the assistance of another per- closed: Monday - set menu price: 50 euro son in some points - the common bathroom is fresh catch from the Tigullio gulf, fried with fre- spacious enough to be accessed by wheelchair. sh tomato • Vineria Derthona • Cavallino San Marziano via Seminario, 21 corso Romita, 83 phone 0131812468 phone 0131861750 - closed: Sunday; Saturday closed: Monday; Saturday and Sunday for lunch for lunch - set menu price: 35-45 euro set menu price: 28 euro raw meat, agnolotti del plin Ligurian-style rabbit, bollito misto, cod - parking lot with reserved spaces - clients in a - paved parking lot - the main entrance has a wheelchair can easily move through the struc- step which can be overcome with the help of ture with the assistance of another person - the another person. - part of the structure can be bathroom can be accessed and used by disa- accessed by wheelchair, sometimes with the bled persons. assistance of another person. - the bathroom • Infernot cannot be accessed by wheelchair. via Pelizzari, 9 - phone 0131894329 www.infernotcantinaconcucina.it Rivalta Scrivia closed: Monday; Saturday and Sunday for lunch • Il Carrettino set menu price: 35 euro - local specialties strada Prov. per Pozzolo F.ro • Montecarlo phone 0131860930 - www.ilcarrettino.it via Villaromagnano, 17 closed: never - set menu price: 20-30 euro phone 0131889114 44 rooms - rabaton, bolliti misti, home-made closed: Tuesday - set menu price: 30 euro Tortona-style buffalo agnolotti set in a park amidst pine trees, lake - parking lot with no reserved spaces - the agnolotti with meat sauce, risotto with Monte- ground-level entrance and inside spaces can be bore, boiled meats easily and autonomously accessed by wheel- - paved parking lot with reserved spaces - the en- chair - disabled bathroom. events

• “Cantarà e Catanaj” (September, October, November) • “Festa di Santa Croce” (May) • Wine and food festival “Saperi e Sapori in città” (May) • Wine and food festival “Assaggia Tortona e dintorni” (end of May) • Wine and food festivals Truffle Market and “Assaggiatortona d’Autunno” (November) www.comune.tortona.al.it 116 the curone, grue, ossona valleys the countryside’s treasures The Curone, Grue, Ossona Valleys Avolasca, , Brignano Frascata, Casalnoceto, Casasco, Castellar Guidobono, Cerreto Grue, Fabbrica Curone, Garbagna, Gremiasco, Momperone, Monleale, Montacuto, Montegioco, Montemarzino, Pontecurone, Pozzol Groppo, , Sarezzano, Viguzzolo, Villaromagnano, Volpedo, Volpeglino

CASALE A26 MONFERRATO

VALENZA A26

A7 A21 A21 A21 TORTONA ALESSANDRIA A7

A7

A26 A26 NOVI LIGURE A7

ACQUI TERME OVADA

A26

renaissance in the name of timorasso and montebore This used to be a well-known tourist destination, hills. The first is an almost-extinct grape which a with the ski resort of Caldirola lying just above producer of grappa re-introduced in the Eighties the valley. Then came a period of decline, as tou- for her special series of rare spirits. A mere experi- rists moved towards the sea - but, today, the Val ment was enough to reveal the potential of what Curone is once more. The villages and the com- has now become one of the most famous (and munities are strongly attached to the land; the expensive) of Piemonte’s whites. Montebore is a farmers, the shop- and restaurant-owners have cow-milk cheese, shaped like a three-layer wed- never given up. It is a pleasure to return to these ding cake. It is used in many local dishes, such as parts, stopping here and there on the road whi- the white quarantina potato gnocchi with Mon- ch leads from Tortona to San Sebastiano Curone tebore. Other unique products include the Volpe- and beyond. Timorasso and Montebore are the do peach, rich and delicious, and the Garbagna two blessings the past has bestowed upon these cherries, as well as the mushrooms, which are trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the curone, grue, ossona valleys 117 abundant in all of the valley’s forests. In short, mittees, the Pro Loco, have done a lot to revive we could easily call this a “food valley”, both in festivities in honor of the local saints or of some contemporary and in historical terms. The noble of (a lot of) the valley’s specialties. There is artistic salami from Giarolo has drawn the public’s at- beauty here as well: Romanic churches in Volpe- tention - it is produced by at least ten wonderful do, Viguzzolo and Fabbrica Curone, and modern butchers, one for each village. In Montegioco the artists like Pelizza, who took inspiration from the villagers brew their own beer, to go with the local scenes the horizon paints every day, on every one specialties. Thanks to all this, tourism has returned of the villages’ windows. There have also been to the valley: food and wine gourmets, of course, some interesting developments in the area’s but also people drawn to the pristine nature and choice of restaurants, and there are now many to the simple pleasures of countryside hospitality. more to try. This is an area with much to offer and Guestrooms are provided by a few good holiday one which I would strongly advise to visit, so as farmhouses, or agriturismi, and the villages’ com- not to miss the taste of a true renaissance. what to see In Volpedo it is possible to visit the Studio and the original structure remains). Casalnoceto has Museum of Giuseppe Pellizza, which honors the an unusual Oratory of Saint Rock, built inside a illustrious painter of “The Fourth Estate”. The fourteenth-century tower, and a Museum of Me- City Hall is embellished with a bas-relief and the mories of the Past. The beautiful church of Saint church has frescoes from the Fifteenth Century. Mary is in the nearby hamlet of Rosano - its pre- In Viguzzolo there is a beautiful Romanic church sent form is mostly seventeenth-century, but the dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The brotherhoods’ original structure is much older. Inside there is Oratories in San Sebastiano Curone are worth a the crypt and grave of the Spinola family. Many visit - called “White” and “Red” after the colors immense, ultra-centennial trees grow in the area of the brothers’ mantles, they date from 1671 around Berzano di Tortona. The parish church of and 1738, respectively. In Gremiasco there is the Saints Peter and Victor in Momperone, baroque Castelliere di Guardamonte, well-known site of in style, has notable marble altars, while the pre- an ancient settlement, inhabited from the Eighth sbytery of the church in Montacuto is a lovely Century B.C. to the Fourth. The fifteenth-century example of Piedmontese baroque. castle tower in Garbagna, with a square plan, is set close to the 1702 parish church with carved wooden statues by Maragliano. In Fabbrica Curo- ne, the parish church of Holy Mary’s Assumption was built by adding onto a pre-existing Romanic- Gothic building. In the hamlet of Morigliassi the- re is a Museum of Peasant Culture. Saint Mary’s Assumption’s Church in Pontecurone is Roma- nic-Gothic and still has its original portal as well as numerous frescoes from the Fifteenth Century. Note the Malaspina castle in Pozzol Groppo, a massive fort with three towers, battlements and beautiful interiors. Other castles defended Bri- gnano Frascata (Bruzzo Castle, Fourteenth Cen- tury) and Montegioco (unfortunately, no part of 118 the curone, grue, ossona valleys the countryside’s treasures

products

GARBAGNA’S BEAUTIES AND ALESSANDRIA’S STRAWBERRIES

The Bella di Garbagna, or “Beauty from Garbaga”, is a variety of cherry cultivated in this area for almost a hundred years, even though it has often risked being discarded because of its low resistance to humi- dity. The fruit is bright-red and very crunchy, therefore ideal for being preserved under spirit. It is also used for jams, to make liqueur and perfect for pastries. The Strawberry from Volpedo - or Alessandria strawberry - is produced in the area surroun- ding the city and in the villages of Volpedo and Viguzzolo, whe- re it is fertilized with rigorously organic methods. Sweet and fresh, scented and juicy, it must be eaten fresh as it does not keep well.

VAL CURONE FOR THE APPLE, VOLPEDO FOR THE PEACH

Apple trees, which grow without any need for irrigation in the hills and lower moun- tain-slopes, have always been a part of the Val Curone’s lan- dscape. Recently, production has increased and has become more intensive: whereas in the past the local Mela Carla was trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the curone, grue, ossona valleys 119

everywhere, nowadays the Renetta and the American De- licious and Golden Delicious, favored by the markets, have taken over. On the other hand Volpedo’s peach, cultivated around the village of Volpedo and previou- sly reserved to local consump- tion, has had a great success on the national market. Its pe- culiarity is that it is picked ripe on the tree, thereby preserving its intense scent and natural taste.

THE NOBLE GIAROLO SALAMI

Ultimate result of decades of parts, aromatic and very soft. months). Strong and interesting artisanal knowledge, the No- The Sown Noble is obtained to the palate, it is surprisingly ble Giarolo Salami is packed through an even more elabo- soft. A renewed interest in lo- in a natural skin, tied by hand, rate process, as it is packed in cal meat-curing techniques has and left to age in ancient cel- a natural double skin which is brought old traditions back to lars. The finished product is a then manually sown together, the valley and encouraged the rough, bright red salami with a which means that the aging locals to set up a few new pig perfect balance of fat and lean process can be longer (up to 24 farms. 120 the curone, grue, ossona valleys the countryside’s treasures

cuisine The Tortona area’s valley’s cui- Anthony, an ancient recipe milk cream with eggs and her- sine has a lot in common with for a two-layered sweet with bs served with a mushroom mountain traditions, as well as walnuts, Momperone’s malfat- sauce. Risotto is the most with the nearby province of ti with beet, cheese, and eggs, common first course, together Piacenza. Pontecurone’s onion soup and with gnocchi with Montebore Mushrooms, truffle and game Villaromagnano’s tajarin pasta cheese. Peaches are the main are abundant. The panissa with boar or hare sauce. ingredient for most desserts, is made with rice, pork, lard The traditional intrabiela is and are often served with wine, and legumes, while other local still prepared in Fabbrica Cu- sugar and crumbled amaretti, specialties include the village rone: it is a kind of milk quiche or in cakes with amaretti and of Viguzzolo’s Cups of Saint similar to the tartrà, a warm chocolate.

wine The valleys’ red wines are Bar- so, ubiquitous before the Phyl- lowish, fruity wine, which turns bera and Croatina. loxera blight first invaded the golden after a short period of There is also a local species of region, has been re-discovered aging during which it develops Dolcetto, called Nibiò. in recent times, with a fabulous a complex and remarkable The local white grape Timoras- success. When young, it is a yel- bouquet. trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the curone, grue, ossona valleys 121

shopping Brignano Frascata Montegioco • La Corte di Brignano • Az. Agr. Bonadeo Francesco (Farm) via Roma, 19 - phone 0131784944 Cascina Capanna, 2 open: Wednesday to Sunday morning phone 0131875278 “sown” raw salami salami, bacon • Birrificio Montegioco (Brewery) Fabbrica Curone fraz. Fabbrica, 30 • Salumificio Fittabile (Butchery) phone 0131875115 - mobile 3355748181 via Roma, 48 - phone 0131780110 artisanal beer closed: Wednesday afternoon raw salami, salamelle San Sebastiano Curone • Lascia che sia il cioccolato (Workshop) Garbagna via Garibaldi, 8 • Az. Agr. Pisacco (Farm) phone 0131788027 loc. Cà dei Bianchi mobile 3389119320 phone 0131877694 - mobile 3384392377 www.lasciachesia.com Bella di Garbagna, Grisona, Pistoiese varieties artisanal chocolate of cherry • Elda and Ugo Gentile Sarezzano via Roma, 59/b • Macelleria Salumeria Mutti (Butchery) phone 0131877604 fraz. Baracca, 44 Garbagna honey, cherry honey phone 0131884169 “noble” Giarolo salami Gremiasco • Salumificio Arsura Lino (Butchery) Viguzzolo via Dusio, 7 • Macelleria Semino (Butchery) phone 0131787130 via I Maggio, 65 closed: Wednesday afternoon phone 0131899394 - mobile 3494354304 raw salami closed: Sunday afternoon and Sunday meat what to eat Avolasca Casalnoceto • Vecchia Posta • La Bossola - loc. Cascina Bossola, 10 via Montebello, 2 - phone 0131876254 phone 0131809356 - closed: Monday and Tue- open: Friday and Saturday evening, Sunday for sday - set menu price: 40 euro lunch - set menu price: 30 euro agnolotti, guinea fowl with hazelnuts 3 rooms sale of wines Cerreto Grue credit cards not accepted • Locanda della Pesa vegetable soufflé, risotto with starflower, rab- via Starà, 2 bit with prunes phone 0131889903 122 the curone, grue, ossona valleys the countryside’s treasures

closed: Tuesday - set menu price: 30-35 euro closed: Monday - set menu price: 25 euro golden perch fish cakes with a cold tomato 11 rooms - outdoor tables, garden sauce, gnocchi borlotti with smoked ricotta, hot cotechino, Russian salad, agnolotti, guinea sea bass with fresh oregano sauce and pota- fowl toes with olive oil - gravel parking lot without reserved spaces - Montemarzino the entrance can be accessed with a slide or • Da Giuseppe through a side door; inside, only part of the via IV Novembre, 7 rooms can be navigated, with assistance, by phone 0131878135 wheelchair - the bathroom cannot be reached www.ristorantedagiuseppe.it by wheelchair and it is not possibile to get close closed: Tuesday evening e Wednesday to the WC. set menu price: 40 euro - pool peppers in sauce, agnolotti with meat sauce, Fabbrica Curone veal cutlets, mushrooms, cod • La Genzianella - fraz. Selvapiana via Forotondo, 7 - phone 0131780135 San Sebastiano Curone closed: Monday, Tuesday (except in summer) • Corona set menu price: 30 euro - 10 rooms via V. Emanuele, 14 Montebore cream with acacia honey and Bella phone 0131786203 di Garbagna, salami from Selvapiana, ravioli closed: Monday and Tuesday; with stew, intrabiela (quiche) open only for lunch set menu price: 35 euro Gremiasco tuna paté, potato gnocchi, cima and tripe, ice- • Belvedere cream via Dusio, 5 - phone 0131787159 • Cascina Battignana closed: Tuesday (Oct. to May also from Monday Cascina Battignana, 1 to Thu. evening) - set menu price: 35 euro phone 0131786252 - www.battignana.it fried chicken, thistle flan with Montebore set menu price: 25 euro - 7 rooms pool, educational farmhouse activities, salami Momperone production, sale of honey and jams • Ca’ dell’Aglio potato cakes with meat sauce, Ligurian-style loc. Ca’ dell’Aglio, 2 - phone 0131784510 rabbit, Volpedo peach mousse trips around monferrato and the province of alessandria the curone, grue, ossona valleys 123

events Various places Tour gastronomici 2009... in the Curone, Grue, Ossona Valleys (Spring and Autumn) info: Community Office phone 0131786198 Avolasca Truffle fair (November) info: City Hall, phone 0131876502 Garbagna Cherry fair (June), Chestnut fair (October) info: City Hall, phone 0131877645 Montacuto Festival of the Savior, celebrated on the Giarolo mountain (August) info: City Hall, phone 0131785110 San Sebastiano Curone National Truffle Market and Fair (November) info: www.comunesansebastianocurone.it Volpedo Strawberry fair (May) info:www.comune.volpedo.al.it 124 regional wineries and wine shops

regional wineries ... wine shops

ACQUI TERME ALICE BEL COLLE Enoteca Regionale Bottega del vino Alto Monferrato Acqui “Terme e vino” di Alice Bel Colle Palazzo Robellini piazza Guacchione, 4/6 piazza Levi, 7 tel. 014474104 tel. 0144770273 - 0144321873 fax 0144350196 CAPRIATA D’ORBA [email protected] Bottega del vino di Capriata d’Orba www.termeevino.it piazza Garibaldi, 2 tel. 014346102 VIGNALE MONFERRATO Enoteca Regionale del Monferrato CASTELNUOVO BORMIDA Palazzo Callori Bottega del vino piazza del Popolo, 12 Antica Marca Monferrina tel. 0142933243 di Castelnuovo Bormida fax 0142933243 piazza Marconi, 4 [email protected] presso sede municipale www.enotecadelmonferrato.it tel. 0144714535

ROCCA GRIMALDA Bottega del vino di Rocca Grimalda piazza Vittorio Veneto, 15 tel. e fax 0143873401

SAN CRISTOFORO Bottega del vino di San Cristoforo piazzale Carpeneto Spinola, 3 tel. 0143682120 fax 0143682260 notes 125 126 notes 127

index

3 Introduction

7 Alessandria

15 The Fulvia way

21 Fraschetta and the Marengo area

31 Valenza

35 The Monferrato between the Tanaro and the Po

39 Casale Monferrato

44 The Monferrato around Casale

52 The Sanctuary’s lands and the Cerrina Valley

60 Acqui Terme

65 The Bormida Valley

71 On the way to the sea

78 Ovada

82 The High Monferrato around Ovada

87 Novi Ligure

91 Gavi and the lands of the Orba

97 The Borbera and Spinti Valleys

105 The Scrivia Valley

111 Tortona

116 The Curone, Grue, Ossona Valleys information: Alexala Local Tourism Office for the Province of Alessandria Agenzia piazza Santa Maria di Castello 14 - 15100 Alessandria phone +39 0131 288095-227454 - fax + 39 0131 220546

comunica editions, Alessandria www.comunicaedizioni.it

Paolo Massobrio collaborated with: Francesco Cacciabue, Fabio Molinari, Raffaella Quartero

Graphic design and editing: Studio Due, Alessandria

Photography: Archivio Studio Due, Archivio Papillon (pag. 16, 20, 43, 51, 66, 83, 119), Giulio Morra (pag. 43)

Translation: Languages International, Genova

Printing press: Litografia Viscardi, Alessandria

Printed in: March 2009

Special thanks for the assistance with the iconographic section: Trattoria dei Tacconotti, Canelin, Corte di Brignano, Pasticceria B&C, Caseificio Agriturismo Vallenostra IAT Tourism Information and Welcoming Office

Porta del Piemonte NOVI LIGURE Piazzale Curiel - c/o Stazione Ferroviaria V.le dei Campionissimi, 2 15100 Alessandria 15067 Novi Ligure (AL) tel. 0131254230 - fax 131329836 tel. 014372585 - fax 0143767657 [email protected] - www.alexala.it [email protected] Lun-Sab 8.30 -12.30 e 15.00 - 17.30 www.comune.noviligure.al.it

ACQUI TERME OVADA Piazza Levi, 12 - c/o Palazzo Robellini Via Cairoli, 103 - 15076 Ovada (AL) 15011 Acqui Terme (AL) tel. 0143821043 - fax 0143821043 tel. 0144322142 - fax 0144770303 [email protected] [email protected] - www.comuneacqui.com www.comune.ovada.al.it

ALESSANDRIA TORTONA Via Gagliaudo, 2 - 15100 Alessandria Corso Alessandria, 62 - 15057 Tortona (AL) tel. 0131234794 - fax 0131234794 tel. 0131864297 - fax 0131864267 the [email protected] [email protected] www.comune.alessandria.it www.comune.tortona.al.it Lun-Sab 10 -13 e 14.30 - 17.30 VALENZA countryside’s CASALE MONFERRATO Piazza XXXI Martiri, 1 - 15048 Valenza (AL) Piazza Castello - 15033 Casale Monferrato (AL) tel. 0131945246 - fax 0131946082 tel. 0142444330 - fax 0142444330 [email protected] treasures [email protected] www.comune.valenza.al.it www.comune.casale-monferrato.al.it www.valenzaeventi.it

TRAVELS THROUGH THE MONFERRATO AND THE PROVINCE OF ALESSANDRIA

ATL Alexala - Piazza S. Maria di Castello, 14 15100 Alessandria - tel. 0131288095 - fax 0131220546 [email protected] - www.alexala.it