Piemonte

With overnight bags packed, no reservations and not really knowing what to expect we head to Alba, Piemonte about an hour south of Torino to attend the annual truffle festival, which this year is celebrating it's 80th .  The town was alive with tourists from all over the world all wanting to try the many offerings of the tartufo vendors. 

The fine art of truffle shaving

After spending a few hours sampling a variety of tartufo products and enjoying a lunch of pasta with white tartufo shavings, we emerged with shopping bags in hand filled with more tartufo products!!   Fresh truffle pasta-ravioli, tartufo cheese, tajine(a thinner version of fettuccine) speckled with pieces of black tartufo (not to be confused with the more desired white) and flourless hazelnut cake.   Piemonte is rich with hazelnut trees and Alba is home to Ferrero, maker of nutella and Ferrero Rocher chocolates.  Of course, we couldn't leave without our own white truffle and 50 euro bought us a small (very small) truffle which we were assured by the vendor would be enough for the 4 of us.  Grate it on either plain pasta with olive oil, risotto or fried eggs he insisted!!   Fried eggs…. what a waste of 50 euro we thought!!

Relaxing at a bar sipping frothy cappuccinos, ready to head back towards Nice, we were advised by the waitress that we should not rush back and there was much more to the area than the tartufo festival. Apparently we were only a short drive away from the Langhe area of Piemonte, the gentle rolling hills home to vineyards producing world renowned wines including the towns of Barolo and  Barbaresco.  Driving through the area was truly spectacular with a green, lush patch work quilt of terraced vineyards and  hazlenut trees. After stopping in Barolo for some panoramic views and wine tasting, we began searching for accommodations for the night. This proved almost impossible given the festival combined with the fact that it was the height of wine season in the area.  

Breakfast with Anna

We finally found a charming agriturismo out in the country in the small village of Narzole which turned out to be the highlight of our weekend. Our gracious host, Anna went out of her way to welcome us and make us feel truly at home.  As she showed us around, she explained  that she recently renovated and converted the family flour mill which had been in her  family for generations into the agriturismo trying to preserve as much as she could.  Shortly after settling in to our room, Anna dropped off a tray of appetizers and a bottle of Barolo and made us dinner reservations at a “Piemontese" restaurant.  She was proud of her roots and was a wealth of information eagerly sharing the rich history of the area and pointed out the areas not to be missed. She also seemed grateful that we took an interest, as we discussed the rich beauty of Italy, its current state of economy and politics. 

Cherasco

The next morning Anna had a freshly baked hazelnut cake, steamed milk and coffee waiting for us. Before leaving, she gave us a small jar of grape jam, made from this years harvest, a book on local artists, as well as a gift of Venetian (Murano) glass.   Anna owns a home in Venice, one of her favorite cities and invited us to use her home should we visit – sounds tempting.  Before leaving the area Anna suggested we visit the town of Cherarsco, one of the few Italian cities to survive the plague of 1500. The medieval town was unique with several arches, the most famous named Napoleon's arch, wide cobblestone streets and churches and buildings made  exclusively of red and brown brick. One other gastronomical point of interest is the hazelnut baci Cherarsco is famous for which are exported all over the world.  Needless to say, we couldn’t resist, so we made sure to indulge with a small bag before leaving!

We left the area feeling grateful that we had a chance to discover a part of Italy we had never visited and knew very little about. Leaving the agriturismo felt like leaving an old friend, a testament to the importance of our own roots and culture.  There was an immediate connection between Anna, an Italian living in Italy and ourselves, Canadians of Italian origin, exploring our heritage.   A definite benefit of living in the south of France is our proximity to Italy and having the ability to discover the beauty and traditions of the different areas with our children, so they too have an appreciation for their heritage.    


Nancy