Piemonte
Friday
We set off nice and early on Friday morning and decide on a stop in Asti for lunch. The weather is gorgeous and Asti is very pretty. We're just about in time for a light Bresaola and salad lunch in a cool little bar. We sit outside and soak up some April rays and enjoy a nice glass of Barbera d'Asti red wine, which we like so much we buy a bottle to take home! A brief stroll round the town and we're on our way to Sommariva Perno, a tiny hamlet north of Alba.
A five o'clock check in to our very beautiful agriturismo, 'il Profumo delle Rose', (the scent of roses) it's very tastefully decorated by the all-female staff and in a very picturesque setting. A short pisolino and shower and we're on our way to the food and truffle capital of Italy, Alba.
Although Cuneo is the capital of this province, Alba is the heart of the Langhe and Roero wine area. We've booked a table at the Osteria dell'Arco, which is in our 'Slow Food' guidebook. It turns out to be a star find! Swish and elegant, we order a 1999 Mauro Marengo Barolo to get us in the right mood. Unfortunately truffle season is in the Autumn, but there are plenty more cullinary delights in this area. I have the Tajarin pasta with a pork ragu and a tasty lamb dish to follow. The wicked cheese board is too good to pass up... Welcome to Piemonte, I think I'm going to like it here.
Saturday and so on to day 2, the Barolo trail... We follow the road south of Alba that passes through the pretty Castello of Grinzane Cavour, where we stop. There are some spectacular views and a museum and wine enoteca inside. Next it's on to the small, but important town of Barolo itself. A wonderful location for the king of Italian wines. I make my second and third wine purchases after a brief tasting in the castle, where there is another small museum. We enjoy a coffee, before heading on to Monforte, which is a smaller town than Barolo and not as pretty. We drive back to Barolo for lunch, but still no truffles and the wine we order is foul! Oh well, some you win... We drive on to our last stop, La Morra, another cute hill-top town, for a stop at the local enoteca for some more purchases and stop at 'Revelli' a nice winery in the small village of Annunziata. I spot signs to famous wine producers Elio Altare and Mauro Veglio, which look closed up for Easter, but the vineyards are breathtaking. We finish up back in Alba before heading back to our agriturismo.
This evening we have booked a table at a restaurant I read about in a magazine, it's called 'Locanda del Pilone'. It's in the small hamlet of Madonna in Como, on the road to Barbaresco. Annette is still feeling a bit rough, but decides to bravely press on. As it turns out, it's not only the best meal of the holiday, but also a candidate for our best meal ever! Certainly as far as the food and wine goes, hard to beat. Here's the full menu:
Lake Como
Sunday
And after another hearty breakfast, we check out and drive on to our second holiday destination, Lake Como...
We arrive at the lake around 1.30. We're saying in a town called Brunate, above the city of Como, literally! So we decide to drive round the west side of the lake to find somewhere for lunch. We spot a swanky restaurant, but they're full (even though we spot four empty tables!), so we drive round to Cernobbio, which turns out to be one of the nicest towns on the lake. We park up and stop at the 'Ristorante Lido HP (like the sauce!) We enjoy some simple pasta and white wine and enjoy the lovely sunny weather and wonderful view of the lake.
We then find our way back to Como and up, up, up 2,500 feet to our hotel in Brunate. It's like we're in the sky looking down on the lake. The hotel is very basic, quite different from the agriturismo we were just staying in, but it's clean.
We decide to head out for a wander and walk up to Alessandra Volta's lighthouse. Volta, was of course the inventor of the battery and was born here in Como. The views are spectacular. Our search for a restaurant proves fruitless. We walk down to the small town of Brunate and have a glass of prosecco by the funicular. We eventually find a nice restaurant and ease ourselves in for a tasty meal - polenta, of course! I have a wicked 15-year-old Barolo grappa. The walk back home is longer than the one going, but, hey, good exercise!
Breakfast the next morning is courtesy of Lidl and then we take the funicular down to Como. The harbour is pretty and we save a tour of the city for tomorrow. Today we have decided on a boat trip to Bellagio, 'the jewel of Como'. We choose the 40 minute hydrofoil. The trip is great, we make several stops and spot many beautiful villas. We arrive in Bellagio at around midday and enjoy a coffee overlooking the harbour.
We take a stroll along the lakeside towards Lecco, so we can get a better view of the snow-capped Alps. We find a cool restaurant and book a table. While we're waiting we sit and enjoy the breathtaking view. Lunch is wonderful, a fried fish melange and crisp white wine. It kind of feels like summer and yet it's only April! So living in Italy is not all bad... We are then set up for our afternoon stroll through the very quaint streets of Bellagio. The cobblestones and picture-postcard views along every turn make for a fun afternoon. There are many craft shops and of course the odd enoteca! I limit myself to only one bottle, a red from Valtellina. This is the kind of place you can just wander for hours and get lost in the atmosphere... but we have a boat to catch. The last one back is at 6.30pm, so we just have time for an ice-cream on the lake front. The trip back to Como is just as cool and we even spot the villa where the new James Bond film is being filmed. We then have our wander round Como, Piazza Duomo is interesting and the small city is packed with people. We decide on a pizza for dinner and eventually find a really buzzy looking place. The last funicular ride is at 10.30 and so whe our pizza doesn't arrive after one hour, we start to get a little nervous... eventually it comes and is very tasty. A fast walk back to the funicular and we make it for the penultimate ride at 10pm. We stop for a coffee at our 'local' bar and the long walk home de ja vu...
The next morning we're packed up and ready for the drive down, down, down! This morning we're on the 'George Clooney hunt'. We stop for a coffee in Cernobbio and drive on to Laglio. We find George's villa, l'Oleandro. No George, but we have a chat with his neighbour, an old guy who recycles rubbish, most of which is outside his house! We pop up to Rovenna to find George's favourite restaurant, 'il Gatto Nero' which has an unbelievable view. We stop off for lunch at a small bar in a park near Tremozzo. The sun has made a welcome re-appearance today, enough to give us a bit of a tan. Our afternoon date is with the beautiful Villa Carlotta. We have a tour inside and admire the sublime 'Canova' sculptures. The gardens are extensive and the camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons are blooming. There are also many species of tree here and a little temple, which provide an inspiring setting over the lake. We stop for a very English cup of tea in the café.
Our very indulgent Easter break comes to an end with a very indulgent meal back at il gatto nero (we couldn't resist it!) We've booked a table overlooking the lake at 7.30, so we can see Como go from day to night... The food is impressive, although the price is a bit trumped up, but what an experience...
Only the long drive home to Florence remains, which is fairly trouble free. We have a day to recover before I return to work and Annette flies off to England.
Happy Easter!
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