It is late afternoon in June, sun radiations heat the terrace in the centre of Barletta, a little town at the Adriatic coast north of Bari. Youths are wandering down the park, some elderly people having their daily talks and swimmers are trying the blue water of the Adriatic. It seems nothing is disturbing these idyllic scenes. Now there should also be wifi! How happy I am to find this nice spot with some cool drinks and wifi. But.. connection fails… Fortunately one hour later staff has managed to create a connection. Finally connected with the world!

Life without wireless internet has become unthinkable. Could Guglielmo Marconi or Nikola Tesla or Heinrich Hertz have imagined how we are connecting, talking live with people all over the world from a terrace in Barletta, Puglia, working with their invention: radio waves? Without these brave men you would not be able to read this article. It makes one humble and respectful towards all those forward looking men of the past often not making money and not even receiving the merited rewards.

Speaking about the past: there is no Italian region with more history than Puglia. Puglia is a wonderful territory which produces almost visible ´radio waves´ of history. Each town, each plain, each hillside, each forest, each vineyard radiates something of it. Looking around there is so much to see that five or even ten holidays are not enough to visit all monuments and places. A wonderful richness of great cultural importance. But did Marconi, or Tesla, or Hertz ever think about radio waves which will connect you with the past?

What would happen if radio waves would lead us back? Would they? Suppose they would, could we then hear something of the shouting of the elephants of Hannibal, or the crying Romans wounded and killed by a superior army of Carthaginians at the worst ever defeat of any Roman army at Cannae in Puglia (216 BC)? Or the diplomats talking in backrooms in Utrecht leading to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which granted Puglia to Austria?

Puglia has something mystical and whoever visits Castel del Monte (foto above), probably the hunting castle of emperor Frederick II, will experience some of that mystique. High positioned with sublime views this was the place where emperor Frederick II received his guests for hunting in the 13^th century. Was it here where he retired when he needed to reflect on his empire? Or about his next crusade without violence? Was Frederick or his architect influenced by some esotherical philosophy? Questions are coming up at a visit to the castle.

Probably it will remain a myth and we will never know, unless some radio wave will take us back.

Puglia´s territory radiates myths and mystique. And so do the wines! Take Negroamaro. All wine writers and experts may write the best tasting notes, describing its mild, aromatic character with some hints of prunes, tabacco and some earthern notes, all that fruit formed by strong sunbeams shining on the plants. But no one ever can deny it´s mystical character, these deep choky, dark fruit notes, reflecting a territory that has suffered much through the ages and has always recovered. This is impossible to describe, it is undefineable and this is Puglia!

Or take Primitivo, such a wonderful, expressive wine, with an exuberant mix of flavours of prunes, mint, cherry. Also this grape, imported two centuries ago by the Croatians, reflects this intense dark heat, and again this undefineable dignified character: Puglia!

Or take less-known Nero di Troia, once considered of less value, and only used in blends: it is able to give remarkably fresh fruit and when aged reflects not only the heavy sunbeams of Puglia, but also the fresh acidity of a grape that can resist the intense heat of Puglia, just like its inhabitants.

And there is more because Puglia´s wine scene has recently seen an increase of grape varieties which until recent had remained in obscurity and often were mixed with other wines.

Susumaniello is such a wonderful new discovery, completely authentic. It´s a crossing of Sangiovese with an unknown variety, but has extremely well adapted to Puglia´s hot climate: again this wine offers that undefineable choky character like grapes being stewed in the sun: Puglia!

Ottavianello, identical to Cinsault, gives some wines that may be compared somewhat to Susumaniello. And there is Verdeca, an upcoming white variety, produced mainly in the area´s of Gioia del Colle, Valle d´Itria and Salento. It gives a light somewhat mineral structure and some green vegetable notes. Other grapes like Fiano Minutolo are grown and maybe in future we will hear from even other grapes, in Italian wine scene we may expect new surprises in the future. This wealth of grapes is grown on Puglia´s plains near Foggia, in the hillside of the Murge, in the Valle d´Itria, in Gioia del Colle, at the coast near Bari and in the Salento: it´s of great cultural importance.

Puglia radiates mystique and myths. It´s exotic perfumes, it´s wealth of flavours make it unique. Unique are also the people, living amid a great number of Europe´s most interesting monuments and enjoying everyday life in the same way as once the Romans, the Greek, the Phoenicians or the local tribes of Messapians and Dauni once did. Nobody is asking for more wifi, because here in Puglia, the earth is giving so many radiation and culture, that diving into the history is possible every day in the small cute white towns from Foggia to Bari and Lecce, or Otranto or Brindisi. Anyway, radio waves that lead back into history will probably never be invented but if they would, it might be an Italian engineer, maybe from Puglia.

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Many thanks to Nicola Campanile and Radici Event, Bari, June 2015

Val Vigezzo? Did you ever hear of it? Piemonte is a very surprising territory and offers surprises even to its own inhabitants. Driving through the Val Vigezzo I’m wondering how slow you have to be to enter in Slow Food´s protected food system. Life in Val Vigezzo is really slow, better to say that time stands still here. One example is that Slow Food not yet arrived here! The valley offers rare and original produce but still there is no local ´presidium´ of Slow Food. Val Vigezzo boasts old customs and traditions that in other parts are forgotten. Take the local cheeses for example, fine and rare, from local cow’s and goat’s milk.

Val Vigezzo is situated east of Domodossola, North Piemonte, between steep mountains, leading east to Lago Maggiore, with a twine going to Switzerland. Swiss visitors are quite common but they are the only foreigners in this forgotten part of Italy. The language is Italian, also in the Swiss part. At the entrance of the valley near Masera there are even some traditional vineyards.

But when the valley leads up to 800 and above 1.000 meters it is a territory of green meadows, rich vegetation, woods and some villages. The first is Druogno.
It is surprising to see huge Baroque churches, richly decorated, with abundant Baroque architecture in such a remote valley. Strangely they were built during a period when local population was among the poorest of Europe. It was the period of counter-Reformation: the period when the Catholic church tried to create a significant barrier against the ever more increasing influence of Protestantism, coming from Switzerland. Protestant belief was popular among the population because it had freed itself of the failures of the Roman Catholic church. But the power of the bishop of Milan reached far and the many Baroque churches were part of a politics of restauration. It gives you a feeling of being out of place. Interiors are decorated with rare and expensive marbles taken from far away, and paintings of Caravaggio style. The church did not save money. Many of the churches were originally built in Romanesque period and had to be enlarged for these Baroque styles. Because of this the painters had abundant work and the valley was called the ‘valle dei pittori‘.

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Pane di Coimo: bread that can be kept for 6 months

The most precious surprise in the valley is this bread with a very long history: pane di Coimo from the neighbourhood of Coimo, near Druogno. Based on old traditions of bread production from rye which have never been interrupted. Rye is the only corn that could be cultivated in the Alp valleys. Logically in the old times bread did not contain any additive or colorant or anything – additives did not exist. And the bread was kept for 6 months and consumed! Still now there are no additives used (a rarity in modern bread production), the only compounds are: floor based on rye, water, some yeast, a little salt and nowadays a little white floor. That’s all!

Fermentation takes about 6 to 7 days (and 30 minutes in the oven) – an anomaly in modern food production. Most modern producers use modified yeast types in order to have a faster production and fermentation often takes a couple of hours only. Not so in Coimo where time stands still: the yeast is based on a fixed base, ‘lievito madre‘ with which fermentation starts.

Until the beginning of the 20^th century this tradition was more wide-spread in the piemontese Alp valleys, only 2 times a year bread was produced. Of course bread becomes very hard and tough but in combination with a broth it was the daily fare for the local inhabitants. An excellent bread.
The pane di Coimo is available at the laboratorio Pane di Coimo, open during normal working hours. For reservations call mr.Massimo Conti 0324 – 93383.

In Santa Maria Maggiore we find latteria Vigezzina, a little cooperative cheese producer in the valley, working with cow´s and goat´s milk. They also produce butter and yoghurt. The most important cheeses are capraiola and spazzacamino. Spazzacamino means chimney sweep and this village has an old tradition of the yearly meeting of all chimney sweeps from all over Europe, a big party each first weekend of September. The ripening takes 1 to 4 months dependent of the style of the cheese, goat’s cheese normally is maturing early and sold more early.

Further east, near Malesco we find the farm of mrs. Porta who also produces a formaggio nostrano, a typical local tradition. The cows are still in the stall at the moment when we arrive. This is authentic!

Latteria Vigezzina 340.8782342

Azienda agricola Porta di Malesco 3493205858

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Near Santa Maria Maggiore, in the neighbourhood Crana we find Bona prosciutti production, who produce a rare type of ham. This ham is very special because it is smoked with juniper wood which they find in the woods around. This wood does not produce much fire, but much smoke. It is the quality of this type of smoke which gives the special quality to this ham. Some herbs are also added. Then all rooms where the ham is maturing are always opened, every evening. After 15 to 18 months the ham has lost some of its weight: from 14 kg it is decreased to circa 9 or 10 kg. It has a fine and not too salty taste, with a rare herby freshness which I never tasted in other hams.

This is a meat of extremely high quality. Really rare and worth trying. The company has registered this brand as prosciutto montano vigezzino.

Bona prosciutti salumificio tel.0324.95056

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Many who emigrated to other continents made here their last stop saying goodbye, and not knowing if they ever would return.

Val Vigezzo is such a place where times stands still. One will not find the comfort of modern tourism and expensive restaurants. But some nice local trattorias offer local food and not expensive. It is worth visiting for all those who love authentic local food, based on age-old traditions. One may find pasta with potatoes, various cheeses, onion soup, or a soup of wild herbs or spinach, accompanied with local mineral water.

The valley has a little ski region and opportunities for numerous sports. Hiking in the rich nature is the most common thing to do. South of the valley is the Parco nazionale Val Grande, Italy´s biggest untouched area of wilderness.

There is a railway connection through the valley, connecting Domodossola and Locarno. www.vallevigezzo.eu

Many thanks to Riccardo Milan for his excellent advises!

Italy´s density of cultural wealth is without equals and preserving this heritage is one of Italy´s major problems. Authorities struggle to find ways for managing local or national monuments and also Italy´s government doesn´t have the funds to cover all necessary measures. Well-known are the problems at Pompeï, where walls are coming down because of moist problems.

But in the tiny Calabrian village Pizzo some young professionals have created an interesting solution. It´s a most picturesque place at Calabria´s Tyrrhenean coast south of Lamezia Terme, on a clear day offering breathtaking panoramas from central Calabria where Sila mountains reach altitudes of 2000m, to the south almost to Reggio Calabria. And in a far distance across the water arises the mysterious vulcano Stromboli, often producing clouds of ashes.

It is here in Pizzo that a tiny cooperative has taken over maintenance of both important cultural monuments of the town: the castle of Pizzo, where once Murat was kept in prison and the chiesa di Piedigrotta, a cave down by the sea, carved out of soft sandstone and filled with wonderful sculptures of holy persons: it reminds one of the wax sculptures in the chapels of the holy mountains of Serralunga di Crea or Varallo Sesia (both in Piemonte), but those are wax not sandstone. Waves of light shine through holes thus contributing to the mystery of the place. Piedigrotta is one of southern Italy´s most visited monuments.

Last year a group of enthousiast young Italians has formed a cooperative which manages these monuments. The comune of Pizzo is happy because income of the comune has increased and tourists are happy too because the monuments are taken care of, well maintained and everything is clean and school classes are happy with the interesting education given.

´We love our country and we want to preserve it!´ says Giovanna. The cooperative is formed by four: Giovanna Marino, Francesco Pascale, Nancy Valente and Marco Ingenuo. All have their university degree, which unfortunately in Calabria brings no fortune. Giovanna has studied political science, but did not find any job. In South Italy working possibilities are dramatically low for the intelligent and capable youth so there are only two options: leave the south and head for North Italy or abroad, or create your future yourself. This trend that intelligent and capable young people leave Italy is a serious problem (called the ´fuga dei cervelli´ – the escape of people with brains).

The cooperative is a private company with limited liability. The comune receives part of the income and in exchange maintains some important parts, roofs, roads, foundations, etc. The cooperative does the rest, management, administration and all the work. Thus a private management is able to maintain an important monument, where former structures were not working well. The young cooperative also organizes events, and provides communications via social media, creating a lot of interest for these monuments and the town. After a first period of some suspicion now the villagers are starting to realize this is a valid initiative and the young group is met with increasing approval.

Will this initiative last? It is clear that even though the group has a very professional approach, salary is still low. As a result they all have to do other jobs during the winter months when the stream of tourists is slowing down. Still they manage to keep the monuments open on all days even during winter times.

At the moment when we are talking, school classes from Sicily enter the cellblocks where Murat, Napoleon´s brother-in-law, spend his last moments. The monuments attract a lot of attention. Deep down the castle young tourists are diving into the water and some tourists set of by boat for a visit to Stromboli. It looks as if the private management of this interesting monument has given a big stimulus to the development of this tiny Calabrian town. The initiative of this group of enthousiast young people may be an interesting example for other Italian monuments, left without care. But more than that: this may be an example of how Italian young people can create their own future in this country without having to escape abroad. It might be a solution both for the preservation of local cultural wealth and for the labour problems of young Italians.

Southwest Piemonte, Cuneo province, is famous because it holds the famous regions of Langhe and Barolo, unique monuments of Italian wine visited each year by millions of wine and food lovers. Millions do visit Cuneo province, but almost nobody of them actually visits the town Cuneo itself.

Cuneo is situated one hour west of Barolo, near the Alps, and is quite a charming and interesting town. It was built in 12^th century and came under rule of Savoie in 1382 after which it became an important military stronghold against France. Its location is very strategic near some important pathways across the Alps. It had never been conquered until Napoleon arrived in 1796. But also Napoleon prefered for his army the road along the coast, along Nice and Savona before entering North Italy because the reputation of Cuneo as invincible stronghold was very strong. After Napoleon´s victory near Mondovi, Cuneo became French. In that period the military fortifications were put down, the centre was extended and piazza Galimberti (below), one of Piemonte´s most beautiful places, was built.

The centre is similar to Turin, with long arcades covering no less than 13 kilometers. Via Roma, now a pedestrian zone, was the centre of the old part of the town. It has been restaured and back in form with such unique and authentic shops. Here one finds still old traditions vivid of 19^th century shops, waiters in livery, serving coffee, tea and the typical cuneesi al rhum, with much flair.

Especially in the contrada Mondovi and also at Via Roma one finds a beautiful part of the centre, mainly built in 15th century. If the town is able to preserve this wonderful ambiance, these old shops, this feeling of ´Novecento´ this town will become a famous destination for all those who are looking for something authentic which they will not find anymore elsewhere. It should be considered a value, something characteristic and this counts also for some beautiful monuments. Worth visiting are the Museo Civico, situated in the complex of the Chiesa San Francesco which shows a great number of interesting art works and also the Chiesa San Sebastiano with the museo diocesiano, an interesting religious museum. The Santa Croce is worth visiting too.

Cuneo is surrounded at three sides by mountains and this makes it a fantastic starting point for hiking in the Alps in summer and skiing in winter. There are some beautiful natural parks and abundant nature, often unspoiled.

Altogether Cuneo presents an intesting alternative for those who are looking for some interesting culture after some stay in the vineyards of Barolo. And there are some excellent restaurants.

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Eating out:
– ristorante Antiche Contrade  0171 480 488
– Via Dronero offers a wide choice of interesting, local restaurants

Sleep:
Hotel Lovera, www.palazzolovera.com
Cuneo Hotel  www.cuneohotel.com
B&B Valcucca, Peveragno   www.bbvalcucca.com

Many thanks to ATL Cuneo
www.cuneoholiday.com

One of the oldest trade routes between the Mediterranean and the economically important Po-valley is the passo di Bocchetta between Gavi and the sea. More than 2000 years ago the Romans crossed this pathway across the Apennines to arrive in Gallia cisalpina – also called Piemonte – and before them Greek and Celts. Later, with Genoa´s rise to power the Apennines became for a big part genoese territory and Gavi became the border between Genoa and North Italy. For long the territory stayed independent from France and Piemonte. Only in 1818 Gavi became part of Piemonte but has preserved its authentic piemontese-ligurian ambience. So much history to find here! Emperor Barbarossa found refuge here and Napoleon stayed some time too. The Marquisate of Gavi was founded by the Obertengo family, descendants from the legendary Aleramo. The fortress, one of Italy´s most impressive, dominates the valleys around, pierced high above the village. One feels the power: the 360º panorama offers beautiful views on Appenines and Lemme valley. Far to the west, across the Lemme, the Santuario di nostra Signora della Guardia remains an important monument in the landscape. A wonderful territory.

The small town of Gavi is a jewel. It boasts old palaces of medieval times and one of Italy´s most original roman churches: the San Giacomo with original portico, and gothic influence, a must for every art lover. Ligurian influence is everywhere, also in kitchen, dialect, colours. A little stroll in Gavi´s old centre will learn you that it is still rather untouched, although unfortunately many palaces are not open for public. Tiny, small streets, houses that almost touch across the road, like a typical Ligurian village. A pity, however, that cars are still allowed in the centre because it might become one of Piemonte´s most fashionable places for tourism, just like Portofino in Liguria or St.Émilion in France. It has all ingredients: amazing history, fascinating and unique cultural monuments, combined with this typical ligurian-piemontese architecture, a most authentic place. Alas, the monsoon rains of November 2014 caused some heavy damage to local roads, even some houses below the fortress had to be closed and some families had to look for another home. Let´s hope all will be restored soon!

And there is wine and gastronomy. Gavi DOCG wine is one of Italy´s first brands next to Barolo and Chianti and one of Italy´s most well-known white wines. It possesses a yellow-straw colour and a wide range of perfumes, sometimes with ripe fruit, acacia, peach, sometimes more neutral. The taste can vary from a very young white with fresh acidity, with some aspects of peach, honey, to a more buttery stile, and especially when aged it can show interesting tertiary perfumes. A perfect partner for fish dishes or with risotto di Gavi. The wine, based exclusively on Cortese grapes, started to be produced as a monovarietal white by Marquis Cambiaso in 1876 AD, followed by other families like the Raggio, Serra, Spinola and Sartorio. Of course the vicinity of the rich city of Genoa and its demand for white wine was the reason. But wine tradition had been established long before, as archives indicate viticulture in Gavi since 972 AD. Gavi DOCG contains 11 communes, covering more than 1400 hectares of vineyards. Although some unofficial sources see Gavi as belonging to Monferrato, it is mostly considered separately. After 1945 however, there was not much interest in Gavi wine, and it only developed its popularity again during the seventies – credits for this achievement go to La Scolca company, which always upheld its belief in the Cortese wine.

Eating out in Gavi is a delight: authentic local food is offered in several places (see below). The interesting aspect of local cuisine is ligurian influence combined with typical piemontese dishes. Of course risotto from Gavi is always based on local Gavi wine and the region knows a long tradition of making fresh pasta, in addition to the ravioli stuffed pasta, there are also taglierini, lasagnette, also known as stringoni and corzetti, dressed with game mushrooms, tomatoes or pesto sauce, according to the season. Ravioli was invented in Gavi by the Raviolo family. Also farinata and foccaccia are very typical. And try the typical sweet amaretti di Gavi: delicious!

But it´s only by driving around that you will get an impression of the countryside of Gavi which is completely different from all other piemontese wine regions. It helds a large number of castles, and monumental villas, all situated along the pathways crossing the Apennines, many of them still owned by rich families from Genoa who found their summer retreat here. Noble families like Spinola, Imperiali and the Lomellini established here and the Spinola, being bankers, even had the right to coin their own mints. But the area is also different by appearance: here we don’t find the typical hill-territory of Monferrato, it’s more long slowly descending slopes, directly coming from the mountains of the Appenines which are so near, ending up in the flat valley of Alessandria near Novi Ligure.

The soils of Gavi are generally divided into those more close to the mountains where soils contain limestome with occasional some silicon, a drier soil and more porous which may give the wine more acidity. To the North soils are somewhat richer, with iron and clay, somewhat red-coloured: terreno forte. These small differences in soil types create subtle differences in the style of the wine. Gavi´s climate is clearly influenced by the sea: especially during the summer one can easily feel the fresh sea breeze flowing in, the marein, which is one of the reasons for this territory being so suited for white wine. Winters are cold and summers are windy. Ideal conditions for a fresh and elegant white.

And beautiful it is! With little unspoiled hamlets like Tassarolo, Paroldo, S.Cristoforo and others: again we find much untouched authenticity in these villages, where time has come to a standstill. It is clear that this might be one of Italy’s next touristic hotspots, but let’s hope it will be able to preserve its authenticity. If so this might become Piemonte’s own Portofino.

GAVI DOCG

Providing a list of recommended Gavi wines is impossible – there are too much. Gavi is a very reliable DOCG – and unlike other Italian DOCGs – offers only scarse delusions. Best is to try the website of Gavi´s consorzio: www.consorziogavi.com

There is good Gavi spumante DOCG too: try for example La Ghibellina, Villa Sparina or Morgassi Superiore: unfortunately most of these are produced in limited quantities.

Eating out:

• Cantine del Gavi: this restaurant is among my favourites. The owner is such a modest man! And all family and staff are working to present you the best and the most authentic regional cuisine, all with great service and care. This place will never disappoint you.
• La Gallina: see below.

Sleep:

• L´Ostelliere: after an intensive day in the vineyards this is the best place to relax, one of Piemonte´s most prestigious luxury hotels, with beautiful, spacious rooms, splendidly situated in Gavi´s wine hills. Try also the excellent cuisine (recently received its first *star): La Gallina.

www.ostelliere.it
www.la-gallina.it 

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Many thanks to the Consorzio di Gavi.

Barolo and Barbaresco, Italy´s icon wines are based on Nebbiolo grape: its exceptional aroma and flavour potential is much praised. Less known is the fact that Nebbiolo is originating from North Piemonte´s wine hills, it is even not completely sure. But very probable, because in 196 BC the Romans found viticulture near Novara and there is some grape indicated as ´spanis´ by Pliny, which refers to Nebbiolo which locally is called Spanna.

But even without this connection with antiquity North Piemonte´s wines have a great history. Italy´s first bottled wines are from this area (Lessona, Gattinara and Ghemme), especially Gattinara was well-known in international circles in 16th century, 200 years before the first Barolo was bottled. It is in North Piemonte where we find two almost forgotten wine regions that are continuing the story and they do this with flair and passion but without being discovered yet: LESSONA and BRAMATERRA, maybe Piemonte´s most forgotten wines.

Lessona and Bramaterra´s wineries were having success already in 19th century, and were considered of the same quality level as Gattinara. The climate of Lessona and Bramaterra is moderated by fresh air from the mountains alternated by warm air from the plains. Soils though, could not be more different on such a small scale.

Alas, after the Second World War, when the textile industry in Biella province started its post-war boom, most of these unique vineyards were abandoned and by now most are overgrown by forests. Is that all? No! There is a small sign of revival because a little group of producers is bringing life into this territory. Some have always continued like Sella in Lessona and Antoniotti in Bramaterra, both historical producers with cellars dating from 19th century. But it started with young Luca de Marchi who brought new elan entered the area. And other young, talented winemakers are starting production too.

Still it is very hard to have these abandoned vineyards back into production. Legally there is problem, as the law permits the rooting out of old forests if it can be proved that there were vineyards before. But it´s the owners, mostly old people, refusing to sell, not knowing that they are blocking development. Winemakers need a lot of persistence and patience, because the recovery of these old vineyards is going as slowly as the buying process. But soon we may taste new wines from Lessona and Bramaterra, and then patience is needed again as these wines have excellent aging potential. A good Bramaterra can best be drunk not before 10 years of age because before it isn´t showing its complete potential before. Bramaterra and Lessona have more aging potential than even Barolo, as the level of acidity is higher in these wines due to the soils. It´s an expression of the soil, nothing else, as climate is not much different from the Langhe.

In North Piemonte Nebbiolo is often mixed with Croatina, Bonarda or Vespolina. Especially Vespolina can be very interesting like the one of Pietro Cassina. Blends produced as Coste della Sesia DOC can be quite interesting too.

LESSONA DOC

(DOC since 1976) Lessona knows a long wine history: already in 14th century Lessona was surrounded by vineyards. It seems tiny on the map but there used to be more than 300 hectares of vines. The softly rolling hills are outcrops of the Alps and most are not steep. The soil of Lessona is one of the most unique in Italy: sand. But these sands are marine deposits with some mineral characteristics, not to compare with dunes by the sea. Below are some layers of chalky stone. This allows the vine to grow deep, but it gives wines that are fresh with much acidity when young and open very slowly. Due to this terroir Nebbiolo grape shows very different characteristics and winemaking is also much different. Only after 8 or 10 years a Lessona DOC will show it´s potential and it can age for decades. It is allowed to mix other grapes, Vespolina, Croatina, Bonarda, but Lessona is best when almost 100% Nebbiolo.

In fact Lessona still exists thanks to the historical Sella family who persisted proudly to produce Lessona when the decline of the region started after the Second World War. We taste a vertical of old Lessona´s back to the vintage 2004. What a fortune! And some older vintages are still available. All wines are vivid, lively, no sign of age, freshness, great drinkability: it shows again the potential of Lessona´s wines! Tenute Sella is investing in new vineyards in Lessona: so there might be more quantity of these excellent wines available in the future.

Recently new blood came into the area with Proprieta Sperino: Luca de Marchi is a brillant winemaker (he is son of Paolo de Marchi, famous for Isole e Olena from Tuscany). Luca has replanted his family vineyards and produces excellent Lessona. Another newcomer is Pietro Cassina, architect himself, his new winery with its daring architecture will definitely create more interest. His wines are still young but show potential. Newcomer La Prevostura shows also potential with some excellent wines. Also wineries Massimo Clerico, La Badina and Castello di Montecavallo produce interesting wines.

BRAMATERRA DOC

(DOC since 1979). Bramaterra is almost the only DOC of North Piemonte covering various comunes: it is produced in Masserano, Brusnengo, Roasio, Curino, Villa del Bosco, Lozzolo and Sostegno. Before the Second World War production volumes were higher than Barolo – only Roasio used to have 300 hectares and Bramaterra´s total might have been more than 2000 hectares.. It is one of Piemonte´s most curious wines: extremely difficult to find, but when you find a bottle it is always great!

With Antoniotti we drive into the hills along steep slopes where Bramaterra is produced. Sometimes it looks more like driving through forests in central Italy, this area is that much different from all others in Piemonte. At some points layers of rare minerals come to the surface showing the uniqueness of this soil. It is a very thin top layer of ca 80 cm of red-brown soil and below are the rocks called ‘porfido tufaceo’, containing minerals like silicon, boron and others. This porfido is originally vulcanic stone, created by the supervulcano which according to recent scientific research was situated here before the creation of the Alps. Because of this thin topsoil the vines never have problems with rain, and even in the monsoon vintage 2014 Bramaterra will produce interesting wines – in very dry years the vines can have heat stress though. As a result of the rocky structure of the soil, it takes the vines many years to develop the rootstocks and the stems remain thin even when old and never give abundant production. But acidity is high and the tannins are closed when young so the wines need much time to develop: it should be considered a sin to open a bottle of Bramaterra before 10 years old. At that point it can produce beautiful wines dominated by fresh fruit and longevity, elegant perfumes with some violet and a still powerful, tannine-rich structure with a long finish. Bramaterra has great aging potential and is very scarse so it is quite strange that Sotheby´s and Christie´s did not show more interest in these rare wines. Bramaterra (and in fact also Lessona) could be some of the world´s most sought after auction wines!

Apart from wines of Antoniotti we taste some good wines of La Ronda, Colombera & Garella wineries: all show the typical Bramaterra characteristics. Especially the wines of La Palazzina excell in freshness and purity, again showing the potential of this terroir.

CONCLUSION

A quick visit to the vineyards shows how much the wine world is missing. Dense forests are overgrowing old vineyards on these wonderful, sometimes steep hills. Indeed the loss of so many great wines means a huge loss to the wine world. What a pity that production is so few! In this unique territory of old, mineral sands in Lessona and heavy porfido rocks with a thin toplayer of sandy clay in Bramaterra we find some unique Nebbiolo wines: Piemonte´s most forgotten wines. But with this new revival the regions of Lessona and Bramaterra contribute to North Piemonte becoming the new Côte d´Or of Piemonte.

Some interesting wines:

• Proprieta Sperino, Lessona DOC 2010
  Aromas of blackberries, juniper, very intense, freshness, strong fruit, complex, very long finish.
• Sella, Lessona DOC 2004 Omaggio Quintino Sella
  Interesting is that Sella still has old vintages for sale, like this excellent 2004: brillant colour, pure fruit aroma´s and a very long intense taste, good acidity, length, wonderful wine.
• Massimo Clerico, Lessona 2010
  Fine, precious perfume, complexity, intense somewhat dark fruit, tannins, length. Good example of the interesting Lessona DOC
• La Palazzina Coste della Sesia DOC
  Pure fruit, acidity, good tannins, balance, length, a beautiful wine!
• Antoniotti, Bramaterra 2010
  Tasted quite young, this wine needs age. With time fruit will develop and the wine will show elegance and freshness.
• Colombera & Garella, Bramaterra 2010
  Good Bramaterra, typically needs time to express its fine fruit
• Pietro Cassina, Coste della Sesia Vespolina DOC 2010
  Beautiful expression of Vespolina grape, refined, pure fruit, raspberries, fine tannins, length & elegance.
• La Prevostura, Coste della Sesia DOC 2010 Muntacc
  Dark fruit, length, intense, strong tannins, interesting wine, quite strong, needs some aging to show its fruit.
• La Prevostura, Coste della Sesia DOC 2012 rosato
  Most interesting rosé wine, pity that production is so tiny – Nebbiolo can offer a great rosé´s too. Pure raspberries and mint aroma´s and a long balanced finish, great wine.

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Thanks to Ermanno Mino for his excellent organisation, many thanks to all producers, especially to Chiara Reda for her great hospitality! Thanks also to Giuseppe Graziola for his informations on the history of Lessona.

Piemonte is so rich in authentic places, jewels of unknown beauty. Why does the whole world fly to Firenze or Siena and drives as fast as possible along highway A26 without visiting such wonderful monumental towns? Casale shows how Piemonte possesses an important patrimony of art although many visitors are probably unaware of it. Casale is strategically positioned at the northeastern point of the hills of Monferrato and the Po river and was often sieged and destroyed but always built up again. Author Umberto Eco (born near Casale himself) cites Casale in many of his novels: Ubertino di Casale, a historical figure, appears in his Name of the Rose, and the novel Island of the Last Day starts with Roberto de la Griva in Casale. Known in Roman times as Vardacate, Casale became important during Middle Age, when it became Monferrato´s capital. Although there are clear Renaissance influences it´s most important period is Baroque.

A visit to this beautiful town is absolutely rewarding. It´s historical centre is dominated by some interesting 17^th century buildings but a more closer look will reveal more monuments of highest value, all situated in little distance in the historical part of Casale.

The Castello, a citadel built near the river in quadrilateral form with towers on the corners was built in the Paleologhi period (12^th century) and later in 15^th century strengthened when Casale was under the reign of Mantova and often sieged by it´s neighbour states. It´s now seat of the Enoteca Regionale of Monferrato and of various events.

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Most striking of all, is the Synagogue (1595 AD), one of the best preserved synagogues in Europe, and a most beautiful example of Baroque. It shows the abundance of Jewish life in town, which saw it´s highlight in Napoleonic times. The synagogue is still maintained by a little Jewish community (Piemonte has 25 synagogues, but this one is best known). The museum next to the museum shows historical Torahs written on lambs-skin and interesting chandles, result of an international contest for artists.

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At the same place opposite to the Castello we find a neoclassical building, the Teatro municipale (1791), again an example of Italy´s wealth of cultural highlights at unexpected places. On the outside it looks exactly like Verdi´s theatre in Parma, it is used as theatre, opera house and dance theatre.

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More inside the old centre of Casale there is the old Duomo, or Cattedrale di S.Evasio, unfortunately somewhat hidden behind buildings, but still impressive. It´s first architecture dates from Romanesque period, later it has been adapted and gradually restructured during the ages, showing clear signs of various periods. The elliptic chapel is interesting but most important are the mosaics of the 8^th century, found nearby and conserved at the walls behind the choir.

A stroll in the town is something every Italy lover will appreciate: there are nice bars, little shops of which some in Liberty style, offering local gastronomic delights like the Krumiri (a local sweet) and in summer one can enjoy city life from the terraces with a good local capuccino or a glass of Monferrato wine. Piazza Mazzini and also piazza Santo Stefano are delightful small squares. There are some places for eating out of which ristorante Le Torre is famous for it´s excellent kitchen.

From the Torre Civica (11^th century) there is a wonderful sight on the town and the surroundings, the meandering Po river and the first hills of Monferrato.

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On the other part of the old centre one finds the most interesting Museo Civico, situated in the former S.Croce monastery, boasting an abundant art collection: at the ground floor is the collection of the famous 20^th century sculptor, Bistolfi, also called ´gipsoteca´ because many of his works are of gypsum. On the first floor we find the Pinacoteca, with paintings, sculptures, tessiles, ceramics and other art works, worth a visit, also because of the works of Casale´s Renaissance painter Spanzotti or local painter Niccoló Musso.

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Most impressive is also the Santa Caterina church (1725) which was once part of the monastery of the Dominican nuns in seclusion. Above the altar the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption, a wonderful Baroque sculpture. The elliptic dome is a rare example of Baroque architecture and the frescoes, painted by Aliberti, with help of Benaschi and Vittore, are of great beauty. The choir of the church is not open to public but shows the wonderful wooden choir with 44 seats where the monks used to sing during the service.

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Outside the centre we found an old artisanal distillery: Distilleria Magnoberta, it was still working when we entered – october is harvest time, so the wineries deliver the vinaccia, the last dry parts of the finished must, of which then grappa is distilled. The 12 meter distillery towers high above the building, whereas below the vinaccia is heated in order to distil the last alcohol and fluid. We finish this wonderful day with a tasting of different grappas, young and aged versions, some of aromatic grapes. How surprising a day in one of Piemonte´s most unknown towns!

The town contains more interesting monuments, palaces and places than I am able to mention, for example: Palazzo Treville, Palazzo di Anna d´Alençon, Chiesa di S.Filippo Neri, among others.

Visits to the Synagogue are possible on appointment: www.casalebraica.info

About Distilleria Magnoberta: www.magnoberta.com

Information about the theatre program at:
www.comune.casale-monferrato.al.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/663

Many thanks to Marco Bertoncini of Mon.D.O.

RAVENNA: a play of light – and original wines

It is the end of a warm day in September when sunbeams enter the western windows of the chapel of the S.Apollinare Nuovo church in Ravenna.

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The picture shows the light entering from the Gothic windows and reflected by the mosaics on both sides. In the forefront some very serious ladies are talking serious matters (who knows what they are talking about?). At the same place church service was being held since the 6^th century AD, and the sunbeams probably entered in the same way. S.Appolinare Nuovo is a magnificent example of Byzantine art of 6^th century. Ravenna, originally an Etruscan settlement, became capital of the western part of the Roman empire from 402 AD and became later the western capital of the Byzantine empire (553-751 AD). This was the hightlight period of Ravenna, which later fell into oblivion because of natural and other factors – water levels went down and the rise of Venice as a power.

Play of light in S.Apollinare Nuovo

I took some pictures of the interior of the S.Apollinare Nuovo church. How impressive are the Byzantine mosaics, showing long rows of portraits of biblical figures and some portraits! And then the play of light. Only after downloading the picture it becomes clear how intense the light is shining through the ship of the church. It seems as the persons are dissappearing in the light! Such is the intensity of the light of the sunbeams mirrored also by the mosaics. Was it the intension of the architects to concentrate the light? Definitively the church was build with the chapel in the direction to the East, which allow the late afternoon sunbeams enter the church from the west.

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Such was the refinement of the art in Byzantine times that a layer of gold was put on the mineral stones, which causes the unique reflections and play of light in the church. Of course only wealthy people could afford such expenses, but the most wealthy institute by the time was the state-dominated church!

Wines from Ravenna? Yes! A pretty anomaly…

The wine comes as a great surprise. The wine region of Bagnacavallo is only some 10 kms from Ravenna, and produces Ravenna IGT, white and red. It´s a nice surprise as the town once contained 13 monasteries and many noble palaces. Here vinayards are on sandy soils in exchange with some clay and alluvial soils. Clay or alluvional soils are not considered as suited for wine production, but Ravenna´s wines show the opposite. And because of the open situation near the coast, the cold Bora winds from Russia can easily enter the plains and affect the plants. Therefore the plants are trained in a different way to protect them from winter cold.

But the biggest surprise are the unknown local grapes Longanesi and Famoso. Both are indigenous and have no relations with other grapes. The local wine Bursôn is produced from Longanesi grapes: this grape was discovered in 1913 and cured by Daniele Longanesi´s grandfather, that´s why the name is registered with his family name. The grape shows unexpected density of tannins, extract and longevity and with a high resveratrol content. It is at its best after at least four years of aging, but better only after six. Who had thought of such a wine near Ravenna? A pleasurable anomaly, as Daniele Longanesi describes it!

Tasting note:

Longanesi, Ravenna IGT Bursôn 2008
Perfume of fresh blackberries, cherry-mint, despite the age it has kept its freshness. The taste is a big surprise, it presents some extract of blackberries, cassis, powerful and persistent, with a long finish.

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Thanks to Emilia Romagna Tourist Board

I am constantly looking and searching for new and interesting wines. Sometimes I am looking for something specific, sometimes I take part in a wine jury, and sometimes I even look for a wine on special request from relations. All wines will be tasted and approved by myself together with a team of specialists and wine lovers.

I have a preference for artisan wines: wines made by producers who know the nature – the actual soil and land – and who learned to work with nature in such a way that the nature does the magic, and not the industry.

Someone who knows the possibilities of nature and who strives to make a wine as pure and original as possible, also has to do a lot of work in the vineyards and has to have a lot of patience during the period of maturing and selling. Therefore artisan wines are physically an financially not easy to produce: a producer will have to do a lot more than some other producers and he will see the return on investment for his work only after years. That is why artisan wines always will be higher priced.

But you will notice that difference, because after the severe selection of grapes, the low yields the producers are able to reach will be of the highest possible quality. These producers are almost always small family-owned companies: only those, who know the territory because they have been working the soil for generations, make the best of it!

Organic viticulture is growing and I am a definite supporter of it. Though: not everything that is presented as organic is okay! There are situations where organic products have to be mistrusted with reason. I am convinced that in the long run the organic viticulture will prevail, not only for ethical reasons, but also because in the end those wines will offer the best taste! All experts are convinced of this. However, organic or not: it is always important that a producer works carefully. Only then will there be a good symbiosis between nature and producer. Only then will that symbiosis produce fantastic wines!

On the other hand, some of my producers do not work organic but nearly organic, that is: for about 90-95%. Reason enough to not mention it on the label (this also because in some countries organic wines are not considered attractive and indicating as such would not stimulate the selling). But all products are authentic, and I recommend them.

The miracle happens in the nature, not in the cellar!