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Red Wine... White Truffles..... Nothing Blue Except the Skies
By Margaret Cowan
Piedmont
If you love rich Italian red wines, enjoy outstanding Italian cuisine, revel in taking a relaxing stroll through the countryside and appreciate meeting lots of friendly local characters; Piedmont is for you!
Piedmont, in the north west corner of Italy, bordering France to the west and mountains to the north, includes Turin, the home of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
Turin
Turin, the capital of Piedmont, has a historic centre with some Baroque buildings, elegant, 19th century cafes and the rich Royal Palace, still glittering in gold. The Egyptian museum is second only to Cairo's. The Cinema Museum tracing the history of Italian cinema is unusual and great fun. Turin is full of tempting gastronomy, shops, good restaurants and cultural events including symphony and opera. It's a city that encourages walking, with a series of covered arched sidewalks.
Barolo & Barbaresco Wine Country: Home to Some of Italy's Top Reds
The famous, Barolo and Barbaresco wine country, an hour south of Turin, will awe you with its series of gentle hills and valleys covered in vineyards, fields and forests. Little towns with imposing medieval castles crown some hill-tops. On a clear day you can see the Alps. Peaceful walking paths take you through vineyards and hills; expansive views replenish the soul!
The rich, fertile soil yields the famous white truffles of Alba, hazelnuts, mushrooms, peaches, cherries and lots of fruit, sweet peppers and lots of vegetables and of course grapes for robust and aromatic wines
Wines and Wine Towns
Barolo is one of Italy's top red wines, ranking with Brunello of Montalcino in Tuscany. You'll discover a wonderful hierarchy of red wines from robust Barolo and elegant Barbaresco to mid range full bodied Barbera and Nebbiolo to younger, fruity Dolcetto. Winery visits can range from the famous to the not yet famous, from the big to small so you get a real feel for the culture and people behind the wines. Very hospitable winery owners love telling you all about their wines, as you drink them together.
Explore the nine Barolo and three Barbaresco wine towns, small places where life goes at a slower pace. Tour the castles like the one in the town of Barolo where Barolo wine began, eat top quality food whether at a trattoria or a Michelin star restaurant. Stroll around Alba, the area hub, known for its medieval towers in its compact historic centre, its gastronomy shops with names like "Sins of the Throat", markets, fall white truffle fair.
The Outstanding Cuisine
The outstanding cuisine mixes Italian country style with French influences. Piedmont is famous for its incredible array of hot and cold appetizers like spinach flan with fonduta sauce, bagna cauda (raw or cooked vegetables dipped in a hot sauce of olive oil, garlic, anchovies), roasted peppers with tuna stuffing.
Pasta is limited to the delicate, thin tajarin (tagliatelle) and the "melt in your mouth" agnolotti (stuffed pasta) with butter and sage leaves. Risotto made with Barolo or with Castelmagno cheese is especially good.
Meats are often simmered long and slowly like the famous, rich Brasato al Barolo, a veal roll simmered in vegetables, herbs and copious quantities of Barolo.
Desserts range from hazelnut chocolate cake with Moscato (dessert wine) zabaglione, to pears simmered in Barolo, to semi freddo with torrone (hazelnut nougat).
Experiences as rich as the red wine, as highly prized as the white truffle, are waiting for you under the blue skies of Piedmont. Bring home stories, photos, recipes, knowledge of a different lifestyle and adventures to entertain your family and friends.
About the Author
Margaret Cowan is Mama Margaret. She owns Mama Margaret & Friends Cooking, Wine & Walking Adventures in Italy. If you like to immerse yourself in the local culture, learn to cook local dishes and meet unique characters when you travel, you will appreciate Margaret's Insider Travel Tips at: http://www.italycookingschools.com
Writer: Margaret Cowan at http://www.italycookingschools.com Margaret@italycookingschools.com
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/14720.html
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