Rice, Truffles, Wine, Nocciolo ~ Piedmont Italy
“Italian cuisine is the most famous and beloved cuisine in the world for a reason. Accessible, comforting, seemingly simple but endlessly delicious, it never disappoints, just as it seems to never change”. – Matt Goulding
What role does rice play in the land of pasta you might wonder? Risotto is definitely made of rice, is that enough to inspire an entire region in Italy?
We stopped a sleepy village in Piedmont where we felt like we were the only people walking around this very interesting farming commune and received an education on rice. Rice is used for a lot more than Risotto here including a rice brewed local beer that we got to taste.
Risotto was the main rice course, and we learned how to make it. Many members of the group went up front and assisted the chef in stirring the pot and in general chatting up with a gentleman who spoke no English.
Our entire multi-course meal featured rice in every course from the bread to the cracker that decorated our dessert. Interestingly I learned that even though they grow a variety of rice similar to the Indian Basmati rice they cannot call it that kind of like sparkling wine and champagne.
After a satisfying lunch accompanied by wine flowing freely, we made it to Turin our night stop for a couple of nights.
The afternoon was spent acquainting us with Turin and the role that it played in the unification of Italy. Not that I knew it then but our Limo driver on the way to the Milan airport talked about how full of themselves the people of Turin are for their role in the unification which in his opinion is overblown to say the least. It's always fun getting the inside scoop from the locals who tell it like it really is and not the tourist spiel. He was surprised that Turin was even on our itinerary given all the interesting places Italy has to offer.
Regardless, I found Turin a very interesting city with a lot to offer in terms of beautiful historical buildings and the interesting passages or the transition areas as the locals call them.
The best part of the transition areas is that you never know that you'll discover around the corner as demonstrated by this quirky upside-down head of Michael Angelo's David known as the Big Testone meticulously reproduced by Andrea Salvatori.
I am sorry to say I missed the stars and coins inside the head but then we were busy taking photos and selfies and missed a lot of what our local guide was saying at the time.
We crossed several interesting chocolate, and other high ends shops to find ourselves at the Palazzo Carignano, birthplace of the first king of Italy and home to the first Italian Senate.
The highlight of our afternoon/early evening was the traditional Italian Aperitivo at one of the oldest cafes in the area.
Here amongst the traditional hors d'oeuvres we got to taste cocktails with vermouth which is another local specialty. I went for the Torino Milano which has Vermouth and Campari, and my table companion went with Bicerin a coffee layered drink.
We happily split our offerings so we could taste both. A thumbs up to the Torino Milano but the Bicerin was just a glorified hot chocolate not quite the thing at cocktail hour.
The next day we were off to the Barolo Hills to taste Barolo wines that are special to this region. As we drove along, we learned about the hazelnuts that grow in abundance here and about truffles and how the most expensive truffle was found right here in them thar hills.
The grapes looked ripe for the picking, and I know despite questions regarding plucking and tasting several people in our group can attest to their sweetness.
While it was a bit early for grape picking it seems that the abundant rains which we can definitely attest to have ripened the grapes earlier than normal.
Our chosen winery for the tasting and food pairing. We got a tour of the facilities and the hoops that the owners have to jump through to call their wines Barolo. A beautiful setting with some delicious food as a part of the food pairing.
Barolo wines are mostly reds and out of the five that we tasted four were red, but I absolutely loved the one white wine that we tasted here. Now I have to figure out where and how to find some of my favorite wines and Proseccos here at home. No, I did not have wine shipped home.
By the time we were enjoying our food and wine tasting, this place was buzzing with people, not a single table empty including the picnic area outside.
The locals eschewed the beautifully decorated interior of the winery and enjoyed their picnic in the sun. They looked like they were having such a great time that despite our own wonderful afternoon I felt a tinge of envy and would have loved to join them.
Piazza Castella the main square with the palace, and other government offices full of people with the church around the corner where the shroud of Turin is located.
The shroud itself is preserved in a metal container and you can't really see it let alone photograph it.
That afternoon, we got back to our hotel, and I sneaked in a short nap after all that food and wine before proceeding to get lost in the city. I wanted to look for some local chocolates and hazelnuts to take home with me and set off to find the local grocery store but soon found myself wandering far and wide.
There was me trying to find Italian words, some signs and gestures and the person I was talking to shrugging his shoulders and pointing out a direction. What fun it is to get lost in a city.
There were these interesting posters, a street market, a building with an oversize Thor's hammer in the courtyard and art galleries and even a theater. I did finally find the grocery store with a little bit of help but on the way there I also found a quaint shop selling some hand dipped chocolates manned by a sweet old shopkeeper.
After all the eating and drinking, dinner was not on the menu that night but there's always room for gelato. So, I grabbed my double scoop of hazelnut gelato from a highly recommended gelato shop in the square and sat down to enjoy the ambiance of the evening particularly as these beautiful lights came on.