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At the
Foot of the Alps
Turin -
Aosta - Vercelli - Novara - Lakes Orta, Maggiore e
Como
Milan - Pavia - Alessandria - Asti
(Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Lombardy)
 Join us
for an exciting new tour in Northern Italy: in the
scenic Piedmont region, Valle d'Aosta, that is the
smallest region of Italy and Lombardy including Lake Maggiore, Lake Como (towns of Como, Bellagio, Varenna,
Mennagio) and the city of Milan.
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Turin
Turin is
a city in which past and present are equally at home in an atmosphere of
graceful elegance. We can begin our visit in the square Piazza Castello
which takes its name from the 13th century castle. Nearby is
Piazza Reale
with the Royal Palace (1658) and the Royal Armoury
which contains one of the world's most valuable collections of ancient art, and
the Cathedral (the Duomo),
which, in addition to being a treasure house of masterpieces of art is also the
shrine of the Holy Shroud (Sacra Sindone)
in which the body of Christ was wrapped after His Crucifixion. Close by is the
Palatine Gate, with its towers built under the Emperor Augustus. Walk along Via
Milano to the 17th century City Hall and the Baroque
Palazzo Carignano which is now the National
'Risorgimento' Museum.
A short
distance away are Turin's two most famous museums in the
former Accademia delle Scienze:
the
Egyptian Museum,
one of the world's most important museums of its kind,
and the Galleria
Sabauda, with its superb collection
of Flemish, Dutch and Italian masters. From Piazza San Carlo
- Turin's most beautiful square - let us go to the
Valentino Park
on the banks of the Po, and on to the remarkable 'Borgo
Medievale'. From here we can go up to
Mount Cappuccini to enjoy the view of the city below us.
On the way back to the city centre we can see the symbol
of Turin towering high above the elegant orderly city:
the
Mole
Antonelliana
with its Unmistakable spire. Located inside the
Mole is the
National Museum of Cinema.
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Surroundings
of Turin
You might spend your second day exploring the the
area surrounding Turin.
Firstly, there is F. Juvarra's masterpiece, the
Basilica of Superga (18th c.). Then there are the
Royal Hunting Grounds: Venaria Reale
and Stupinigi with the beautiful
Villa Reale, the 12/13th century Abbey-Fortress
of S. Michele (Sacra di S. Michele) that
offers the most breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape around the mouth
of the Susa Valley,
and Susa
itself. We can
drive from Turin to
Ivrea with its line 14th century
castle and ancient Cathedral, and then up the Dora
Valley past its many bridges, Roman arches and inscribed
tablets, and mediaeval castles, until we reach the
foothills of the Alps.
We are
now in the Valle d'Aosta region. |
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Aosta
36 kms from Ivrea is
Issogne, which has the Aosta
Valley's most beautiful castle, with an elegant courtyard surrounded by loggias,
15th century frescoes and fine period furniture. Further up is the renowned
resort of Saint Vincent
and the 15th century Fenis
Castle undoubtedly the region's most spectacular fortified stately home.
Aosta, the chief city in the Valley, has
some fine Roman remains: the Triumphal Arch of Augustus, the Praetorian Gate,
the theatre and the amphitheatre. You
should not miss the mediaeval collegiate Church of
S. Orso, the
Renaissance Cathedral, the Cloisters of S. Orso
(Priorato), and the leper's Tower (Torre
del Lebbroso) standing on the
Dora. It is a
short, exhilarating ride from Aosta by cable car to the
mountain resort of
Courmayeur, gliding silently over the
Mont Blanc glacier from where we have a bird's-eye view
over the Alps.
We
travel back to the Piedmont region. |
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Vercelli, Novara and Lake Orta
Returning down the Aosta Valley, we can stop off at
Vercelli, which was powerful in the
Middle Ages (Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of S. Andrea),
Novara (Basilica of
S. Gaudenzio, and the 15th century
Palazzo del Broletto), and lastly
Lake Orta, romantically nestling
between the mountains. On the Island of San Giulio, in the center of the lake
there is the ancient and attractive
Basilica of San Giulio, with interesting
15th century frescoes.
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Lake Maggiore
After driving along the mountain roads with superb
views of the Alps and their lakes, we reach
Stresa, considered the gem of
Lake Maggiore, with its famous summer
music festival 'Settimane Musicali'. Take a boat to the Borromean islands:
Isola Bella,
Isola dei Pescatori and
Isola Madre. Along the shores of the
lake there are so many delightful sights for the visitor to see: Baveno,
Pallanza (visit
Villa Taranto
and its splendid gardens),
Intra,
Ghiffa, Cannero,
Cannobio.
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We are
now in the Lombardy region. |
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A little further north we enter the Swiss zone of
the lake, but turning southward again, with the small Italian enclave of
Campione on our left, we reach Como, with its beautiful
monuments, such as the 'Torre del Comune',
the 'Broletto' (the 13th century former
city hall) and the Gothic-Renaissance Cathedral. In this unforgettable natural
setting you must go and visit the following famous places around Lake Como:
Cernobbio,
Moltrasio,
Tremezzo
with its superb Villa Carlotta
(famed for its park and art collection),
Cadenabbia, Menaggio,
and Gravedona. Along the eastern shore
visit the Romanesque Abbey at Piona,
Bellano,
Varenna,
the charming town of Bellagio
and Lecco. Further south is the
ancient Lombard town of Monza where the Iron Crown of
Lombardy (the 'Corona Ferrea'), with which Charles V and Napoleon were crowned,
is preserved in the Cathedral (1396).
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On to Milan a major industrial city, but also one
with a great historical past and a lively cultural life. The imposing
Castello Sforzesco, which saw the splendors of
the Sforza Court in the 16th century, is of great architectural and artistic
interest. Do not miss the Museum and Art Galleries with their valuable
collections of mediaeval and Renaissance sculptures, furniture, a fine
collection of paintings, ceramics, musical instruments, and tapestries. In the
nearby Church of S. Maria delle Grazie
there is Bramante's sanctuary and balcony, while in
the ancient refectory of the adjacent Convent We can see one of the marvels of
all time: Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last Supper'. Not far away are the
Basilica of S. Ambrogio, one of the
finest examples of Romanesque Lombard architecture, and the Church of
S. Eustorgio with its patrician chapels:
worthy of special mention is the
Portinari Chapel, attributed to Michelozzo (1466), with
the splendid Gothic arch of St Peter the Martyr and
frescoes by Foppa. At the far end of Corso di
 Porta
Romana stands the 'Ospedale Maggiore' hospital, with its
17th c. courtyard, and after
Piazza Fontana is the
Palazzo Reale
where major exhibitions are staged. A few minutes'
walk and we are at the white marble Cathedral ('Duomo')
with its forest of pinnacles, Italy's largest Gothic
church. Let us visit the Church of
San Satiro,
rebuilt by Bramante, and the Romanesque Church of the San Sepolcro
which adjoins the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
gallery, with works by Leonardo and paintings of the
Lombard, Venetian and Flemish schools.
After
crossing the bustling
Piazza Cordusio, here we are in
Piazza Mercanti - the heart of old Milan -
with its magnificent buildings on all sides: the
Romanesque
Palazzo della
Ragione, the
17th c. Palazzo
dei Giureconsulti,
the 17th c.
Scuole Palatine,
and the 15th c.
Loggia degli Osii.
Passing through the 19th c. arcade
Galleria, the
traditional meeting-place of the Milanese, we reach
Piazza della Scala with one of the world's most
famous Opera Houses -
La Scala. We
could spend our second day visiting the museums: there
is the
Pinacoteca di
Brera, with one
of Italy's major collections of paintings, particularly
of works of the Lombard and Venetian schools from the
15th to the 18th centuries. The nearby
Poldi-Pezzoli Museum is also well worth a visit:
items in gold, enamel, glass, porcelain and bronze, and
fabrics, weapons and paintings. The afternoon can be
spent wandering through the delightful streets of
"romantic" Milan, so dear the heart of Stendhal: the
elegant Via
Montenapoleone,
Via Manzoni,
Via della
Spiga.
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Surroundings
of Milan and Pavia |
Just outside Milan is
Chiaravalle Abbey, a masterpiece of
Cistercian architecture, founded by St Bernard of Chiaravalle in 1135. 27 kms
from Milan stands one of the most famous of all of Italy's national monuments -
the Certosa
Monastery of Pavia, founded by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1396. Which brings us
to Pavia
itself; which has managed to preserve intact its
majestic character as the capital of the Kingdom of the Lombards and the
Carolingians. Its most outstanding monuments include the Romanesque Church of S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro,
the Visconti Castle and its museums, the
University - one of the oldest in Italy - the Pinacoteca,
the Renaissance cathedral (Duomo) and the Romanesque
Church of S.
Michele.
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We
travel back again to the Piedmont region. |
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Alessandria, Asti and Alba |
We will now drive through Casteggio and Voghera
into Piedmont, visiting Tortona
(historical buildings of all ages, Municipal Museum with Roman antiquities), and
Alessandria, an industrial and agricultural town
with a number of fine buildings and churches. From Alessandria, drive through
the Tanaro Valley to Monferrato,
an area dotted with mediaeval hamlets and castles, and famous for its wines. Asti,
the noble city with its many towers, lies at the heart
of this region, the birthplace of the poet and dramatist
Vittorio Alfieri. Visit Palazzo Alfieri,
the Gothic Collegiate Church of
S. Secondo,
the cathedral, the Baptistery of
S. Pietro and
the Picture Gallery.
On to Alba,
a holiday resort in the
Langhe area, famous for its renowned
cuisine, wines and its white truffles, and after driving
another 60 kms through vine-clad hills, we reach
Moncalieri (visit the
Castello Reale)
before returning to
Turin.
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Food and Wine
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Piedmont
Classic
antipasti (openers) are
fonduta
(cheese fondue),
insalata di carne cruda
(marinated raw beef),
finanziera
(a bizarre meat stew),
vitello tonnato
(veal with tuna sauce) and
bagna caôda
(hot sauce for raw vegetables). Pastas are dominated
by slender, hand-cut noodles called tajarin
and ravioli-like envelopes called agnolotti,
which take to different forms, fillings and sauces.
Vercelli
and Novara are Europe's leading suppliers of rice,
notably the prized Carnaroli
for risotto cooked with beans and pork as
panissa or paniscia
or with frogs, vegetable or meat sauces or simply with
butter and shaved truffles.
Polenta
and potato
gnocchi are also
favored in places. Piedmont boasts great number of
classified wines:
Nebbiolo,
Barolo,
Barbaresco, Gattinara,
Ghemme and
Carema. Popular
reds are Barbera
and Dolcetto.
Notable whites are the dry Gavi
and Arneis and the sweet, bubbly
Asti Spumante and its relative
Moscato d'Asti. Turin is the world capital
of vermouth, fortified wine flavored
with herbs and spices.
• Valle d'Aosta
Italy's smallest region is tucked into the loftiest
corner of the Alps with borders on France and
Switzerland, neighbors who influence the cooking of the
French-speaking population. Pasta and olive oil are
novelties in a robust cuisine based on cheese and meat,
rye bread, potatoes, polenta, gnocchi, risotto and
soups. Cows grazed on Alpine meadows provide fine butter
and cheese called toma,
Robiola and above all
Fontina
DOP, which figures in many a dish, including
fondua, made with milk as in Piedmont's
fonduta.
• Lombardy
The art of cooking is celebrated in all the towns
and villages with typical dishes like: tortelli di zucca
squash-filled tortelli and marubini
which is a kind of ravioli
or tortellini. Risotto and polenta still
surpass pasta in popularity. Lombardy's popular cheeses
are firm Grana
Padano,
blue-veined Gorgonzola,
soft, ripe Taleggio,
soft, mild
Quartirolo Lombardo
and tangy
Provolone Valpadano, all covered by DOP, as well
as creamy Robiola and
Stracchino.
Desserts include Pavia's
Colomba pasquale,
the Torrone
from Cremona
and Torta
sbrisolana from
Mantua. Panettone, a fluffy fruit cake, is a
national Christmas institution. The Lombardy of wines is
certainly in the Oltrepò area, with the great reds,
whites and sparkling wines in the Banina hill, but also
in the Mantova area with the Morenic wines and the
sparkling Lambrusco. |
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