"Ferragosto" In the Rain

Our Intentions
Our intentions were to leave on Friday morning for yes, once again the mountains. The mountains are becoming an obsession now…it’s getting too crazy to go to the sea, so we might as well explore the valleys that Piedmont has to offer one by one. This weekend – VALLE MAIRA. Known to be own of the purest, greenest, and most untouched valleys we gladly joined a couple who has a house up way up in a little tiny village called Cesani.

DAY 1

Just in time for lunch. Lucky for us before our arrival Marzia and Mario had just found 1 fresh porcino mushroom and deliciously cooked it in a new way for us. Marzia discovered this recipe from Slow Food’s Osteria del Boccondivino in Bra.

– a hearty slice of porcino mushroom on the bottom of a ramekin dish.
– put chunks of melty cheese of your choice on top.
– drop an egg on top to fill the ramekin
– bake in the oven so the egg is still runny

This was just the start to a huge meal.

After digesting in the sun, we hiked around the borgatas, the tiny villages or hamlets nestled on the mountain side. We met Marzia’s friend who taught me how to make natural make-up remover and anti-wrinkle cream from these yellow flowers that we saw everywhere called iperico which I think are St. John’s Wort.

NATURAL MAKE-UP REMOVER AND ANTI-WRINKLE CREAM

– take off all the leaves and outer parts of the flower so just the clean yellow petals are left.
– immediately pack a jar with the flowers with EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL as tight as you can.
– leave the flowers in for 40 hours.
– After 40 hours take out the flowers and you will be left with a natural beauty product!

Ugly weather in the bat of an eye. Our summer day turned into a wood burning stove, tea, dinner, and movie.

DAY 2 Day trip To ELVA

Was I in another world, fastforwarded to the wintery season? Cold, dark stormy weather insisted the whole day. That meant no hiking but we decided to go to a characteristic town called Elva. I have been wanting to go here for a long time because I have heard about its famous little church.

Hans Clemer a Flemish artist who painted frescos in Saluzzo also covered this church with his masterpieces in the 15th Century making this site a unique spot to see in the mountains. Too bad about the weather though…you know what that means!…EAT EAT EAT

RIFUGIO escursionistico 1940m LA SOUSTO DAL COLL www.lasousto.it
We went to this simple out of the way restaurant only wanting a panino but when we saw the menu we ended up getting a full blown meal. The boys got

ANTIPASTO : POTATO GRATIN WITH FONDUTA AND PROSCIUTO

FIRST COURSE: POLENTA WITH SAUSAGE..I GOT HOMEMADE TAGLIATELLE WITH ARUGULA PESTO WITH GRILLED VEGGIES

DESSERT: PARFAIT WITH LOCAL HONEY and BUDINO with LOCAL LAVANDER

This could have been a Slow Food or Sovversivi del Gusto sponsored restaurant if you ask me! Everything organic and local, no frills. So yummy, including the organic liter of wine Baravera from Monforte for 4 euros and Achillia digestivo.

We made it on down the hill for our appointment with the cheesemaker’s for a cheesetasting at 5 pm. EAT EAT EAT…(next blog CHEESE)

Again, wood burning stove, good company, and film and sickenly full stomachs

Day 3

I unfortunately came down with a migraine so can’t comment on this day. Stayed the night again but still had a great time up in the mountains. They are so overpowering and I would love to go back to experience them again on foot in either sunny weather to see their true beauty or go back in the winter with snowshoes and see it in a different light. I still can’t believe that on “ferragosto” the Italian national summer day of holiday when everyone goes on vacation, we up in the mountains, saw the after effect of snow from the day before! Well I guess it was an alternative vacation.