Tuesday, September 30

Tuesday September 30, 2008

It’s a day to go sightseeing! After breakfast Analisa gave us a mini-guide to the towns that have some charm and/or a castle or two, Plugged Granzane Cavour into the GPS and off we went! (Our GPS voice, Daniel, is keeping us on track pretty well!) We toured the castle and visited the wine shop in the castle and walked through the quaint village. The roads are narrow and the villages are a wonderful mix of crumbling antiquity and beautifully embellished modern renovations, On to Barolo, Serralungha, La Morra. In reality all these towns are pretty much the same. LOTS of Enotecas and wine shops, one good church and castle, a few restaurants and that’s about it! We did drink Barolo in Barolo as we stopped in a Tourism wine-tasting place and sampled three different varieties. We found out:
There are about 1000 labels of Barolo
The grapes are grown in sandy soil (produces a fruity, dry flavor), clay soil (produces a more complex and robust wine) and mixed soil (splits it down the middle)

We had missed pranzo and stopped at a small mercato for proscioutto cotto, cheese, a roll and a bottle of acqua naturale. Otherwise known as ham and cheese on a roll with some water, Back to Ada Nada and built a little fire to take the chill off. Looks like it might rain tonight.
No rain, but a great dinner! We found Osteria Dell Archo and FINALLY were wowed by Piedmontese cuisine. It seems like we have to get back in to the city for a good meal.
Danny has the Degustiazone menu- a prix fixe sampling featuring everything with black truffles. Carpaccio, risotto con funghi, filetto con polenta
And a wonderful panna cotta with grappa infused grapes.
I had brandade ( codfish, cream and potates) with black truffles, and a beautiful pumpkin ravioli with black truffles. Extraordinary. Dessert was a divine panna cotta with mele (apple). The panna cotta was so creamy and smooth! We tried to get a reservation for Friday but they are already full. Took a little walk around town and back to Ada Nada. There were just enough hot coals left to build a fire in our living room. This dinner has lifted us up and made us feel as if we are finally experiencing what we came here for. We are planning to help the family pick grapes on Friday. If the weather holds up we are going to grab some shears and a basket and bring in the harvest!