A walk through history, discovering the taste of life: a day in Monza

The first image that springs to many of us when we think of Monza is that of the Formula 1 cars speeding at three hundred kilometres an hour on the Autodromo. Speed and adrenaline, but also the sacred and mysterious atmospheres, inspired by the historical figure of the Nun of Monza, described by Manzoni in the famous novel The Betrothed. One could begin the tour of the city precisely with her, taking a literary tour: in reality the nun was called Marianna de Leyva, in religion Sister Maria Virginia. Via della Signora and Via De Leyva keep her memory, as does the former convent of the Capuchin friars of Via Marsala. In the 7th century Monza was the summer capital of the Lombard Kingdom, and even in the Holy Roman Empire it enjoyed broad autonomy and a series of privileges.

The most imposing monument of Monza testifies to its greatness: entering the Villa Reale we find ourselves immersed in the atmospheres of the court of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was in fact Maria Theresa of Austria who decided on the construction of the then Villa Archiducale, and chose Monza for "the wholesomeness of the air and the pleasantness of the town". From the gardens of the Villa our walk continues into the very large Park of Monza, the fourth largest walled park in Europe. Near the point where the Lambro river leaves the Park of Monza stands the beautiful Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Built between 1463 and 1467, the Sanctuary is a place of pilgrimage, although no legendary miracle linked to the place is known.

The terracotta aedicules that border the courtyard, depicting the stations of the Via Crucis, by the sculptor Dante Ruffini, represent an important place of recollection. During our walk we admired several other very beautiful churches such as Santa Maria al Carrobiolo, so called because once the carriages, that is the carts drawn by animals, stopped in the square in front of the monument. The sense of peace of the streets of the historic centre is also heightened by the presence of the Lambro river that crosses the city. And where there is a river, there are also fine bridges: the Ponte dei Leoni, built in 1842 near the remains of the Roman bridge, and the Ponte di San Gerardino, dedicated to San Gerardo dei Tintori. In 1174 the saint founded a hospital for the poor at his own home.

The bridge crosses the river right at the ancient hospital, of whose complex the Church of San Gerardino is also part, and nearby is the eighteenth-century Mulino Colombo. When we arrive in Piazza Duomo we find ourselves in the middle of a film set: the extraordinary beauty of the Duomo, built between the 14th and 17th centuries, inspired a director to set the scene of a film in the very elegant square. A short distance from the Duomo we also admired the Arengario, the ancient Town Hall, built in the 13th century. After this fine walk through Monza's history, we decide to abandon ourselves to the pleasures of the palate at a restaurant in the centre about which we have read several good reviews in the guides, Il Gusto della Vita, in via Bergamo. We take our seats in an elegant and romantic room, with light colours and a lovely rose on the table. "We opened seven years ago.

I am the chef, and my wife Elena Picchiotini is the sommelier. It seems that even our two-year-old daughter, Giada Raj, wants to be a cook when she grows up," the owner, Dhian Singh, tells us; he set out from New Delhi and arrived first in Germany and twelve years ago in Italy. The cuisine of the place follows seasonality, and is based mainly on fresh fish that arrives every day. We begin our dinner with raw fish with fresh fruit, with artichokes and scallops on a soft Jerusalem artichoke base and pure Canadian maple syrup. A couple of our friends instead take the culatello di Zibello with a warm 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano tartlet and fig and almond jam. We follow these exquisite starters with giant penne filled with sea bass on a baked pepper cream and the vegetable parcels with a ragout of clams and squid.

The "carnivore" friends instead opt for the artisanal spaghetti with crushed tomato, guanciale, spring onion and fresh basil. In choosing the second courses we divide between the excellent tuna burger and lightly seared sashimi with avocado mayonnaise, and the gurnard fillet with aubergine and tomato compote on a parsley cream. We also enjoy a very good selection of mixed cheeses among Italian, Swiss and London specialities. We wash it all down with excellent white wines suggested to us by the sommelier, among niche labels of the very highest quality despite the friendly price. Our journey into taste concludes in the sweet world of home-made desserts: a soft yoghurt with fresh berries and a raspberry coulis and the white chocolate mousse with curry caramelised bananas.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Il Gusto della Vita Via Bergamo, 5 Monza (MB) 039/325476