On the route of medieval pilgrims, among hills, wine and cuisine: A day in Castel San Giovanni

Driving along the Tangenziale Ovest of Milan, one comes across the sign “Val Tidone”, but immersed in stress and haste it is hard to understand that this wording can direct us in a very short time to a dream place: a valley that also pleased the ancient Romans, as well as the people of Emilia and Lombardy, peoples who have alternated here over the long centuries of history. Today Castel San Giovanni, called the Gateway to Val Tidone, is part of the province of Piacenza, and is an outpost of Emilia Romagna that begins right here, from these beautiful hills that once belonged to the IX Roman Legion of Liguria. In the Middle Ages the locality was known by the name Castrum Sancti Johannis de Olubra and the term Olubra probably indicated an ancient pieve, while as regards the Castrum, it is a castle built from 1290 by Alberto Scoto, lord of Piacenza.

The fortification was equipped with two entrance gates with tower and drawbridges, but today of this imposing structure only the historical memory remains: the castle was in fact demolished in 1822 to make room for the five-metre-wide avenues, built on the line of the thick fortified walls. Some locals tell us that the castle's keep would later become the bell tower of the Collegiata di San Giovanni Battista. The church, dating from the 12th century, is the oldest in the town, and is known for its Baroque portals, as well as for a valuable wooden Crucifix of 1496, a work by the sculptor Giacomo Del Maino and his son Giovanni Angelo. The strategic position of the town, however, did not only have military relevance, but also religious.

Throughout the Middle Ages, in fact, Castel San Giovanni was known for its “domus ospitalis”, that is, Hospitals, which however were not care homes, but places where the numerous pilgrims, coming from Alessandria and Tortona and heading to Rome along the ancient Strada Romea, stopped for a short rest. The richness of the religious life of the town is also testified by the presence of other beautiful churches, such as the fifteenth-century Antica Chiesetta di San Rocco and the Chiesetta della Torricella, from the 16th century. But not only that: Castel San Giovanni also gave birth to Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, and in 1988 Pope John Paul II paid a visit here.

During our walk we also visit the eighteenth-century Villa Braghieri – Albesani, once the country house of the Marquises Scotti di Castel Bosco, and today the seat of the municipal library, as well as of the Museo Etnografico della Val Tidone. Taking advantage of the beautiful spring day, we also take a short trip outside the town, going to visit some of the many castles of the surrounding villages, including the Castello di Borgonovo Val Tidone, Pianello and Nibbiano. The road immersed in greenery brings us back, for dinner, to the gates of Castel San Giovanni, on the first slopes of the Piacenza hills, where we decide to stop at the characteristic Ristorante Vino e Cucina, located in Via Montanara.

The portico overlooking the valley, the large garden in which there are Mediterranean patches of aromatic herbs, geraniums and colourful roses, with a pergola where in the warm season one dines outdoors: all this seems to us a corner of earthly Paradise. “This establishment was made from a rustic building completely restored with original materials from the late nineteenth century,” the owner Ilaria Fortuna tells us; she runs the restaurant together with her husband Giuseppe Schisano, while we settle into the welcoming room, near the fireplace. From our table we can continue to admire the landscape through the large windows, while we begin to enjoy the dinner in the warm atmosphere of an old trattoria. Since the establishment offers Mediterranean-style cuisine, based on both fish specialities and typical Piacenza dishes, our group decides to taste both proposals.

We begin our Piacenza dinner with a rich starter of mixed cold cuts with giardiniera, which we follow with the tortelli burro e salvia, as well as the typical pisarei e fasò. As a main course we taste an excellent roast coppa with roast potatoes. Our “sailor” friends instead opt for the fish menu, which, as they explain to us, changes every week as do, more or less, all the establishment's proposals, which follow the seasonality of the raw materials. It begins with starters of drowned octopus and mussels alla marinara, followed by the paccheri with swordfish and grilled prawn skewers with artichokes. We wash these delicacies down with excellent local wines, offered to pair with the menu, and conclude on a sweet note with the establishment's fresh desserts.

After discovering the beauty of these places, as well as the goodness of its cuisine and its wines, we are certain that in the future too we will gladly follow the sign for Val Tidone.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Via Montanara, 90 Castel San Giovanni (PC) 0523/849256