The rhymes of Pinin Pacòt and the beautiful flower girl: a day in Castello di Annone

If Neolithic man, seized by a sudden surge of hospitality, had invited us to spend a weekend in Castello di Annone, we would certainly have arrived aboard a boat of the era: not very technological, but well enough equipped to sail the seas of the Quaternary era. "Strani giorni" ("Strange days"), as Franco Battiato sings in the song that hints at that period, lived by humans about two million years ago, and indeed, seeing today the splendid hilly landscape that surrounds this municipality, it feels strange to imagine that many years ago the sea rippled here. Moving forward in time, in Roman times we would have reached the settlement located at the ninth mile from Asti on the Via Fulvia and found a place that stood out from the Roman villages, having been born hard against a rocky outcrop wedged between the Tanaro river and the new road.

In the 10th century, Berengar I decided to erect a fortress in defence against the Hungarian raids of the time. The settlement later became an important reference point for the many pilgrims, travellers and merchants passing through, for whom an "hospitalis" was also built at the foot of the castle. The ancient fortress was destroyed during the various wars of succession between Montferrat and Savoy, but in the municipal historical archive numerous archaeological finds are collected, coming precisely from the hill where the castle stood. During our walk we visit the 17th-century Parish Church of Santa Maria delle Ghiare, and talking with the locals we discover that the cultural wealth of this village is also gathered in the works of artists linked to the place.

The best known of all is the poet Pinin Pacòt, who carried out a series of important historical and philological studies on the Piedmontese dialect, leaving us numerous splendid dialect poems. Castello di Annone gave birth to two important painters of the late 19th century: Angelico Pistarino and Alessio Nebbia, creator of the famous model of Mont Blanc. In the second part of the day we devote ourselves to some lovely walks around the village, visiting the Bosco del Lago, a nature oasis rich in wildlife and centuries-old trees, located in the hamlet of Poggio. We also take a tour of the neighbouring villages, discovering at Rocca d'Arazzo the Borgo Partiquilar, an old renovated farmhouse where it is also possible to stay overnight. The evening sees us return to Castello di Annone on the rhymes of a poem by Pinin Pacòt: "It is the exquisite hour.

Up in the starry sky the Moon slowly ascends. Everything in the evening is silent, as in a dream of peace." We decide to make this evening literally exquisite by settling at the tables of the elegant, historic Ristorante La Fioraia, in Via Mondo. And here poetry even mingles with opera: "This restaurant was created about seventy years ago by the young and beautiful Teresa together with her husband Guido, a penniless but romantic variety-theatre actor. People, seeing their life, poor but cheerful, compared them to Rodolfo and Mimì, the beautiful flower girl, protagonists of Puccini's Bohème. That is why since 1943 the restaurant has been called La Fioraia," the owners Mario and Ornella Cornero tell us; they took it over back in 1971 and run it with the collaboration of the whole family. "At the time the restaurant was in Via Marconi.

It has been since 1990 that we moved here, onto this splendid hill facing the village," they explain. We start with the terrine of foie gras with quince jam, sweet semolina and Chilean bread, the Mazara del Vallo prawns on sautéed spring courgettes and their bisque, the morsels of veal rump with Roccaverano robiola, salad and vinaigrette sauce, and the tempura salt cod on a fennel emulsion, crispy polenta and brandacuion. We follow these exquisite starters with the traditional "gobbi" agnolotti in roast sauce, the tagliolini with shredded duck sauce and the Carnaroli rice with asparagus and Biella toma fondue. Along with these delicacies we taste some excellent Piedmontese wines from the restaurant's rich wine cellar.

In choosing the main courses our group splits between the Voronoff suckling-pig fillet, wrapped in Arnad lard, a dish that is also part of the La Fioraia Menu, and the classic Piedmontese veal stew with old Barbera, the cornerstone of the Traditional Menu. Some of us instead taste the lamb chops marinated in lemon and dry Martini and seared on the griddle, as well as the asparagus alla Bismarck. We already know we will come back here in autumn too, to taste some truffle-based delicacies, and this time we give in to the pleasure of some fantastic summer desserts such as peach bavarois with chocolate sauce and amaretti ice cream, raspberry mousse, as well as the aspic of peaches and raspberries in Moscato jelly on lemon pastry cream and a rainbow of fresh fruit...

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante La Fioraia Via Mondo, 26 Castello di Annone (AT) Tel.: 0141/401106