A Weekend at the Convent, Among the Mysteries on the River: A Trip to Trino

The story

When the first inhabitants settled in the territory of today's Trino Vercellese, the plain covered in dense woods and crossed by many other waterways, including the majestic river Po, fascinated them so much that they wanted to call this place with a name that today seems to evoke the mysteries of fairy tales: Rigomagus. In the Celtic language this curious place name indicated the "king's market", confirming the fertility of these lands, which in Roman times became an important "mansio", that is, a posting station a stone's throw from the ford over the Po, at the crossroads of the military roads. Visiting Trino, immersed in the rice-growing countryside at the foot of the hills of Monferrato, its history lets itself be discovered not only thanks to the monuments, but also through a naturalistic treasure, the Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza di Trino nature park.

It is a particular green area, considered a rare relic of lowland forest composed of many species, among which the oak prevails: a place almost identical to how the Celts would have seen the Po Valley. If the ancient name of Trino evokes fairy tales, one comes across several mysteries in the town, even just by taking a walk in the hamlets. Curious to discover them, we go to visit the Abbey of Santa Maria di Lucedio, founded in the twelfth century by the Cistercian monks. We admire the two abbey churches, the octagonal bell tower, the cloister and the stunning chapter house, steeped in those medieval atmospheres that for centuries have fed the legends linked to this place.

Some say that beneath those walls run underground rivers and there are secret crypts, and not only that: someone is said to have even seen the mummified bodies of abbots seated on thrones arranged in a circle, and a column that would weep because of the horrors it would have witnessed in the dark years of the Middle Ages. But around here there is material for a real novel full of mysteries: in the nearby little church of the Madonna delle Vigne there is a painting depicting a pipe organ with the "devil's score" beside it. According to legend, playing that score backwards would summon the devil himself inside the church. In any case, no danger: even if the legend were true, to force the demon to stay quiet you just have to play those notes in a normal and harmonious way.

We also visit the parish church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, patron of Trino, with numerous works of art inside, including a fourteenth-century icon of the Madonna with Child. Our weekend in Trino continues at a place also steeped in the charm of history: the Hotel Resort "Il Convento", on Via Hermada. The splendid establishment is created from the remains of an old convent of Salesian nuns and today, after a skilful restoration, offers every comfort in a setting of great historical elegance. These spaces steeped in art have become the ideal places not only for ceremonies and banquets, but also for cultural events such as exhibitions, conferences and meetings.

We discover, in fact, that on 24 and 25 March 2012 a creative writing seminar will be held with Silvia Denti and Gavino Angius, and on 1 April "L'usato da usare" will take place, a fair of reading and writing, with vintage, ancient and rare books, as well as prints and period postcards. After a short rest in our large, finely furnished rooms, we go down to dinner at the historic Ristorante Massimo, also inside the resort. The cuisine, looked after by the chefs Giorgio and Davide Bonato, combines the simplicity of local traditional dishes with a touch of creativity and innovation, all embracing the zero-kilometre philosophy. We begin our dinner with the Piedmontese assiette: salame della duja, peppers with tuna foam, cheese cream with walnuts and pears. We also taste the rotondino cooked in salt with tuna sauce and the Piedmontese fassona chopped by knife.

After this rich appetiser we taste a typical local risotto, the panissa. Some of us instead opt for the gnocchi sautéed in a parmesan and rosemary cream, and we certainly do not pass up the fabulous homemade agnolotti with roast gravy either. We wash down these delicacies with excellent wines selected from the more than four hundred labels in the cellar, to which is also added a vast choice of grappas and liqueurs. Moving on to the main courses, we split between Piedmont and Lombardy, tasting the fassona tagliata, the fassona fillet and the real Milanese cutlet. Finally, we give in to sweet temptations, tasting the excellent desserts produced by the house, including the torrone semifreddo, the chocolate mousse, the gianduia crêpes, the bunet and the fantastic fruit tiramisù.

We spend the rest of our weekend with lovely walks and return to the city rested, with one certainty: that of coming back here for the next cultural events and also to taste the fried mushrooms and frogs in season.