Soft Fabrics and Passion-Coloured Evenings in Busto Arsizio

“Sono come tu mi vuoi” (I'm as you want me), sang Mina in 1967, and it's a bit what we think too when we arrive in the hometown of the famous singer. Busto Arsizio is just as you imagine a city where you can spend a pleasant day between culture and relaxation without having to travel too far: easy to reach, rich in history, yet also modern with its charm given by the proverbial Lombard efficiency. Busto Arsizio is called the “Manchester of Italy”, having been for many years one of the most important textile centres in the country. During our walk among elegant avenues, Liberty buildings and the characteristic streets of the old town, in some gardens we notice mulberry trees: until a little while ago these trees could be found in almost every courtyard. In fact, silk farming has been practised here since the Middle Ages, that is the rearing of silkworms.

And as is well known, that soft and shiny fabric “begins” with mulberry leaves, of which silkworms are extremely fond. At this point, we certainly cannot miss a visit to the Textile Museum, whose rooms are a real gold mine for fashion lovers, and even host a section dedicated to embroidery. If on one hand Busto Arsizio presents itself as a modern industrial city, on the other it surprises us with its rich folklore and its ability to keep its oldest traditions alive. Every year, at the end of January, the Giöbia takes place, an event much loved by the people of Busto, during which a straw effigy, dressed in rags, is burned to ward off winter. The city's textile culture is also found in its carnival masks: one is called “Ul Tarlisu”, and refers to the fabric of pillowcases and cushions, and the other is “a Bumbasina”, that is cotton wool.

Walking the streets of the city, inhabited continuously since Roman times, we visit its most important monuments, such as the beautiful Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Piazza, also known as the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Help. It was built between 1515 and 1522, commissioned among others by the Scuola dei Poveri, a consortium of laypeople dedicated to helping the poor and the sick. The main church of Busto, however, is the Basilica of San Giovanni Battista, one of the most important Baroque works in Lombardy. This long walk through the streets of Büsti Gràndi, as the people of Busto call it, can only be crowned with a beautiful evening devoted to culinary passion. Here we are then at the Ristorante Rosso di Sera, in Corso XX Settembre: a refined and elegant venue, known among other things for its very well-stocked wine cellar, which holds over eight hundred labels.

“Wines are our great passion, we have both famous labels and lesser-known names, selected on the criterion of quality. From February we organise tasting evenings combined with a cooking course. It gratifies us a lot to introduce new things, and to be able to recommend special wines to our customers”, Axel tells us, the owner and chef who runs the restaurant together with Danilo, in the kitchen, and Marco, the sommelier. The menu, characterised by creativity, changes constantly. To start, we are offered a tasty appetiser: brandade salt cod with caramelised onion and chives. After this pleasant opening, we taste fried gnocco with culaccia, culatello and pata negra, a warm crab salad, also with green papaya, topped with a teaspoon of caviar, as well as potato rosti with raw salmon tartare and smoked salmon.

Every flavour is authentic and balanced, and the dishes are also beautiful as works of art. Speaking of beauty, here we are tasting the “acquerello” risotto, wine-coloured thanks to the red beetroot, made with an exquisite parmesan fondue. We also have spaghetti with sea urchin and Gragnano paccheri with duck ragù and capers. These exquisite first courses are followed by filet alla Rossini, scallops with lentils, with an interesting play of spices, between curry and ginger. Some choose turbot in a potato crust, and the braised beef cheek is also popular, very tender, with Bonarda and raspberries, served on polenta. Our dinner ends in great sweetness with homemade sorbets including mandarin sorbet with chopped taggiasca olives.

We also taste an exquisite pistachio tartlet baked to order, as well as the sweet version of the traditional local dish “polenta e bruscitt”, prepared with semolina and diced dates with the addition of chestnut sugar syrup, plus a passion fruit cream. The flavours, the colours, the art and the wines: we have many excellent reasons to return to this city soon.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Rosso di Sera Corso XX Settembre 36/A Busto Arsizio (VA) Tel.: 0331/631706