Truffle Aromas and Fine Traditions: A Day in Alba

You reach Alba by crossing a wonderful hilly landscape, set among the vineyards of the Langhe and Roero and dotted with little villages and castles that seem to come straight out of a fairy tale. Passing through here thousands of years ago, we would have seen the round huts of the Ligurian Stazielli, who lived by hunting and farming and made pottery. In the streets of Alba you immerse yourself in the evocative medieval atmosphere of the old town, famous for its hundred towers, built between the 14th and 15th centuries and used, during the struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, also as prisons. The polygonal walls around the city were built in Roman times and later reinforced in the Middle Ages.

But it isn't only the walls that have Roman origins: viticulture too, which, along with the legendary truffles, makes Alba a paradise of food and wine tourism, was already a flourishing and advanced activity in the days of Alba Pompeia. During our little stroll through the centre we admire many beautiful churches, including the imposing Cathedral, with its very tall bell tower. In Alba cultural and artistic activities began to flourish early. In the eighteenth century the philharmonic-literary Academy, founded by the canon Odella, was held in great prestige. Speaking of literature, the writer and partisan Beppe Fenoglio was born here; he told the story of the first partisan republic, established in Alba in 1944.

It was in the early decades of the twentieth century that the city began to become a destination for many tourists in search of authentic flavours, drawn here by the “Mozart of mushrooms”, as Gioacchino Rossini had called the truffle. Since 1929, in October, the White Truffle Fair and the Truffle Baccanale are held, a very colourful and mouth-watering historical re-enactment. But that's not all: anyone arriving in Alba on the first Sunday of October can watch the hilarious Palio degli Asini and the Giostra delle Cento Torri. After this afternoon of strolling through Alba's traditions, we decide to take a tour of the city's hamlets too: we discover several picturesque villages surrounded by endless vineyards and linked to each other by winding, highly scenic roads.

When we reach the hamlet of San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, one of us says he remembers reading about this area in Fenoglio's novels, so, drawn also by the sign of a lovely osteria, we decide to stop. It seems our friend's literary memory didn't betray him, because when we settle at the tables of the Osteria Italia, the owner, Mr Renato, who has run the place with his wife Marina for six years, tells us that the Osteria is among the oldest in Alba and is even mentioned in one of Fenoglio's novels. We really couldn't have landed in a more fitting place to savour true Piedmontese cuisine, which bite after bite reveals with simplicity and taste the passion and imagination of centuries of tradition. We start with the exquisite knife-cut Fassona beef, the vitello tonnato and the tongue in green sauce. The rich starter also includes the fondue with truffle and the finanziera.

We go on with some excellent first courses, appreciated also for the freshness of the pasta, always strictly homemade. Our group tastes a bit of everything: the tagliolini, the potato gnocchi, the typical ravioli al plin, the tasty pasta e fagioli, but the risottos are a hit too. We wash down these delicacies with excellent local wines, selected from countless labels of the area, including Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Moving on to the main courses, we give in to the pleasure of tasting meat dishes prepared as they should be, including the guanciale with Barbaresco, the rabbit, the kid and the roast veal. Our dinner in the Langhe ends on a very sweet note thanks to the homemade desserts, including the soft torrone with gianduia, the tiramisù, the traditional bunet and the tarts.

The images and flavours of this wonderful area are now imprinted in our memory and will certainly bring us back here soon, even after the truffle season is over.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Osteria Italia Fraz. San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, 6 Tel.: 0173/286942