A trip in the Cremona area, among art, miracles and good food: a day in Soresina

A pretty little island emerging from the brackish stretch of water of Lake Gerundo: to the first travellers who ventured into this part of Lombardy, today's Soresina must have appeared exactly like that. Although the prehistoric marsh, later reclaimed during Roman rule, is no longer there, Soresina still represents, at least metaphorically, a peaceful island to escape to from the frenzy of the big cities for a day of leisure. Located between Cremona, the city of Stradivari and the other famous violin makers, and Crema, where several prehistoric pirogues are still kept — the canoes carved from a tree trunk with which the area's inhabitants once plied the waters of the lake — Soresina was for centuries bitterly contested precisely by these two beautiful cities. The village, formed during the Lombard occupation, was a coveted centre both for its fertile lands and for its strategic position.

Between 1133 and 1136 the emperor Lothair II chose a brutal way to put an end to the enmity between Crema and Cremona, in eternal struggle with each other for the possession of Soresina: he razed the city to the ground. Once rebuilt, new conflicts followed, and it is perhaps also because of this tormented past that the people grew attached to the image seen on the municipal coat of arms: a female figure exclaiming with gratitude “Sol Regina”, to thank the Madonna for having escaped a plague. A message of peace, of faith, of harmony, and a phrase from which the city's place name seems to originate. On fine days in Soresina it is easy to combine the discovery of the past with healthy sporting activity: the Città Murate cycle path also passes through here, along which you can visit the Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine di Ariadello, in the hamlet of the same name.

The religious building, which is in the Ariadello and Valle dei Navigli Park, was built in the seventeenth century on the site of a Marian miracle: before an image of the Madonna, painted under a portico, the deaf-mute daughter of the marquis Giovanni Battista Barbò and his wife Eleonora regained her hearing. Inexplicably, however, the bishop, instead of deciding on the construction of a place of worship, had the image of the Virgin covered and the park fenced off to avoid the crush of the faithful. The church was then erected on the initiative of the marquis himself, who, once widowed, became a priest. Returning to the centre, we visit several other beautiful religious buildings, such as the sixteenth-century church of San Siro, which also stands out for its imposing bell tower, fully 56 metres high (including the gilded copper statue of Christ the Redeemer placed at the top).

On the bell tower a large sundial by the Soresina artist Leone Lodi marks the passing of time. Inside, on the counter-façade, there is a large canvas by Francesco Boccaccino, “The Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes”, from 1736, restored by Piera Castellini in Sorini. The monument to the Martyrs of Freedom in piazza Marconi is also by Leone Lodi. We admire fine works of art also at the church of San Francesco al Dosso, which in the seventeenth century belonged to the adjoining convent, and in the church of San Rocco, where there are canvases by Francesco Boccaccino and Luigi Miradori as well. Here too, it is a sturdy bell tower, leaning against the apse, that calls the faithful to mass.

In Soresina you look up at the sky not only during prayers but also to observe the stars: with the naked eye on clear summer nights, or with the telescope of the Astronomical Observatory inaugurated in 1974, which boasts the distinction of having been the first public astronomical observatory in Italy. Soresina is also known for its fine Teatro Sociale, built in 1840 and always a hub of the area's cultural life. We also visit the thirteenth-century Salone del Podestà, the last remnant of the ancient seat of the city's administrative bodies, today a venue for cultural events during which you can admire several late-sixteenth-century wall paintings attributed to Lattanzio Gambara. Our trip continues in the Moscona hamlet, where it is enriched by a precious food-and-wine and human experience.

We decide, in fact, to stop for dinner at the Trattoria dei Fiori, a place where it is easy to find warmth even during the cold, foggy winter days. We settle near the fireplace in a little room with rustic charm, and notice that the larger one, furnished with care and a style combining elegance, modernity and taste, is instead ideal for parties and ceremonies. Under the wide outdoor portico a nice ping pong table awaits anyone who wants to challenge friends to a game before or after the meal. Chatting with the owner, Mr Mario Belli, we discover that the trattoria has been run by his family for fully five generations. “Open since 1848, it has always been an osteria where celebrations for anniversaries were also held, with an adjoining grocery store selling things like pasta, flour, sugar or salt, all sold loose,” Mr Belli explains.

The trattoria still offers the authentic flavours of Cremonese cuisine, following the seasonality of the produce. We begin our pleasant tour of culinary tradition by tasting a rich starter of cured meats produced by small salumifici, which includes spalla cotta, excellent smoked beef topside, prosciutto crudo cured for over 20 months, but also coppa, salame, speck from Brunico, culatello di Zibello and lardo di Colonnata. Among the exquisite first courses, prepared with fresh homemade pasta, we taste the ravioli with Soncino roots, the ravioli with Bagoss cheese (from the area of the spice route of Lake Garda), the crespelle tied into little bundles filled with sweet provolone cheese and courgettes, or with provolone and speck.

Some of our friends instead choose the ravioli filled with prosciutto crudo, served with Chianina ragù, and the meat lasagne, dressed with artichokes (in this case too, the dressing varies with the seasons: walnuts, asparagus and porcini mushrooms accompany it over the year). We wash down these delights with excellent wines bottled under the Trattoria's own label, such as the Dogliani from Cuneo, and the Piacenza Gutturnio and Trebbiano. We continue, ranging across the vast choice of meat dishes, tasting the roast beef, the smoked Chianina carpaccio, the spicy Chianina bacon and the roasted culatello. Part of our group cannot resist the call of wild boar with truffle, but the roe deer with porcini mushrooms and the tender grilled horse meat are also a great success. Some instead opt for the cotechino in camicia, the Merinos lamb chop and ribs, nodini and fillets of local production.

Next, we taste a parade of tasty local cheeses including provolone and the grana of the Latteria Soresina, with homemade jams, such as the pepper one. Our day in Soresina ends in great sweetness thanks to the homemade desserts such as cakes, tarts and tiramisù: treats that, had they already existed in the time of the emperor Lothair II, would certainly have stopped him from waging war on the city!

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria dei Fiori Fraz. Moscona, Soresina (CR) Tel.: 0374/343040 Facebook: Trattoria dei Fiori