Bridges Between Past and Present: a Weekend at an Old Farmhouse in the Upper Monferrato – Part II

The building of the present parish church was still at least two hundred years away, and Ponti was still ruled by the Del Carretto family — whose coat of arms still appears on numerous stones in the village walls — when the Adorno family, a well-known dynasty of breeders and farmers, was already living and working in the Cravarezza area.

Our holiday continues right with them, at the Agriturismo Cascina Adorno, a farm known for its excellent products such as Robiola di Roccaverano P.D.O. cheese, beef of the Piedmontese breed, cured meats and wine. This is a genuine farm stay, where, as well as enjoying a holiday in close contact with nature, you taste typical products practically "zero metres" away and get to know the animals directly, as they graze in the meadows that grow green among the extensive vineyards.

After settling into our comfortable little apartments furnished in a pleasant "country" style, with a large terrace opening onto a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills, we begin discovering the farm. Our kind guide is Mr Adriano Adorno, the owner who runs the farm with his wife Lucia and his children Alice, Andrea and Mirco, helped also by his son-in-law Nicola.

While we admire the very friendly goats at pasture, all of the Chamois-coloured Alpine breed, Mr Adriano recalls the history of the farmhouse. "The farm dates back at least to the 1700s, but the structure of the building is much older, from the 1400s or 1500s. The present cellar, as you can tell from the arches, was the dwelling back then. At the time the farmhouse was run by three Adorno brothers, just as the managers of the generations to come were also always three brothers, including mine and my children's. Our family has always worked the land and stood out in animal breeding, mainly goats, as well as cattle. The Cravarezza area indeed takes its name from "crava", which in dialect means goat. Cheese-making is an ancient art handed down to us by grandmother Filomena.

When there was the war she did everything herself: she took the goats to pasture, milked them and made the cheese at home. My mother then set aside a room dedicated solely to this activity, and later, in 1989, we expanded and set up a proper dairy. The farm stay, on the other hand, celebrates its first four years on 26 April."

To the delight of children young and old, we also visit the stables, where we are welcomed with tender, curious looks by the cattle of the Piedmontese breed, and there is also a beautiful newborn calf. Not only that: on the very day of our arrival there was a happy event at the goats' house too, with the birth of a wonderful kid.

From the stables to the rows of vines: our walk continues through the very tidy vineyards of the farm, which grows Barbera, Dolcetto, Brachetto, Freisa and Albarossa grapes, a native vine variety long abandoned, rediscovered around 2003 and still grown by very few estates, also because it is rather demanding. "Ours is a genuine wine. My father sold it in demijohns, but that is no longer done; people buy bottles," recalls Mr Adriano when, after the pleasant walk, we sit down at the table to enjoy a dinner full of authentic flavours.

Our dinner begins with a platter of cured meats made at the farmhouse from pork reared in the area. We also taste a fabulous tartare of Piedmontese beef, followed by seasonal vegetable flans prepared by Alice. We wash down these delicious starters with Dolcetto and also taste roast peppers with anchovy sauce and little green asparagus tarts paired with a Robiola di Roccaverano fondue, a truly distinctive dish.

We continue with the typical agnolotti al plin paired with a good Barbera, but we also very much like the crespelle al pesto. When we return in autumn, it will instead be a triumph of mushrooms and truffles, to enjoy with tagliatelle or even on the beef tartare. Among the dishes we cannot resist the Piedmontese braised beef, while our friends enjoy the roast kid. The roast beef of Piedmontese beef is also a great success. All washed down with Albarossa aged at least five years.

At the end we also taste a true speciality of the farm stay, among the most delicious: the Robiola di Roccaverano with the farmhouse's grape mostarda, whose preparation takes a full three days and uses a rich variety of autumn fruit — besides apples and pears, also quinces and even pumpkin. Our dinner concludes with the tasty desserts prepared by Alice, paired with an exquisite Brachetto. We gladly give in to the temptation of chocolate cakes, tarts made with the house jams, bunet and many kinds of tiramisù.

Among the desserts, a fantastic ice cream made with goat's milk stands out, ideal also for those with food intolerances, whose goodness has even been recognised with an award. Our weekend at Cascina Adorno passes between moments of dolce far niente and lovely walks along the local trails, among which the Sentiero delle chiese campestri stands out for historical and natural value; walking it you can visit six churches: on the territory of Ponti the churches of San Rocco, dell'Assunta and San Martino, at Monastero Bormida San Desiderio, at Castelletto d'Erro Sant'Anna and at Montechiaro the church of the Madonna Carpeneta.

Before leaving we stock up on wines and cheeses, and we are already sure we will return in a couple of months, when with the warm weather it will also be possible to cool off in the new pool set in the greenery. Bridge after bridge, our road will always bring us back to Ponti.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Agriturismo Cascina Adorno Regione Cravarezza, 35 Ponti (AL) Tel.: 0144/596112 0144/485236