Outings and relaxation in the green between a bike ride and a tasty dinner: a weekend in Gavi - Part II.

In the afternoon we spend a few hours of relaxation in the green, having fun with the children who can run around and play freely on the vast lawn. We also discover that for our first outing we don't even have to leave the estate: a path, marked with signs, leads us to walk along the perimeter of the lawn and also on the little hill in front of the spacious terraces of the structure. After these pleasant outdoor activities we arrive at dinner time feeling quite hungry. While we sip an excellent and very fresh Gavi from the Nicola Bergaglio cellar of Rovereto di Gavi, we also have the chance to chat with the owner Marina who runs the estate together with her husband Nazario, with the help of mum Carla and a close-knit group of collaborators including Maria, the housekeeper – pillar of the structure, who takes care of everything, from the rooms to the flowers, as if they were her own.

It is mum Carla herself who tells us the history of the estate: "We are from Milan, but grandfather was from Gavi. At a certain point my husband Mario, who during his childhood had spent a lot of time with his grandparents, felt the desire to get closer to nature, so after a period of searching he bought this property which at the time consisted of a manor house and an enormous barn, surrounded by a nice piece of land. With the renovation of the barn the idea was born to create an agriturismo that was inaugurated in 2005 and expanded in 2009 with the addition of the rooms on the floor below.

In recent years the structure has changed face, transforming into the estate of today that retains from the initial agriturismo the bucolic atmosphere and the family climate." Creating this corner of peace immersed among the hills was the great dream of father Mario who always dedicated himself to this project with deep love, while the aesthetic side of the environments was taken care of by mum Carla, gifted with a marked sense of art that is reflected in a thousand details, from the stained-glass niches of the corridor to the art objects of the bistrot where we are having dinner.

Besides for relaxing stays and for dinners among friends or family, the estate, thanks to its ample spaces furnished with taste and elegance and thanks to its vast garden and the large dining room, is also an ideal location for events and parties; in fact it is often chosen both for baptisms and confirmations and for weddings. "We too got married here, indeed, the restaurant was inaugurated precisely with our wedding," recall Marina and Nazario. The cuisine is characterised by a well-defined and careful choice of dishes that draw inspiration from the tradition of the territory, proving very welcome also to the frequent foreign guests. "The very concept of bistrot was born from this need," the owners explain to us.

"Some evenings we organise tastings of cured meats and cheeses of the territory, served together with focaccias, to be accompanied with the famous wines of the area." We too have the pleasure of tasting a rich platter of Tortona cured meats of excellent quality with selected cheeses, both local and not, all exquisite and very particular. We also love very much the tasty fried morsels, ranging from vegetables and little meatballs, up to the typical Ligurian panissa. These and the other good things come from the ideas of the supervising chef Antonio, the true deus ex machina of the kitchen who always knows how to surprise with the quality of the dishes he conceives, highly appreciated both by those seeking traditional flavours and by those approaching Italian cuisine for the first time. In the dining room it is Gioele who manages the guests' orders with professionalism and friendliness.

Among the first courses we choose the typical ravioli with braised meat sauce, a dish that wins us over with its pleasantly savoury character, while our friends opt for the risotto with Gavi, which is prepared with vegetables or with prawns. We wash down these good things with the famous wines of the local cellars, among which, besides the Gavi, we particularly appreciate also the Barbera from the La Caplana cellar. We continue with the charming and very good "maialino va per boschi", that is pork fillets, very tender and tasty thanks to the very slow cooking that lasts a whole night. Another dish that enchants us is the millefeuille of parmigiana: not even in Sicily have we ever eaten such a tasty aubergine parmigiana, which here is prepared with a particular technique, using very thin slices of aubergine that create, precisely, the millefeuille effect.

Finally, we have no choice but to give in to the sweet temptation of the freshly made tiramisù, a delight not to be missed. The pleasures of good food will accompany us throughout the weekend, also during the homemade breakfast, composed of many sweet and savoury treats. Besides the croissants with jam and chocolate and the yoghurts and cornflakes, we never give up the very good plumcake. Those who instead prefer a savoury breakfast can indulge among the platter of local cooked ham, the selected cheeses and the eggs, served both hard-boiled and in the form of omelettes, coming from a nearby farm where the chickens are treated almost as friends by the farmer.

After such a delicious start to the day it is not difficult for us to face excursions in the midst of nature, venturing into the Parco delle Capanne di Marcarolo which is a stone's throw from here, within which we also discover the stunning lakes of Gorzente. In identifying the right destinations to visit, the brochure we have available in the room is of great help, with all the practical information in Italian and English about the attractions of the territory. We also don't miss the chance to visit some nearby cities of art, and to ideally retrace the roads beaten by the great cycling champions Costante Girardengo and Fausto Coppi, both natives of these parts, inside the interactive exhibition of the Museo dei Campionissimi in Novi Ligure.

On reservation we can also visit some local cellars, but it is no problem either to make a trip to Genoa to visit the Aquarium or the Boat Show: the train from the very nearby Arquata Scrivia can reach the Superb within about half an hour. Gavi is also the ideal destination for fashion lovers: we too don't give up a healthy shopping trip at the very nearby Serravalle Designer Outlet. After the outings it is always nice to return to the green embrace of the estate where the hours pass between regenerating relaxation, moments of play with the children and pleasant chats on the terrace or balcony sipping a cool drink.

At sunset we even happen to glimpse a couple of charming roe deer which, driven by curiosity, overcome their innate shyness for a few minutes and show themselves at the edge of the lawn: a gift of nature that we will carry in our hearts and that perhaps we will find again during our next holiday at the estate.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Tenuta della Guardia Loc. Nebbioli, 44 Gavi (AL) Tel.: 335/8155166