A journey in pink through the lands of the Pavese from Oltrepo to Lomellina - Part II.

With Paola, discovering through play how dogs reason

Our journey in the Oltrepo Pavese continues in a place from which this beautiful landscape, loved and praised also by Petrarch, can be admired from above: the ancient Clastidium, that is the town of Casteggio. In clear weather from the Belvedere you can make out with the naked eye the Cathedral of Voghera and even that of Pavia, about twenty-five kilometres away. This district, the highest and oldest of Casteggio, is called Pistornile (from the Latin "pistoria", which recalls the presence in the area of storehouses of provisions, of millstones and of ovens), and was the theatre of battles since the most ancient times, including the moment when Clastidium was conquered by Hannibal.

Legend has it that the Carthaginian commander and his elephants also passed through Casteggio, watering at a fountain, the Fontana d'Annibale, which is just outside the town, on the current Via Emilia, which leads to Piacenza. Unlike Hannibal, we set off with dogs in tow, but although they were less cumbersome than the elephants, at certain moments they too know how to give us a hard time. That's also why we chose as the next stop of our trip the agriturismo and dog centre Il Biancospino, located a few minutes' drive from the centre of Casteggio. The establishment, run by Paola Daffunchio, a breeder of Samoyed and golden retriever dogs, specialises in animal education and behaviour. The passion for dogs and constant commitment have led Paola to be an active member of the Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana as a breeder, delegate and technician of the Trainers Committee.

Her agritourism business is closely linked to welcoming guests with a dog in tow, and given the multiplicity of fun activities thought up for Fido, it would be no wonder if it were the dogs who decided to bring their owners here and not vice versa. Besides the many hiking opportunities, including dog trekking trails, Il Biancospino is the ideal place for those looking for personalised education courses with their dog. With the help of qualified instructors it will be easy to improve the understanding between dog and owner, working together in a fun training course. However, it's not only dogs that learn through play: children can too, by taking part in the activities of the educational farm and the numerous other initiatives thought up for the little ones, including the fairytale gnomes' trail.

After the games the family can relax at the table, enjoying the dishes of a quality cuisine with products selected according to the Campagna Amica protocol: the gastronomic research is oriented in particular toward rediscovering ancient recipes of homemade and peasant-tradition cakes and desserts. At the end of the day all that's left is the sweet rest in the comfortable rooms of the ancient farmhouse immersed in greenery.

In the cellar with Cristina: tasting of organic and vegan wines

"Rice is born in water and dies in good wine", Cristiana told us, and here we are on the wine road that takes us to Santa Giuletta, a few kilometres from Casteggio. We're in the town of dolls, a title earned thanks to the important production of dolls in the '50s and '60s, but you just need to take a stroll between the more modern nucleus, called La Villa, and the higher part, known as the Castle, to feel involved in a pleasant wine-growing atmosphere: the vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see, clothing the hills in a lush and promising green. The highest point of Santa Giuletta is Monte Zavo, from which the sandstone needed for the construction of several important churches of the territory and even of the Certosa di Pavia was extracted.

The beauty of this locality has attracted over time also some illustrious traveller including Garibaldi, who is said to have slept once in the Griziotti tower, located in a small wooded area. After a nice tour of the hamlets of the town we reach the Cantina Montini, located in a very convenient position and signposted by a large sign on the via Emilia. After crossing a flowered courtyard, welcoming us are Cristina Galati and her husband Edoardo Montini, owners of the historic cellar. We discover the compelling story of this business by tasting an exquisite and fresh Pinot Nero Montini, organic like all the wines produced by the firm. "People often ask us if we're relatives of the family of pope Montini.

Well yes, our family, originally from the Val Sabbia, descends from an ancient and noble house, precisely that of pope Montini, from which at a certain point a branch broke off to settle here in Santa Giuletta on the farms of the Isimbardi family, beginning to cultivate marvellous vineyards very favourably exposed to the sun", Mr Montini tells us. Another curiosity that takes us back to memories of the past is the fact that Mr Edoardo Montini lives on a street that is called exactly like him. "The street is actually named after my husband's uncle, a war hero", Cristina clarifies. A part of the old farmhouse has been transformed into an agriturismo, while in the cellar the noble past is enhanced every day by producing wines with sustainable methods in the present and the future.

The firm's organic vocation does not arise at all from a fashion, but is the natural continuation of a way of understanding the union between man and nature. In the philosophy of the Montini family, organic is a model of sustainable development, the only way to safeguard and enhance the territory and the places where one lives and works. The Montini wines are born in vineyards that have never known poisons and herbicides; among the rows wild flowers grow instead, attracting colourful butterflies. Respecting the environment brings wellbeing to the consumer, who nowadays is increasingly attentive to sustainability criteria. For this reason, for a few years now the Montini cellar has also been producing vegan wine, which excludes the use of any additive of animal origin.

The cellar is always open to the public, Saturdays and Sundays included, but it's also possible to order the excellent organic and vegan wines online. There's only the embarrassment of choice among the excellent Pinot Nero, Bonarda and Buttafuoco of the Oltrepo Pavese and the Montini white sparkling wine from red grapes. The gaze toward the future is also guaranteed by the contribution of Cristina and Edoardo's children, who now represent the fifth generation of the family, as recalled by a nice "five" on the back of the bottles, whose labels - new, youthful and sparkling like the wine - they themselves thought up and designed. The story of the firm now appears in the form of keywords and key dates within the modern typefaces of the label: an original way to represent the continuity between past and future.

To be continued...