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

Among the fairy tales of the woods, in Marcella's enchanted world, delighted by Simona's good cooking

We are in the territories crossed by the ancient via Francigena, so it comes naturally to us to ideally follow in the footsteps of the pilgrims of old by visiting one of the oldest sanctuaries of the Oltrepo at Torricella Verzate, built without foundations, directly on the top of a rocky hill, on the site of an ancient castle of the Templars. After a few kilometres of road that, curve after curve, lets us admire a landscape of breathtaking beauty in which we also happen to spot a little hare, we reach the Agriturismo Cella di Montalto, located in Montalto Pavese, in an ancient farm that once belonged to the Benedictine friars, from whose cells it takes its name. It will not have been by chance that the friars had chosen this place: it would be hard to imagine anything better for a contemplative life in contact with nature.

Founded at the beginning of the twentieth century by the great-great-grandfather of Marcella and Simona Canegallo, the young princesses, oops, owners, today the farm is known as the agriturismo in pink, given the all-female management with mum Assunta and the daughters who carry on the work started by the great-great-grandfather and continued by the successive generations right down to dad Gianpiero. The memory of the past is preserved not only by the splendid view of the castle of Montalto, visible from all the surrounding hills, but also by the presence of an evocative thousand-year-old tower in the heart of the farm, guardian of fascinating mysteries.

Over time the original wine business grew, and today its activities range from breeding pigs and calves to the production of excellent cold cuts, from the cultivation of maize, barley and wheat also used to feed the animals, right up to the production of vegetables. In '89 Marcella and Simona, assisted by a close-knit group of elves, gave life to one of the first agriturismos in the Oltrepo, which soon became a favourite destination for many tourists, especially families with children. This is due to the excellent cooking that offers typical dishes prepared fresh with excellent seasonal products, to the comfort of the eight finely furnished rooms, but above all to the numerous genuinely fun activities, including horse rides available both for beginners and expert riders, and an infinite number of splendid initiatives for children.

Marcella is like a fairy capable of creating an enchanted world for the little ones who attend the workshops and the educational farm or take part in the green weeks in the months of June and July. Not only: endowed with a marked artistic ability, Marcella also creates splendid objects and fairytale decorations for the children's rooms. The agriturismo also welcomes four-legged guests, or two-legged ones, as in the case of a family that recently arrived together with a little owl with probable magical powers. About little owls and owls, but also squirrels, rabbits and little birds, the children can learn a lot even during a fun educational trail among the trees of the wood that embraces the farm.

At the end of the day, then, you can experience the thrill of sleeping in sleeping bags inside the romantic little house in the wood, "La Tana del Ghiro", immersed in a fairy-tale atmosphere made even more enchanting by the lights of the lanterns.

Holistic wellbeing and kinesiology with Ludmilla

From the fairy tales of the wood our journey continues in an ever-fairytale landscape in which we can admire the stupendous castle of Montesegale, then arrive at Fortunago, which together with Zavattarello is part of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy. Of Celtic origin, Fortunago is a marvellously preserved jewel of stone whose name, according to some studies, would refer to the goddess Fortuna, since in the territory there was a temple dedicated to the pagan deity. From one most beautiful village in Italy to the next, we head toward Zavattarello, where we'll arrive only after having ideally resumed the pilgrims' road by visiting the sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montelungo at Ruino. Also at Ruino we admire the evocative castle of the counts Dal Verme in the hamlet of Torre degli Alberi.

Confirming the fact that we're in a land of splendid castles, we reach the stronghold of Oramala, built in the tenth century by the Malaspina family. It's not a simple castle, but what was the heart of the public and cultural life of those times. Toward the end of the twelfth century it became a centre of cultural dissemination, hosting Provencal troubadours, and was even mentioned by Dante in the Purgatorio. When we arrive at Zavattarello, town of honey dominated by the thousand-year-old Dal Verme castle, a mammoth structure of mysterious charm, our journey between nature and culture enters a dimension in which wellbeing and spirit find a harmonious synthesis. This thanks to the Bioagriturismo Olistico Valtidone Verde, where we're welcomed by Ludmilla Wolf, an indefatigable hostess of endless resources, including that of immediately putting guests at ease.

We're on a high hill, in the ideal place for an agriturismo based on the values of sustainability that we have a chance to appreciate in many details: from hot water produced with solar energy to the collection of rainwater, from the walls one metre thick that keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter, right down to the sheets hung vertically that iron themselves in the pure hill air without the need to waste electricity. This corner of serenity was created by Ludmilla who, coming from frantic Milan where she worked as an IT specialist at an important American multinational, at a certain point decided to change her life by taking over the family agritourism business.

The love of nature, understood also as knowledge of the body and human emotions, then led her to become passionate about kinesiology, a holistic discipline based on concepts of traditional Chinese medicine, of which after years of study she has become an expert instructor. Anyone who comes on holiday to her agriturismo can also make use of kinesiology sessions. We're curious too and soon discover that, for example, thanks to precision muscle testing you can detect imbalances of a structural, nutritional and emotional nature and give indications on how to resolve them. It is also particularly indicated for deep relaxation. Relaxation that here is achieved in many ways, including cooling off in the pool with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and the beautiful orchards of the business.

From the fruit trees to our table the distance is very short, and in the morning we're pampered with a zero-kilometre breakfast that also includes the exquisite organic jams that we can spread on slices of bread baked by Ludmilla using a century-old sourdough starter and flour ground directly by her with a small and pretty mill. The pleasant conversations at the table we can also hold in English, just to practise the language a little, thanks to the fact that Ludmilla is bilingual. The children who are with us also have fun speaking in English about the cat they've just seen pass by or the walks we're going to take, perhaps in search of truffles with the guidance of a real truffle hunter. Far from the boring lessons at school, here everything is stimulating, and getting yourself understood even by the Australian lady staying here like us is truly rewarding.

These activities demonstrate how it's possible to combine tradition and innovation, the true goal of the Rete Tra le Terre and of the women, all very capable, who devised it.

To be continued...