A trip through the Alto Monferrato, where the sea is near and the focaccia is good: a day in Ovada

Wherever you set off from, Ovada is a destination. You can arrive here from the Ligurian Ponente or from the big cities of the North, and the feeling will always be that of a small miracle: the discovery of a gentle, welcoming landscape, different from the one you have just left behind. Even though the name Ovada may make you think of grapes, that's only an impression created by the sight of the endless vineyards surrounding it: in reality the place name Ovada comes from Vadum, indicating that already in Roman times the town was a transit point and therefore also a hub of trade.

The Stura Valley, which links Genoa and Ovada while also crossing several other towns, gives the traveller a breathtaking view: the winding road, wedged between the green of the Ligurian Apennines and the stream, more or less dry depending on the season, leads to Ovada through a landscape that is wild and gentle at the same time: a true emotion to experience. But it is certainly no less exciting to arrive in this pretty town of the Alto Monferrato from Milan either, exactly as happened to us, during one of the still-warm weekends we managed to snatch from autumn. Crossing the Po Valley with a longing for the sea in your heart, you only need to come out of the first tunnel of the Trafori motorway to feel you've arrived in Liguria, even though you're still travelling in the province of Alessandria.

The landscape changes right here and within a few kilometres the endless plains of Piedmont give way to hills and the sight of blue mountains in the distance. The monotony is pleasantly broken by the sight of colourful houses, castles dominating the valleys, and plenty of greenery. To reach the sea it would still take another twenty minutes or so, but the charming motorway route of curves and tunnels can be tackled later too: you feel like stopping right here, exiting at the Ovada toll booth, and venturing into the carrugi of this town that unites two regions. Ovada is rich in monuments and churches of great historical and cultural value, such as the seventeenth-century Church of Nostra Signora Assunta, which with its two tall bell towers and its dome draws the characteristic skyline of Ovada.

The town was the birthplace of a series of prominent figures from the world of the arts, including the nineteenth-century composer Antonio Rebora, to whom the town's School of Music is dedicated, the conductor Paolo Peloso, the painters Natale Proto, who worked on the decoration of numerous buildings in Ovada, and Franco Resecco, as well as entertainment figures such as the circus artist Giovanni Taffone or Dino Crocco, a drummer and TV presenter who recently passed away. In the centre we also visit the church of the Immaculate Conception, run by the Franciscans of the adjoining convent, and the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, founded by the Dominicans in the fifteenth century. In via San Paolo we admire the birthplace of Saint Paul of the Cross, declared a national monument since 1918.

Our walk among historic buildings, pretty gardens and characteristic caruggi leads us, with a slight appetite, into the very central via Ruffini, at the Trattoria Pizzeria Peperoncino Rosso. Known for its fresh fish, excellent pizzas and focaccia, the place is much loved by those seeking quality at a friendly price. We settle into the spacious dining room, ideal also for private parties and birthdays, furnished with style and elegance, as is the characteristic inner room with its brick vaults that is opened at weekends. Adding to the family atmosphere are some beautiful period images of Ovada's historic centre on the walls, along with the little blackboards that tease us with the details of the menu. From our table we can see the spectacular wood-fired oven from which tasty pizzas and focaccias come out one after another.

"Fai agli altri cio che vorresti venisse fatto a te" — do unto others as you would have them do unto you — is the philosophy of Mr Luigi, the owner who has run the pizzeria for nine years now. After tasting the various specialities of the place, we can confirm that we couldn't imagine being treated better. The fresh fish arrives three times a week straight from Savona, and we're lucky to be here on one of those days. So we start with a nice mixed seafood antipasto and continue with exquisite first courses such as fish ravioli with scampi and cream and the linguine with seafood. We wash down these delights with excellent white wines, both local ones like Gavi, but not only: the labels change periodically and wines from different regions are available.

Among the fish main courses we gladly taste the sliced swordfish with rocket and tomatoes, the sea bass baked in foil, while some of us choose a rich mixed grilled fish. Some of our group, however, opt for the irresistible focaccias and pizzas, enjoying the legendary Recco-style focaccia, available in various varieties besides the classic one: with stracchino and gorgonzola, with cooked ham, with pesto, with culatello and even with porcini mushrooms. The pizzas are leavened for a long time; the dough is prepared in the evening for the next day, which makes them very digestible. Our friends particularly appreciate the presence of pizzas made with wholemeal flour too, and at the sight of the pizza menu we all experience a very pleasant embarrassment of choice.

Besides the classic flavours, we find many imaginative and tempting varieties such as the "cowboy" pizza, with tomato, mozzarella, sausage, beans, pancetta and onion, or the "atomic" pizza, with gorgonzola and sausage. The seafood pizzas are delicious too, like the "Alassio" with mixed fish, the one with prawns and rocket, or the pizza with fried squid. There's also a wide choice of white pizzas for all tastes, including the pizza with fontina and walnuts, with pesto, stracchino, boiled potatoes and walnuts, or the "Ufo" pizza, with truffle cream, cream, mozzarella, ham and mushrooms. Here even those who are particularly careful about their diet and figure can enjoy a nice dinner. Not only thanks to the choice of wholemeal-flour pizzas, perhaps opting for a vegetarian topping, but also by choosing one of the "light dishes", tasty and low-calorie one-plate meals.

Those who, instead, prefer not to worry about their figure right now — and this is the vast majority of our group — can indulge in a rich array of homemade desserts, which are an irresistible temptation, starting with the "dessert of the house", a choice of tiramisu, white panna cotta, Nutella panna cotta, Chantilly cake, catalana, and bavarese. Anyone still feeling summery chooses a good ice cream or one of the various tasty semifreddi, but Nutella crepes and coffee or whisky affogato are also very popular. Thanks to this trip, which we hope to repeat soon, we have learned that the Alto Monferrato is not only a land of good wines, but also of excellent pizzas, and when you sit down at the table at Peperoncino Rosso to enjoy a dish of fresh fish, it feels like being at the seaside.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria Pizzeria Peperoncino Rosso Focaccia and fresh fish Open every evening except Monday Via Ruffini, 19 Ovada (AL) Tel.: 348/6484459