A Taste of Piedmont: Architecture and Typical Flavours on a Day in Novara

A city that carries the concept of novelty in its name, and that has always attracted great figures and artists, some of whom became important precisely thanks to the work they completed in this place: we chose to spend a relaxing day full of culture, art and good food in Novara. One of the loveliest stories about a figure who arrived here long before us is that of the patron saint, Saint Gaudentius: born in 327 in Ivrea to a pagan family, he became the first bishop of Novara, where the splendid Basilica of San Gaudenzio has commemorated him for centuries. It is precisely from the basilica that our tour of Novara begins, and we immediately realise that here every corner could reveal an entire novel. Starting with the very tall dome that outlines the city's skyline: it is the work of the same Alessandro Antonelli who designed the famous Mole of Turin.

But while work on the Mole was finished in 1897, nine years after the great architect's death, the dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio was completed in 1887, when the artist was still alive. The bell tower is also an important masterpiece, the work of Benedetto Alfieri, uncle of Vittorio Alfieri, the famous 18th-century playwright and poet. The bell tower, 92 metres high, houses the largest carillon of bells in the Ambrosian system, made up of eight bells. Strolling through the centre, we also visit the Arengo of the Broletto, the ancient centre of Novara's political life: an architectural complex made up of four historic buildings arranged in a quadrangle, including the town hall, dating back to the 12th century.

Around a hundred years more recent is the "Turrisella", the tower known as La Mirabella, around which the imposing Visconti castle was built, rising on the ancient Roman walls. Novara's creativity is known around the world not only for its works of art but also for the alchemy of flavours: in 1860 it was in the no-longer-existing Bar dell'Amicizia that Gaspare Campari perfected the recipe for the drink that bears his name.

After this leap into the history of the aperitif, the time comes to give in to an ever more insistent hunger, so we decide to stop for dinner at a trattoria known for its authentic home cooking. We find it in the northern district of the city, in Veveri, a residential area that has the charm of creating a link between the surrounding countryside and the city itself. Its territory, also known for rice cultivation, is crossed by numerous canals, streams and irrigation ditches, including the Cavour canal that links the Po and the Ticino, or the Terdoppio stream, of which there is a Novara stretch and a Lomellina one. In reality, in finding the Trattoria da Bisu, located in via Verbano, we were helped not only by an internet search but also by the classic delicious aroma wafting from the window like an invitation.

Once inside, we are welcomed with great kindness by Mrs Angela, a restaurateur of great experience, fresh from 17 years running another restaurant, located in via Bovio. "When a couple of years ago we found this place, it had already been closed for a year, so we decided to reopen it and create a delicious reference point for anyone passing through Novara. We are open from Monday to Sunday; among our customers there are also tourists who come to visit the city, or people and families who come in for lunch after Mass, but a good part of the old customers followed us too: lorry drivers or otherwise people who travel for work," Mrs Angela tells us; she runs the place together with her daughter Erica and her son Tiberio, who welcomes customers in the dining room.

We settle at our table inside the spacious and characteristic room furnished with taste, in a rustic but elegant style, which can also be the ideal setting for small family celebrations, such as birthdays, communions or baptisms. Our dinner in the spirit of traditional flavours begins with typical Novara cured meats such as duja and fidighina. We also taste cotechino, sanguinaccio, as well as raw ham, coppa and cooked salami. Among the starters there is no shortage of Russian salad and vitello tonnato, which we accompany with fried gnocco, and we also enjoy the sweet-and-sour vegetables prepared by Mrs Angela. After this rich starter, some manage to eat only the paniscia, exquisite and more than enough to fill up, but there are also several first and second courses that we find unmissable.

We are in an area also famous for rice cultivation, so at the Trattoria a great variety of risottos is always available. This time we choose the one with speck, smoked scamorza and radicchio. Among the traditional first courses we also taste agnolotti, but some also opt for pappardelle, tagliatelle or an even simpler first course such as spaghetti with ragu or penne all'arrabbiata. We wash down these delights with excellent wines that are practically zero-mile, coming from the winery across the street. The most requested is Barbera, but there are also other Monferrato labels, as well as Bonarda from Oltrepo, and for those who prefer white, good bottles of Cortese. Appetite comes with eating, so we continue with fine braised meats with polenta and donkey stews.

On certain days you can also enjoy mixed boiled meats, which hardly anyone makes any more, as well as goose with cabbage for the feast of San Gaudenzio, or, to stay on the theme of hearty winter dishes, the casseula. A dish that cannot be missed is, every Thursday, the elephant's ear, the true flagship of the restaurant. "I've always made it, and always on Thursdays, so by now people know and often come specifically to eat it," Mrs Angela tells us. On request, if the group is large enough, paella is also prepared. Finally, all that remains is to give in to the sweet temptations that Erica offers us, she being excellent at creating tasty classic and irresistible desserts such as tiramisu, panna cotta, puddings, creme catalane, trifle and cakes, for example chocolate ones.

After this trip to Novara we are certain that the pleasant atmosphere of this city of art, as well as the good aroma of Piedmontese dishes, will bring us back here many more times to spend a lovely day between walks and good food.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria da Bisu Via Verbano, 16 Novara Tel.: 328/9691606 Facebook: Trattoria "Da Bisu"