From the Hills to the Meadows - The Tale of Silvano d'Orba

Once upon a time there was a puppet called Silvanino who lived in a town among the green hills where there was also a large castle, many flowering gardens and many vineyards around the town. He was made of wood and cloth, had an orange outfit and a little blue hat. He always smiled and joked with young and old alike and, in order to have fun together with his friends, he decided to throw a big party to which he invited many other beautiful puppets like him from all over Italy and all over the world. Thus began the most important event held in Silvano d'Orba: Ai bravi burattinai d'Italia, a summer festival dedicated to puppets with shows and awards, and an autumn phase, enriched with workshops and study seminars to spread the art of puppet theatre.

We arrived in Silvano d'Orba in spring, so we only heard about the puppets from the locals, but their fairy-tale charm somehow conditioned our whole day of a spring outing. Silvano d'Orba is about ten minutes' drive from the Ovada toll booth and is recognisable from afar: the parish church of San Pietro and the Castle can be seen from kilometres away and represent a landmark among the Ovada hills. Once in the town, we left the car on the main street and continued on foot to discover the streets that climb up the hill. Some of the climbs are quite demanding, but it is worth getting a little out of breath: the upper part of the town is like a single large belvedere. Wherever you stop, a breathtaking view over the surrounding hills opens up and the gaze can range freely over the valley between the houses seen in the distance.

Among pretty little villas, guarded by dogs dutifully barking when they see strangers passing and by cats lost in their peaceful afternoon dreams, we reached what is perhaps the highest point of the town, where the church of San Pietro stands, just below the Castello Adorno. The Castle, built in 1492, with its four massive towers is a true fortress of the medieval type, and is still private property.

Besides for the puppets, Silvano d'Orba is also famous for another "cheerful" reason: it is the Borgo della Grappa. Two ancient distilleries are based here, producing grappa with the so-called discontinuous method of the Piedmontese bain-marie alembic.

We continued our walk admiring the many flowering gardens and breathing in the incredible tranquillity of this place that really seemed to have come out of a fairy tale. In a garden we noticed many likeable goats of a breed we did not know, sunbathing together with the hens. In a few hours we managed to forget the frenzy of the city and regenerate thanks to this atmosphere of peace. The long walk up the slopes of the village also made us quite hungry, so we decided to crown this day with a typical dinner of the place. We took the car again and moved to the other side of the road that leads from Ovada to Novi Ligure, where, taking advantage of the large car park of a DIY and gardening warehouse, we discovered the restaurant and focacceria Ai Prati. And if in Silvano d'Orba everything has a fairy-tale flavour, the local imagination surprised us even at the table.

The dishes of Ligurian and Ovada inspiration here are presented in a new guise, different from the usual, combining the goodness of taste with the pleasure of discovery. Pasta with pesto? It is made to measure, with more or less garlic according to taste, and the pesto is served directly in the mortar so that everyone can season the pasta on their own plate as they like. We also tried a first course devised by Marco, the young owner: the monferrini. These are garganelli made with Dolcetto d'Ovada wine, which gives the pasta a pleasant pink colour. They are dressed with a fondue of mountain cheeses and with Dolcetto grape berries frosted raw. They are cooked with wine reduction to degrease them, according to the so-called "French paradox" which is based, precisely, on the degreasing power of wine.

"We are craftsmen in the kitchen," Marco played down, explaining that his passion for cooking leads him to experiment, to play with ingredients, but always rigorously fresh and seasonal. The last surprise was the dessert: it is called Egoist, because it is so good that no one would want to give it up to someone else. It is a fabulous white semifreddo with strawberries, layers of chocolate with an overlay of raspberries, cream and freshly ground pistachio.

During the return to the city, a hand-painted plaque came to mind, which we saw on a gate during our walk: "Whoever wants to wander around may go, I like to live in my own district". A thought that after this pleasant day we can only fully share.

Francesca Bertha