Strolling with Ludovico il Moro, and lobster for dinner: a day in Vigevano

A journey into the Renaissance, in the footsteps of Leonardo Da Vinci and amid the atmosphere of the Sforza court of Ludovico il Moro: this is the exciting and unique experience we had during our trip to Vigevano. This jewel of a city, set in the Ticino Park, is about thirty kilometres from both Milan and Pavia, but can be reached in about an hour also from the Ligurian Riviera. Such a short drive, and you are catapulted into a world you often know only through films or history books. And here you breathe history with full lungs: Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan, was born right in Vigevano, in the very year, 1452, in which Leonardo Da Vinci was born in Tuscany.

Leonardo was in fact one of the most famous travellers among those who over the centuries reached Vigevano: he was about thirty when he presented himself to Ludovico, and from that meeting between the genius and the great duke sprang a fruitful collaboration that led Leonardo to create, among other things, the frescoes in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. As we begin our Renaissance stroll in Vigevano, a lady passionate about local history, with whom we chat in front of the splendid Church of San Francesco, tells us that it was precisely during a land survey in the countryside around Vigevano that Leonardo noticed the potential that the steps, found here and there in the ground, could have for irrigation and for reclaiming the marshes.

We reach Piazza Ducale on foot, one of the most fabulous squares in the world: neither words nor photos do justice to the beauty of this place, you really have to see it in person. It was built at the wish of Ludovico il Moro starting from the very year in which Christopher Columbus discovered America, 1492. The Cathedral, like a sacred goal to be reached after metaphorically crossing several centuries of history, welcomes the passers-by who arrive there walking along the evocative arcades that stretch along the sides of the square, as well as the spectacular Torre del Bramante.

Among the historic buildings to visit in Vigevano, the Castello Sforzesco certainly cannot be missing, an architectural complex protected from indiscreet eyes, of which many notice only some stretches of the walls and the splendid Torre del Bramante, a full 75 metres high, located at the highest point of the city and clearly visible also from Piazza Ducale. The Tower dates back to 1198 and was finished by Bramante three hundred years later, while the Baroque cupola, which replaces the original conical spire, was added in the 17th century. After this fine round, we decide to discover another important chapter in the history of Vigevano, the one concerning its culinary art. We decide in fact to stop for dinner at the Ristorante Da Maiuccia, a historic establishment of the city, run for sixteen years by the chef Davide Aguzzi, thirty-one years in the trade.

As we go in, the first thing we see fills our heart with joy and succulent fantasies: the fish display, skilfully presented, with numerous species inside, among them sea bream, sea bass, gurnards, scorpion fish, sole, red mullet and large scampi, not to mention the splendid lobsters and spiny lobsters. "Once, in the post-war period, this place was run by a certain Gabriel, an innkeeper who did the simple cooking of the time, serving enormous trays of boiled meats with mostarda, and exaggerated portions of ravioli and lasagne. In the 1950s and 1960s, with the economic boom, it had great success," Mr Davide tells us, who runs the restaurant with his wife Matilde and personally looks after every detail. In fact, if the name Maiuccia is today more than ever a byword for excellent cooking, for over a decade and a half it is thanks to him.

"My origins are from the Lomellina, but the restaurant's strong point is fish, which arrives every day from the sea," he tells us, as we begin to study the menu. We start with a seafood selection called "Dal mare al piatto", that is, a rich and tasty selection of fish served raw or marinated. We also taste a very good seafood soup served hot on little burners in the middle of the table: a convivial moment with great effect. We continue with a fine Carnaroli risotto with sea bass and chives and with spaghetti with lobster. We follow these exquisite first courses with the mixed grill, while some of us opt for the sea bass with porcini mushrooms. We wash these seafood delights down with excellent wines chosen from the over 150 labels of whites, Italian and otherwise, alongside which come some forty labels of red wines.

We end the dinner enjoying the house desserts, among them crème brulè and cakes born from the chef's imagination. Visiting an extraordinary city like Vigevano is a great pleasure: you breathe an atmosphere full of art and creativity, certainly capable of improving life. Perhaps that is also why we won't be long in returning. Francesca Bertha FOR INFORMATION: Ristorante Da Maiuccia Via Sacchetti, 10 Vigevano (PV) Tel.: 0381/83469