At the Zenith of Hospitality: A Trip to Voghera

When we travel the short stretch of motorway that takes us from our city to Voghera, overtaking the lorries that carry goods from the port of Genoa to the province of Pavia, our thoughts fly at once to many centuries ago, when on the road that connects the Staffora Valley with the sea, instead of the trucks there were mules loaded with salt. Yes, because from Voghera, given its strategic position, the famous Lombard salt road passed, along which the goods of the north were transported, including wool, and always along the same road the loads of salt reached the plain, a very precious material for the preservation of food and for the tanning of leather. A beautiful green, sunny city, on a human scale, and with an important history behind it, which dates back to the Neolithic: the mild climate of Voghera and the presence of waterways were already appreciated by prehistoric man.

The position of the city has been, over the centuries, its joy, but also its cross: if on one hand it was a place of transit and rest for the many pilgrims heading to Rome or even to the Holy Land, unfortunately the wars did not spare it, starting from the armies of Maximian and Attila, respectively of 387 and 452 AD, up to the bombings of the Second World War. But the imprint of the pilgrims, and of their spiritual message, in the long run prevailed over the suffering: thus San Bovo, a Frankish knight who after several glorious battles, in which he had distinguished himself for having known how to defend his homeland with valour, but who subsequently changed his life, dedicating himself to meditation and pilgrimage, became the patron saint of Voghera.

Arriving in the city, we travel along a road, the inner ring road, which we subsequently learn, during our walk, develops along the route of what were once the city walls, demolished between 1821 and 1830, following the decision to expand and modernise the inhabited centre, after a significant demographic growth. Voghera gave birth to several famous figures linked to the world of culture, such as the writer Alberto Arbasino, the pianist and soundtrack composer Pino Calvi, born right here in 1930, as well as the futurist painter Ambrogio Casati, of 1897. We walk, then, on stones with a certain history, when, once settled into the comfortable rooms of the Hotel Ristorante Zenit, we set off to discover the city.

The eighteenth-century Cathedral of San Lorenzo Martire is breathtakingly beautiful, we admire it in the middle of a splendid sunlit square surrounded by the graceful streets of the historic centre. Another unmissable destination is the Castle, built by the Visconti in the second part of the fourteenth century. In front and around we found a very pleasant green area, with trees and plants, flanked by a little-trafficked and yet lively street, with shops and characteristic buildings. If some time ago it was the pilgrims who stopped in Voghera, today it is the tourists and the people who for work reasons find themselves in the area. So Mrs Maria, owner for thirty years now of the Hotel Ristorante Zenit, tells us, as after our day of relaxation in this very graceful city of art, we sit down at the table.

We are welcomed by a family, kind and friendly atmosphere, in which you chat with the managers and enjoy the genuine dishes of the area. After the savoury snacks with the aperitif, the mixed cold cuts, the Russian salad and the vitello tonnato of the starter, we have some cheese crespelle, while our friends opt for a seasonal risotto, with mushrooms. "With us everything is fresh, our cooking is genuine, we don't use tinned stuff, it is all homemade, with first-choice ingredients, so as to guarantee freshness. We also prepare excellent fish dishes, on reservation", Mrs Maria explains to us. After the first courses, we begin to think about what to choose as a second course, when we meet Giovanna, the owner's daughter. "Our dishes are so good also because we like our work very much", she explains with genuine passion.

"While we work, we enjoy ourselves, talking to people and preparing good dishes for everyone, is our life. I love it when a coach arrives full of tourists: our work allows me to meet many new people", Giovanna recounts, while we decide on the second courses: skewer of mixed meats, and mixed fried meats and vegetables. We wash it all down with excellent wines from the Oltrepò Pavese, and crown the dinner with an exquisite strawberry tart, while our friends choose a very colourful fruit salad with ice cream. We will soon return to travel the ancient salt road that leads to Voghera, since we had a very good time, and we still have many historical and artistic gems to discover. After all, travelling too is the salt of life.

Francesca Bertha