The bastion of art to be savoured: A journey to Novara

A city that carries in its name the concept of newness, and that has always attracted great figures and artists, some of whom became important precisely thanks to their work carried out in this place: we chose to spend a day of relaxation in the name of culture, art and good food in Novara, also taking inspiration from the very idea that arriving in this city might in some way be a good omen, and bring pleasant novelties into our life too. A journey to Novara, if you set off from the North, is surprising also because the city is close to everything: to Milan, to Malpensa airport, to Lake Maggiore. One of the most beautiful stories concerning a figure who arrived here long before us is that of the patron saint, San Gaudenzio: born in 327 in Ivrea, into a pagan family, he became the first bishop of Novara, where for centuries the splendid Basilica di San Gaudenzio commemorates him.

Gaudenzio had begun to approach Christianity while still in his native city, and his spiritual journey was completed first in Vercelli, alongside Eusebius, the first Piedmontese bishop, and then in Novara, where he carried out a great activity as a preacher at a time when the territory was still largely pagan, and even within the Church there were harsh religious conflicts. Precisely as a result of the latter, Constantius II sent Eusebius into exile in Palestine, and then in Egypt. Gaudenzio reached him in those distant lands, but Eusebius told him to return to Novara, where the priest Lorenzo had just been murdered, and there was a need for a good religious man like him. So Gaudenzio became a priest in Novara, supported by a precious friend: the future Sant'Ambrogio of Milan.

It was enough for us to stop at the first stop of our Novara tour, the Basilica, precisely, to 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 the works of the Mole were finished in 1897, nine years after the death of the great architect, the dome of the Basilica di San Gaudenzio was completed in 1887, when the artist was still alive. The bell tower is also an important masterpiece, the work of nothing less than Benedetto Alfieri, uncle of Vittorio Alfieri, the famous 18th-century playwright and poet.

As we walk along the bastions, that is, the fine tree-lined avenues that today recall the position of the ancient Roman walls, demolished at the beginning of the 20th century to allow urban expansion, we also remember the rich musical tradition of Novara, which gave birth among others to the conductor Guido Cantelli, Arturo Toscanini's favourite pupil, who died prematurely in an accident. Today his musical legacy is carried on also by a festival dedicated to him, curated by the Associazione Amici della Musica Cocito, the same one that organises the evocative Festival Cusiano di Musica Antica on Lake Orta, about 40 km from Novara.

Before sitting down to eat, albeit with a fair appetite, after so much wandering, we still go to visit the Arengo del Broletto, the ancient centre of Novara's political life: an architectural complex made up of four historic buildings arranged in a quadrilateral, including the town hall, dating back to the 12th century. We stay in the centre for dinner too and choose a restaurant with a Novara name, which however also offers many Tuscan specialities: the Bistrot Nuares, in Corso Cavallotti. Run by a very kind young couple, Gabriele and Francesca, this restaurant is located in a beautiful Baroque building, where the first headquarters of the Banca Popolare di Novara was located. As appetisers we take a vegetable flan with Castelmagno fondue, and some Tuscan DOP ham cut by hand.

Our friends instead opt for the fresh fish dishes, which can be found here every Friday and Saturday, and choose a little squid soup on bruschetta bread, as well as the flan of salt cod, potatoes and robiola. We follow these first courses with gnocchi with fresh summer black truffle, while the others in the group split between the risotto with gorgonzola and pears, with pistachio powder, and the fresh pasta spaghetti allo scoglio. Finding ourselves in a place that is also Tuscan, we certainly could not give up a fine Chianina fiorentina, but our friends were equally happy with having chosen the fillet in a pistachio crust and the salt cod with chickpea cream and Piedmontese bagnetto.

We accompanied our dinner with wines that evoked the breathtaking landscapes of the Tuscan hills but also of the Monferrato ones, and so as not to miss anything, we finished with zabaione with Novara biscuits and with cantucci and vin santo. What more could you ask of a day out of town? Simply that it happens again soon!

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Bistrot Nuares Typical Tuscan and Piedmontese cuisine Corso Felice Cavallotti, 9/E Novara 0321/30285