A village to savour: A journey to Castel Rocchero

How many times, driving along, do we notice in the distance hills topped with colourful villages, a church, a bell tower... It would be lovely to slow down, find the road that leads up there, reach the square and take a little stroll on foot among the tranquil lanes bathed in the pealing of the bells. But almost always we carry on driving, neglecting these precious opportunities to relax. We only had to "rebel" against this habit to be rewarded with a beautiful day in Castel Rocchero, a characteristic village of the Alto Monferrato, in the Asti Langa. Driving along the Strada Statale del Turchino towards Nizza Monferrato, after passing Acqui Terme, we noticed this village on a hilltop. The slender bell tower of the parish church stands out from a long way off, and after a few bends, as soon as we entered the province of Asti, there was the sign indicating the road to Castel Rocchero.

The village is first mentioned in documents in 967, among the possessions of Aleramo, the famous knight whose legendary love story with Alasia (from whose name the toponym Alassio is said to derive) gave birth to Monferrato. According to tradition, Aleramo, abandoned as a child at Sezzadio, lived in misery as a charcoal burner. Once grown, he fell hopelessly in love with the emperor's daughter, who decided to put him to the test by promising him all the land he could encircle in three days of frantic riding. When his horse lost a shoe, the brave young man shod it with a brick, "mon" in dialect.

From this comes the name Monferrato, and to grasp the essence of these lands it is enough to take a look at the panorama that opens up from Castel Rocchero: gentle hills and vineyards whose rows stretch as far as the eye can see in a spectacular landscape, embracing the lands of Barbera, Moscato, Brachetto and Dolcetto. In ancient times Castel Rocchero was a military outpost, and even the current Town Hall, erected in the 12th century, had defensive functions. Today it is a stately building, preserving the 17th-century structure of the cross vaults. Next to the Town Hall is the parish church with its characteristic brick bell tower, at whose base opens an arch that, through a little lane, connects the main square to the road outside the walls. We decided to stop here for dinner too, at the Antica Osteria at the foot of the bell tower.

The restaurant is beside the arch and overlooks the ancient centuries-old park of the patrician castle. "There used to be the castle's cellars here," Mrs Silvana and her son Maurizio, the owners, explain, as we settle into the heated veranda. Silvana and Maurizio were born in Castel Rocchero, so we take the chance to ask for a bit more information about the village. "If you can, come back here in summer too, when Castel Rocchero in Lume is held. It's a night-time walk through the vineyards, with torches. You set off from the tower, and stop at seven stations, including wineries, cellars and the Osteria. At each one you taste a wine, savour a dish, or listen to music. All under the starry sky, immersed in a magical atmosphere," Maurizio tells us; we discover he is also the village's deputy mayor.

While waiting to take part in this event of sure emotional impact, we begin our tour of the local flavours, tasting roasted peppers with bagnet, that is, green sauce with parsley, anchovies and tuna, cardoon and spinach-and-carrot flans, two-coloured, with fondue, vitello tonnato, a bit of Russian salad and the Roccaverano robiola with grape mustarda, the so-called cugna. After these tasty starters we move on to the first courses, choosing the traditional ravioli and tagliolini with ragu, with roast sauce and with Castelmagno. Some of the group opt instead for the risotto with Barbera. For the main courses we split between herb rabbit, cooked by infusion, a cooking method lasting about six hours that makes the meat very tender, the braised beef with Barbera, the tagliata and the pork loin with hazelnuts.

We wash these delights down with local wines, produced by the wineries of Castel Rocchero, and finish sweetly with the chocolate-and-caramel bunet, the hazelnut cake with Cortemilia hazelnuts and Moscato d'Asti zabaglione, and the panna cotta. Besides the desire to taste these typical Piedmontese specialities again, another reason we'll try to come back here during the warm season will be "Castel Rocchero in Sella", an event that will see 2-300 people taking part in a horseback route of about 40 kilometres. The village is also creating a place where horses can be kept, so that you can return here in your free time for days of trekking along the paths immersed in greenery.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Antica Osteria Via Roma, 1 Castel Rocchero (AT) 0141/760257 Closed on Mondays