The Bright Colour of a Victorious Battle: A Walk in Magenta

A city whose name evokes the vivid colour of flowers, of spring clothes or of certain ice cream flavours: our wish to leave winter behind this time took us to Magenta. We are a few steps from the Ticino river, and indeed one of the hypotheses on the origin of the name Magenta derives it from the Latin "mansio", that is, a stopping place along the consular road before crossing the natural border of the river. But the name could also be a tribute to the emperor Maxentius. In any case, these lands were inhabited as early as the fifth century BC, when some tribes of Insubrian Gauls, sensing the abundance of game in the nearby woods and enjoying the closeness of the river, settled here creating a fortified camp that was later conquered by the Romans in 222 BC.

As soon as we begin our walk, we meet the most important monument of Magenta: the splendid Basilica of San Martino, where the funeral of the great film producer Carlo Ponti, a native of Magenta who died in 2007, was held. This wonderful and imposing religious building, whose first stone was laid in 1893, was also erected to be a place of commemoration of the fallen of the glorious Battle of Magenta of 4 June 1859. Fought during the Second Italian War of Independence between the Piedmontese and their French allies against the Austro-Hungarians, it ended with the victory of the former, opening the way to the conquest of Lombardy. In the same year the scholar Emanuel Verguin discovered a particular colouring substance whose red-violet shades inspired the scientist to call it "Magenta", a poetic way of remembering the blood that was shed on that battlefield.

Several cultural initiatives in the city are dedicated every year to this important historical event. Chatting with people around, we discovered that many years before us a truly illustrious "tourist" passed through here. It is the emperor Henry VII, who in 1310 was stranded in a terrible snowstorm right in Magenta. The inhabitants of the town welcomed him with great affection, a gesture the emperor reciprocated by raising the place to the status of a borough with privileges such as the possibility of enjoying an armed guard and of establishing a market that has been held every Monday ever since. During our walk we admired numerous palaces and villas, as well as beautiful churches such as Santa Maria Assunta dei Padri Celestini, founded in the fourteenth century, or the Church of San Rocco.

Another leading place of culture in Magenta is its Lyric Theatre, once considered almost on a par with La Scala in Milan. If even an emperor praised the hospitality of the inhabitants of Magenta, we certainly could not miss the chance to stop here for dinner. As we settle at the Ristorante Al Rioco, on Via Cavallari, we immediately notice how welcoming and spacious the place is. There are as many as 160 seats, we learn later while chatting with the waiters. We start with seafood appetisers based on fresh fish of the day, such as the zucchini flowers stuffed with prawns Milanese-style, the sea mosaic and the warm octopus Genovese-style with potatoes and pesto, while our friends opt for the "Al Rioco" platter, with DOC cured meats and cheeses, the culatello di Zibello with fried gnocco and the Argentine beef carpaccio with rocket, lemon and truffle.

We continue with the Al Rioco tagliolini with sea truffles, prawns and Pachino cherry tomatoes, a fine risotto with squid ink and fresh cuttlefish and the Costa Smeralda spaghetti with lobster and bottarga. "In my opinion cooking is a form of artistic expression, creating a dish is a bit like composing a piece of music or painting a picture," the owner, Mr Marco Dondo, describes the philosophy of the place, which opened eight years ago. And it is in the wake of this exquisite art that our "carnivore" friends choose the Umbrian-style risotto with sausage and fresh black truffle, the spaghetti alla Chitarra with sausage and mushrooms, the agnolotti with speck and radicchio with Bitto fondue scented with truffle and the torchio maccheroni Roman-style with cacio e pepe. In choosing the main courses we run riot among the varieties of meat, including even Argentine meats.

We take the old-style Angus tagliata, the Angus sirloin edged with black pepper, rocket, celery, Grana and truffle oil, and the fillet on the stone. Some of us opt for grilled dishes such as the asado de tira or the churrasco. We wash these delights down with several excellent Italian wines chosen from the more than sixty labels available. The sweet epilogue of our dinner sees us savour a wafer with cream ice cream and berries with cherry, the homemade cream and apple cake and the chef's delicious strudel. Much water has flowed under the bridges since the times of the emperor Henry VII, but by now we can say from experience: the hospitality of Magenta is always excellent.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Restaurant Pizzeria Al Rioco Via Cavallari, 17 Magenta (MI) 02/9792167