A bike trip to the village of Tassarolo, blessed by St. Rocco.. Piedmont region, Italy

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Who would have thought it was possible to live a long holiday weekend of cycling and authentic Ligurian cuisine remain in the Virgin Mary, but being at the same time on the hills of Southern Piedmont? The secret of this unique experience is in the choice of location: Tassarolo in the province of Alessandria, a few miles from the road that curves from Ovada door in Novi Ligure. Orba with Capri and take the road from Francavilla Bisio, home to a lovely castle door Tassarolo. The course is for those who remain in the heart of reading curves upward, marked by the sight of vineyards, forests, hills and meadows.
Tassarolo is the patron saint of the Virgin Mary of St. Ambrose, which is why the place looks familiar to the Milanese. The patron saint is celebrated every year on the second Sunday in September, with religious service and procession of the Brotherhood.
Our long weekend of cycling and good food goes though under the protection of another saint, the one that protects the pilgrims, San Rocco. Tassarolesi I have always been devoted to San Rocco, and his feast day, Aug. 16, will always be celebrated, as well as religious services, even with the lively festivals celebrating local dishes. Having read this curiosity before our trip, we could not choose the best destination for our stay at Locanda San Rocco. The building of the inn was once a school, and after the school moved to another location, a young couple came from Liguria, Cecilia and Gigi to renovate the building, still owned by the town, turning it into a ' elegant inn and restaurant. We settle in the room "Hydrangea", the most romantic, while our friends that occupy the "Sunflower" and explore the country.
Tassarolo is a country full of nice surprises, starting with its name as we were coming here, we played to speculate on its origin: some said that had nothing to do taxes, someone else Tassarolo was so called because the animal rate . Asking for a bit 'around with the locals, we discover that we were right a bit' all, in fact scholars accredit both hypotheses, but also according to which the name derives from "rate" within the meaning of the tree, and again, according to Mark Marchese Spinola, a descendant of the historic dynasty, is still the owner of the Castle of Tassarolo, the origin of the name there would be Tassara, which were piles of hay or grain.
Today this town is a quiet paradise where sports: trekking, but also golf, and where to regenerate in the middle of nature, leaving behind the bustle of the big city. A few centuries ago instead Tassarolo even printed its own money: it was one of thirty-nine Piedmont resorts with the right brand. There is still a large building called "The Mint", next to the castle, which was presumably the place where the coins were minted spinoline called Luigi.
Another interesting find that talking with people, is that here there is a private collection of antique radios. A man born in Tassarolo in 1940, Fernando Ermanno Zarri, said Nanni, former radio operator and amateur radio world, collected and repaired many old radios that people had thrown away with the advent of television. Her collection was also exhibited in 1995, the centenary of Marconi, and have spoken several televisions. We also managed to visit this interesting museum is just a phone call to make an appointment.
All our days pass by sport and good food: We have traveled thousands of miles of bike paths along the marked routes in the vicinity, and at night we relaxed in the outdoor area filled with flowers of Locanda San Rocco. It was like being magically landed in the sea in Liguria: Cecilia and her husband, Gigi offer excellent Ligurian cuisine based on fresh fish. We started with a carpaccio of tuna with citrus fruits, and then we went to noodles to lobster, seared amberjack on the salt, and finally, a delicious tarte tatin warm with ice cream. We all washed down with excellent Gavi, the famous wine of the region, and the Roverello of fraud.

After this little vacation from our "pilgrims of the bike and taste," protected from San Rocco, we can only agree with the rates, which are animals or trees: a Tassarolo is just fine.

Frances Bertha

For information:
Locanda San Rocco
Via dei Martiri, 1 Tassarolo (AL)
0143/342418