A butterfly in the hills of Monferrato: Trip to the discovery of Olivola, Piedmont region, Italy

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A great little world of peace, where every corner reveals a piece of history and enchants the visitor with its beauty mild and sweet. Old houses, stone walls clear, rust-colored roofs above which opens a wide panorama of the surrounding hills, among which the eye can easily jump from one village to another. We are in the smallest town in the Lower Montferrat, whose peace of mind today is the result of a long series of battles and wars throughout the ages interested in this location. Its strategic location has attracted Olivola of people since the dawn of time, including the first of the Germanic tribes, from which the original name of the place derviverebbe, Freengo or Fringe. It is believed that the town had been born in the ninth century, after the invasion of the Franks, consolidated in the years 1100-1200. Before that time was part of the manor of Frassinello, and later belonged to the Marquis of Monferrato, being enfeoffed to different families, including Cellore, the Ferraris and Candiani, whose nineteenth-century villa, now restored and home to the Cedars Restaurant Ai dominates still the town. In recent times the town once again risked losing their autonomy, having been annexed in 1928 to the City of Frassinello. Olivola returned independent municipality in 1950, following a petition of its inhabitants to the President of the Republic.
Our walk starts at Olivola from Europa Square, the heart of the town, hiking and, thanks to a project that attracts many tourists here every year, continues on a large butterfly-shaped track. The path is called "Glimpses on the wings" and faces lightly and without any particular effort. Before diving into the surrounding countryside, along roads lined with dense thickets of hawthorn and blackthorn, admiring the vineyards as far as the eye and taking pictures, even a few happy poppy flower, we visit the most important monuments of the country, concentrated in the square the main. The Parish Church of St. Peter's, built from 1895 and completed in 1938, dominates the square with its façade. Not far away you can see one of the oldest religious buildings of the place, the old parish church of Saints Peter and Paul in the tenth century, no longer used for religious services, with a distinctive bell tower in tuff. A demonstration of how strong the cult of the patron Saint Peter, just outside, in a panoramic position, there is another Romanesque church dedicated to the saint. During our walk we also visited the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, built in 1630, by the will of the inhabitants of Frassinello as thanks for surviving the epidemic of plague that had plagued the area in that year.
The butterfly path has also led to discover, among the dense vegetation on the border of the country with Moleto, an ancient source of healing, called Curella.
Our walk ends near Villa Gouache-Candiani, where, in a field below the building, admiring a massive cedar block. We decide to stop here for dinner at the elegant restaurant At Cedars, taking advantage of the opportunity to stay overnight at the cozy rooms of the hotel surrounded by greenery.
We sit at the tables of the great hall of the palace and begin to enjoy a dinner in keeping with the style of the villa itself: the best traditional dishes Monferrato, that changes periodically according to the season, often revisited with contemporary creativity. We start with a rich tasting appetizer Piedmont among other things the classic joke raw meat with a knife, the old-fashioned veal with tuna sauce, stuffed zucchini flower sauce and a two-color crispy potato cake with foie gras escalope chocolate. We follow these delicacies from traditional ravioli del Plin the gravy, purple potato gnocchi with a light pesto with rocket and prawns, the beads with ricotta and herbs and butter and sage ravioli with spinach and raschera onion marmalade Tropea. Let's water these goodness of the wines of Piedmont and Monferrato in particular. In choosing between the second we divide steamed cod with sabayon of cherry tomatoes and marinated spring vegetables, fillet of veal with leeks, roast leg of pork and milk baked lamb chops with rosemary.
Our day ends with some sweet pleasure of gluttony between the chocolate mousse, fruit sorbets, Dolce Piedmont, a pear cake with Moscato and a warm chocolate pudding.

Bertha Frances

FOR INFORMATION:
www.comune.Olivola.al.it
www.aicedri.it
At Cedars Restaurant
Via V. Veneto, 23 Olivola (AL)
0142/938885