A trip into the history, accompanied by Porcupine: a day in Spino d'Adda, Lombardy, Italy

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A pretty town nestled on the Adda River South, in Cremona, where between natural and artistic beauties have everything that can make a pleasant day out. The name of the town may seem a bit 'prickly, and in fact, comes from the Latin "spinus", which indicates a thorny tree, blackthorn. But if it is true that there is no rose without thorns, it is equally true that this plant has healing properties and is used in homeopathy.
Our walk begins with a ride in the pristine nature along the banks of the River. The Adda South Park offers a number of routes that may be followed either by bicycle or on foot. During the summer the landscape is transformed into a small paradise: nell'afa the cool waters of the Adda, or rather, of the nearby canal Vacchelli, a stretch of the river safe for swimming, offering better cooling of the sea.
This beautiful area has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the discovery in 1915 of five Gallo-Roman tombs. Reaching the city center with the sound of bells, we feel a little 'citizens of Spino feudal era, when it was just the sound of the bells to summon the assembly of the people to whom it was established "as appropriate" for the common good. We decided that for our good is absolutely appropriate to visit the most beautiful monuments of Spino d'Adda, starting from the Church that it houses a number of valuable works of art. The quiet streets of Spino d'Adda lead to several other accounts of the religious history of the city. In fact, the municipality is also a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of the Wood. Legend has it that the place in the fourteenth century there was a shrine country. In those years, a poor unfortunate, of course Ciseri Alessandro, was unjustly captured and chained by the police. While they were carrying to the prisons of Lodi, passed near the sacred image and in that moment you broke the chains of Ciseri and the man escaped. In the countryside surrounding Spino d'Adda are also the Church of St. Anthony and the Little Chapel on the site of the Battle, which has a fresco of the early sixteenth century.
Our day at Spino d'Adda in store for us a conclusion very pleasant, "the company" the Hedgehog. This is an original restaurant, known by all as the "Kingdom of eating and drinking." "In 1900 this building was operating the first betting shop in the area of ??milk. In the wall of the room stand out very well for storage vaults, which were subsequently closed. At one time this was the only building in the street, they saw nothing but woods and around the ditch, "he tells the owner, Mr. Francis, who carries out this place since 1997 with his wife Antonella, her mother and her two daughters. We sit at the tables, set with an informal style that recalls the origins of the restaurant, originally a wine bar, and still specializes in wines from across Italy and around the world. The walls were painted by a very original artist, Ennio Chiri, who has also produced several paintings that are hung in the room.
We start dinner with one of the jewels of the room, the fried dumplings. Also sample the excellent crush, a specialty from the island of Elba. Some of us enjoy a puff pastry pie with mushrooms and octopus, mushrooms and cream Taleggio. We continue with a typical local dish, the sweet ravioli Crema. Do not resist even the ravioli stew, while the rest of the group chooses the spaghetti pie and yellow rice with porcini mushrooms and Taleggio cheese. As a second, we let ourselves be seduced by jokingly called "pork-thorn", choosing the knuckle of pork with roasted potatoes, filet of pork with sweet mustard, while our friends opted for the stew with polenta, excellent grilled meats and lamb chops with baked potatoes. Our dinner culminates in the pleasures of sweet chocolate cake with a fantastic, true pride of the restaurant, in addition to zuccotto amaretto and Mont Blanc. "Tomorrow I will tell all my friends how much we ate well tonight!", Exclaims at one point Joseph, the son of a friend of ours. "Well, if you come here, we will do them all, and even parents, ten per cent discount," answers Mr. Francis. Besides eating, we also drank well, also thanks to the Belgian bottled beers, very light, despite a good degree of alcohol. The ladies have rather enjoyed the natural and organic teas, citrus.
Coming back here next time, maybe for a weekend of cycling along the Adda, do not miss the sunset cocktails Hedgehog: further delicacies will be added to the colorful world that we have discovered at Spino d'Adda.

Frances Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:
www.comune.spinodadda.cr.it
www.ilporcospino.it
Restaurant The Hedgehog
Via Roma 50 / A Spino d'Adda (CR)
0373/980571