From the hills to the lawns.. The fable of Silvano d'Orba, charming village of Piedmont, Italy

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There once was a puppet named Silvanino and lived in a village in the green hills where there was a large castle, many flower gardens and many vineyards around the country. It was made of wood and fabric, the dress was orange and blue cap. Always smiling and joking with young and old and to have fun with his friends, decided to do a big party to which he invited many other beautiful puppets like him all over Italy and all over the world. So he took beginning the most important event that takes place in Silvano d'Orba: For the talented puppeteers of Italy, a summer festival devoted to puppet shows and awards, and an autumnal phase, enriched by workshops and seminars to spread the ' art of puppet theater.

We arrived in Silvano d'Orba in spring, so we only heard of puppets by locals, but their fairytale charm has somehow affected our whole spring day trip. Silvano d'Orba is located about ten minutes away from Ovada and recognizable from afar: the parish church of San Pietro and the Castle can be seen from miles away and represent a landmark in the hills Ovada. Once in town, we left the car on the main road and we continued on foot to explore the streets that climb up the hill. Some climbs are challenging enough, but it's worth being a bit ahead 'of breath: the upper part of the country is like one big lookout. Wherever you stop, you open a breathtaking view over the surrounding hills and the look can wander freely in the valley between the houses can be seen in the distance. Among beautiful houses, guarded by dogs loyal to their duty to bark when they see strangers passing and lost cats in their dreams quiet afternoon, we reached the point, perhaps the highest in the country, where stands the church of San Pietro, just below the Castello Adorno. The castle, built in 1492, with its four massive towers is a real fortress of the medieval type, and is still privately owned.

In addition to the puppets, Silvano d'Orba is also famous for another reason "gay" is the Borgo Grappa. Here are located two ancient brandy distilleries that produce the so-called batch method of the still in a water bath at Piedmont.

We continued our walk admiring the many flower gardens and breathe in the incredible tranquility of this place that seemed really out of a fairy tale. In a garden we noticed a lot of funny goats, a breed that did not know, in the sun along with the chickens. Within hours we were able to forget the hustle and bustle of the city and regenerate with this atmosphere of peace. The long walk to the slopes of the village has also made a good come hungry, so we decided to crown the day with a dinner locally. We have taken the car and we moved across the street that leads to Ovada Novi Ligure, where the large parking area by taking advantage of a DIY and gardening, we found the restaurant and the focaccia Meadows. Silvano d'Orba And if everything has a fairytale, fantasy room even surprised us at the table. The Ligurian-inspired dishes ovadese presented here in a new light, different from the usual, combining the goodness of the taste the pleasure of discovery. Pasta with pesto? It is tailored with more or less according to taste and garlic pesto is served directly in the mortar so that everyone can dress the pasta on her plate to taste. We also tried the first designed by Marco, the young owner: the Monferrato. It is made with garganelli Dolcetto d'Ovada, which gives the pasta a nice pink color. They are topped with a cheese fondue with pasture and grains of grape candy frosted raw. They are cooked with the wine reduction to degrease a so-called "French paradox" is based precisely on the degreasing power of wine. "We are artisans in the kitchen," Marco shrugged, explaining that the passion for cooking led him to experiment, to play with the ingredients, but always strictly fresh and seasonal. The last surprise was the sweet: it is selfish because it is so good that nobody wants to sell it to someone else. It 's a fabulous white with strawberry parfait, with overlapping layers of chocolate, raspberry, cream and chopped pistachios on the spot.

On the way back to town, we've come up with a plaque, hand-painted on a gate that we saw during our walk, "Who wants to go around go around, I would like to live my district." Thought that after this pleasant day, we can only share in full.

Frances Bertha