Harlequin's farm.. A travel to Casal Cermelli a little village of Piedmont region, Italy
The pastel green wheat fields this summer, the pink of the flowers that smile at us from every garden, the blue of the lake for fishing enthusiasts, the red brick of the oldest buildings in the center, the white wall a cappella: Casal Cermelli get to meet you as Harlequin, you are immediately enveloped in a bright and colorful world, the rural flavor. The eye can fly freely for miles and miles away from meeting the farms that seem to come from the drawing of a child, while being distracted by a few magpie self-assured that crosses the road in front of our car.
We arrived in Cermelli Casal, a village of the plain of Alexandria, the last one is on the left bank of Orba, after about an hour's drive from Milan. For a few days we decided to stay here to "detoxify" the city immersing ourselves in the purest country. We want to hear cocks, snow peas and crickets, but not limited to: the male of the group had also wanted to see the fish of Lake Blue, the artificial lake in which the seat of the homonymous association for sport fishing. Before going to the lake and visit our farm, we stopped in town to tour and environments.
As soon as we begin our walk along the main street, we are entranced by the beauty of a shrine, set in the stone wall which is a natural right next to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed: Madonna blue, surrounded by many flowers whose look serene and full of goodness fills us with joy. Let's take a ride in the square where is located the city, built on the ruins of an ancient castle, and we admire with a bit of healthy envy of the many balconies overflowing with flowers: these houses, mostly old but renovated with taste, have a soul .
The story is interwoven with that of Casal Cermelli Orba river: even some place names, as Mezzanella, Villa Franca, Torre d'Orba, old farmhouse, still leave in doubt the scholars on whether they were referring to the different surroundings of the old country , formed through the migration of Orba, or whether it was the same place.
We are not far from Novi Ligure, a town which is inextricably linked to the career of Fausto Coppi, but also Casal Cermelli boasts of having brought up an important rider: Giancarlo Martini, blue rider born in 1936, he represented Italy at the World Cup Waregem cycling of Reims in 1957 and a year later.
People who ask for information in the square tell us to go and Portanova, a small but important fraction of the country, which was the last of the ten ports around 1168 that contributed to the founding of the city of Alexandria, built to prevent any new Next to the barbarian invasion of Frederick Barbarossa. A Portanova also admire a beautiful church, built in the late nineteenth century, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Inside it houses a painting of the Holy Family of the late sixteenth century, the workshop of Maraglione, from the old church.
After this long cultural walk it is time to rest and think about the pleasures of good food, so we are heading towards the Blue Lake, and soon after we reach the farm Harlequin. We settle in the room and we sit at the gazebo next to the pool. The fun colors that we saw in the country, take us here too: a wall pink, yellow, blue glasses. "We were inspired to Harlequin, my wife wanted to create an environment a bit 'different, more imaginative," explains Mr. Alfredo and leads us to taste some great scones and pizzas, freshly baked in the oven. To our question about the local specialty is proposing a series of dishes of Piedmont and Liguria, adding that but they make the so-called kitchen "might?". "We often have guests who ask creative if you could add an ingredient or prepare a different dish than usual, and we always say yes," said amused. Instead, we let ourselves be guided by its recommendations, and we set a nice plate of ravioli, we do monitor various roasts and pork, all washed down from the Barbera and Dolcetto d'Ovada the area, and finally, a nice tart the homemade jam. While we enjoy these dishes, the lady tells us that this is a farm of eight hundred square meters, and also houses an educational farm, with goats, sheep, calves. "The kids love them," he adds. After lunch we go home to know the animals, and we are happy to hear for a few days the children: we seem to be finished in a fairy tale all colored.
Frances Bertha