The miracle of the Tortona hills: a journey to Garbagna, between nature and tastes

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The landscapes that have inspired many paintings by Giuseppe Pellizza Volpedo, Fausto Coppi and those surrounding a child during many of his bike tours: in short, the Tortona hills, about an hour's drive from Milan and Turin, but also from Genoa, passing through the Val Borbera. For our holiday of peace, nature and good food we chose Garberville, a country rich in history, in the countryside, a kind of nature reserve to recover energy lost during the hectic life in the city.
Garberville is located at the bottom of Val Grue, and its origins, according to various assumptions, date from the late Middle Ages. But it was in May of 1341 that the history of this country was dyed a beautiful blue color, a poor shepherdess suit, which was grazing his flock on the nearby hills, he saw a beautiful lady, who was none other than the Blessed Virgin. The girl, Maria miracle, suddenly regained the gift of speech and was amazed at home running the family recounting the incident, which also included an important promise: If the country had built a shrine in honor of Our Lady, she would offer its protection and it would an end to wars in that region persisted for some time. And so it was the war between the Guelphs and Ghibellines ended June 7 of that year, and soon it was built a chapel dedicated to Our Lady.
After settling in the beautiful and romantic rooms Castellini House, the farmhouse where we spent this rejuvenating holiday, let's go now to discover the country, and as the first half, we reach on foot, walking along a stairway with steps that starts from the central Piazza Principe Doria The Shrine of Our Lady of the Lake The peace that reigns around the Shrine, surrounded by a beautiful meadow with a few cherry, is immense, and soon turned to inner peace.
The cherry trees are part of the wealth of Garberville, because here are grown Bella, a particularly good variety of cherry. Until the eighties the production of cherries in the country was intense, but that this tradition is still alive, witness, among other things, the Cherry Festival, which falls during the month of June.
During our stay we admired the vibrancy of the old town, the beautiful Piazza Principe Doria always enlivened by a parade of people walking under the beautiful chestnut trees in front of the Oratory of San Rocco, whose facade is decorated with frescoes by Carlone. But here, inside the Church of San Giovanni Battista, with its bell tower in 1828 withstood a destructive earthquake, there is also the oldest wooden organ of the Diocese of Tortona, originating in 1600. Walking along a street uphill from the square, we have also reached the remains of the castle, in particular a striking square tower surrounded by greenery.
After a great first day of walking, we decided to get more comfortable after taking advantage of the opportunity to make beautiful carriage rides, horse-drawn House Castellini. It 'been a funny: we were able to enjoy the gentle landscape surrounding the manner of the lords of the past. To relax, we also spent a few hours in the pool of the farm, to the delight of the children of our friend, who were persuaded to leave the water only made the promise of being able to immediately see the cows and chickens farm . "This was the farm of my great-grandparents, in fact the family Semino manages the farm for four generations, since the early nineteenth century, while the farm was born twenty years ago," Fabio tells us while we sit at the table, ready to surrender to the delights that the restaurant offers good food. Let's start with the starters of salami produced by the company, and also taste the local cheese with jam, wine and a savory tart with zucchini. First, let an irresistible blend of rice in country, with vegetables, bacon and pears, while our friends opt for noodles with vegetables. We follow the first by a dish of meat with salt beef, tasting a bit 'chicken prepared in accordance with the Piedmont tradition. Washed down with wines from the hills of Tortona, in particular the Timorasso and Barbera. To end on a sweet note, we take the cream with fruit, and do not give up and taste the typical bonet Piedmont, in addition to the panna cotta with mint.
After a few days in Garberville back in town perfectly relaxed, convinced that it is really very important to switch off and immerse yourself in the authentic rhythms of nature.

Frances Bertha

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.provincia.alessandria.it/Garbagna/
www.casacastellini.it
Agriturismo Casa Castellini
Fraz Castellini Garberville Ca (AL)
0131/877878
www.ciliegiagarbagna.com