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Not Just Grapes and Olives…Rice, Too.

You’ve seen thousands of photos of Italy and its rolling hills covered in rows of vines and narrow roads serpentining through vineyards. You’ve marvelled at hilltop medieval towns overlooking olive trees and you have definitely tasted both olive oil and wine. Although you may even have had the chance to enjoy a plate of risotto, you’ve probably never really wondered where the rice came from.

Rice… the Underminded Cereal

Italy not only produces rice for its traditional dishes, but is the number one producer and exporter in Europe. Ironically, they even export it to…China.  The majority of the rice production in Italy is divided amongst three provinces in the north. Vercelli, Pavia and Novara.

Italian Carnaroli Rice
Italian Carnaroli Rice

Rice grows in flat areas, therefore over the years these provinces have seen an increase of interest by tourists to visit and explore these plains. Easy walking and cycling tours have dramatically increased, and honestly there is nothing more relaxing and educational than to do just that. Many of these 16th, 17th and 18th century majestic farms, or cascine as they are known, are to this day still functioning. Visitors can enjoy hours exploring the history and relax in the fresh air.

Restored Farms Brought Back to Life

In recent years, many more cascine have been restored to bring out their natural beauty. Up until the middle of the last century, hundreds of people would work in one of these cascine. They were located far from the towns (at least in those days it seemed far) and  needed to be self-sufficient. This meant having their own bakeries, butchers, blacksmiths, tailors and of course churches. Although these cascine were essentially working villages, art and creativity and decor weren’t overlooked while building them. They were also fortress-like and during the night time its gates would be closed to keep any undesirables out.

Affreschi, Tapestries, and Sculptures
A Cascina amongst rice
A Cascina amongst rice

Some of the most beautiful architecture can be found on these farms. Nowadays, walking or cycling along these roads and paths of the rice paddies gives you a great opportunity to view how things were three or four hundred years ago. Working in these fields was exceptionally hard work that both men and women shared equally. Women, aside from doing the traditional jobs of maintaining the household, were also very active as mondine, planting the rice and harvesting it. Now these risaie, (rice paddies) still exist, but there is only a dozen or so people needed to continue producing rice. Modernization in the sixties and later slowly eliminated the thousands of jobs that this industry employed. Nowadays, production has increased, but manpower has dwindled.

Sanctuaries Among the Rice Fields

These fields have also become sanctuaries for birds, pheasants, wild rabbits and other small animals. Many farms have donated land to wildlife sanctuaries and these co-exist with the farmers that still cultivate rice.

wild bird sanctuary in Italy rice fields
Photographs by Francesca Cesa Bianchi
  • Nowadays with the use of cars these risaie are not as so far away from bigger centres or towns. Reaching them is hardly a trek. Bike and hike trails are mostly paved, making a self-guided tour a pleasant addition to any trip to Italy.

 

5 Things You Probably Never Knew About Rice in Italy
  • The provinces of Novara and Vercelli are in the Piemonte region and the province of Pavia is in Lombardia. All are easily accessible by train and/or car. Milano Malpensa Airport is less than 90 kilometres from any of these three provinces.
  • The very famous types of rice grown in these areas are Arborio and Carnaroli. These kinds are ideal for the traditional dishes such as risotto or paniscia.
  • In the town of Casalbeltrame in the province of Novara,  there is a superb museum. L’ Civelhttp://www.casalbeltrameonline.it/  recreates the old traditional ways these risaie worked. You can walk through the guided tour (in English) and listen to the songs the mondine  would be singing while harvesting in the paddies. You can see the equipment and tools that were used, and re-live their methods of harvesting the rice from over 120 years ago. For this small town of less than a thousand habitants, this museum is truly a hidden gem. And since touring brings an appetite, I would recommend stopping at the trattoria which has the same name and enjoying a wonderful plate of paniscia.

 

Rice fields in Northern italy

  • Rice seeds are planted in the spring and harvested in September or October. During the spring and summer, the paddies are full of water and the rice “plant” grows up to one and half metres or five feet tall. Once harvested, it is brought in to dry and aged. Aging increases the starch in the rice and makes for better cooking.
  • Italians and Italian dishes never use rice as a side dish. It is always served as a primo piatto (first course), such as risotto, which is usually reserved for starchy dishes. My personal favourites are Risotto allo Champagne or Risotto con Porcini (mushrooms).

Since these beautiful farms are  more easily accessible if have a car, I recommend you to read my post 3 Things to Know About Driving in Italy, to have a better understaning on what drives Italians…

“Til then…Buon viaggio.

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

 

3 Easy Hikes at the Foot of the Italian Alps in Northern Italy

Alagna to Rifugio Pastore

An easy hour-long hike  through the Parco Naturale Alta Valsesia in the shadow of the Monte Rosa in Piemonte. Monte rosa is Italy’s second highest mountain, after Monte Bianco, in the Italian Alps. Here you criss-cross rivers and creeks on wooden bridges until you reach at 1575 metres in altitude the refuge. www.rifugimonterosa.it

Relaxing at the Rifugio Pastore

 

 

The hike stars in Wold, one kilometre passed the town of Alagna. You will continue for three kilometre or so on a paved road till Acqua Bianca. At this point you enter trail number 6 and head to the rifugio. There are two ways to get there, both start in Wold and both take the same amount of time. This one just happened to be my favorite.

The rifugio, is  a rock and shale hut built in 1973 to commemorate an avid mountaineer Francesco Pastore who had past away in an automobile accident. It’s purpose is to protect and give refuge to hikers and trekkers during storms, and rest for those continuing on. It’s also a restaurant and shelter for overnight guests.

Stay for lunch, or a merenda ( snack ). But whatever you decide, you must have their homemade cake (torta del rifugio) and a hot chocolate, Italian style. Well deserved treat for accomplishing the climb.

 

Pella to Santuario di Madonna del Sasso

Hike above the breathtaking Lago d’Orta. One and a half hours of easy strolling and hiking but once there, the view is magnificent. Visit the sanctuary before enjoying lunch at the Hotel Ristorante Panoramico. If you do, try the Strangozzi al Ragoût di Cinghiale (wild boar sauce). If the hike is too long, drive most of the way and maybe just walk the last 30 minutes from Artó. It certainly would give you a reason to work off the pasta.

Later, drive back down to Orta, stroll the town and take the boat to l’Isola di San Giulio. Stroll the short pathway around the Benedictine monastery, pick up a souvenir and then have a cioccolata calda in Piazza Motta back in Orta.

Piazza Motta in Orta with the Island of San Giulio in the bachground and the Sanctuary above and behind
An UNESCO Site

If you have the time, the Sacro Monte di Orta is a UNESCO site worth visiting. It’s only 5 minutes by car from any parking lot in Orta. A unique sanctuary with  20 Franciscan chapels and 375 terracotta statues, depicting religious stories.

One of the 20 chapels with terracotta statues.

The construction started back in the late 1500’s and were terminated in 1788. The art work is remarkable and its also free. The whole site sits on top of the mountain with a gorgeous view of the lake. At the very least, if you running short of time you must try to make it back an other day. or do quick visit, it’s certainly worth strolling through. I have spent many of my visits to Italy discovering this beautiful small lake rich of secrets. I don’t know why, but I just love this lake in particular when it’s raining…call me crazy.

 A hike on Lake Como

This is a longer hike but the terrain is plenty easy and the sights are amazing. You’ll need about three hours, but wow! it is certainly the most scenic of the lake of Como. Start the trek at the train station in Dervio. Why the train station? Simply because when you arrive in Bellano‘s train station you can catch any of the local trains back to your point of origin.

Leave Dervio station and head to the church of San Quirico e Giulitta facing the lake. Here is where the actual trail starts and although sometimes it’s paved, you are actually on ancient roads that were used to connect Como and Switzerland. Throughout the hike you will see ruins, mulattiere (mule trails) that date back centuries, and lots of farmland and farm houses, in particular the Cascine dei Ronchi, where you’ll have a marvellous view of the lake.

You’ll walk through the Valle dei Mulini, cross over stone bridges and visit the Santuario di Lezzeno and the church of San Bernardino or the one of San Rocco.

This trail is a wonderful testament to history and earlier civilizations. You will reach the Orrodo gorge, an amazing natural wonder with suggestive waterfalls and gollies. Soon after that you’ll see the church of the Saints Nazaro e Celso before heading to Bellano where the trail actually ends at the train station.

Easy Train Ride Home

Relax a bit, have a cappuccino or lunch pending what time you get there and afterwards take the easy way back to Dervio. Since the train ride is only 6 minutes, yes 6 minutes, and costs about €1,50, you can spend some time just visiting that town.

If you don’t want to hike the total distance, and since the two towns are only six minutes by train, you could hike a few kilometres in each place.  You will get a good feeling about the area and still see some great panoramas, and at the same time you have given yourself a good pat on the back for having done at least somewhat of a good nature walk. Any amount of time amongst nature is time well spent. Good for the body, the spirit… and the appetite.

“Till then…Buon viaggio

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.