Home of chocolate, cheese and wine

Inder Raj Ahluwalia recounts his visit to Torino and Piemonte, Italy’s cultural and cuisine stronghold

FROM a Roman and medieval culture to a Baroque capital, from its royal residences, magnificent church domes, stately mansions and 18 km of arcades, to grand theme museums, from the coffee and chocolate culture to global tastes — Torino’s strong on charm. The caf`E9 storicis (historical cafes) with their robust ambience, to ethnic outlets like Gattodolcione, there’s a rakish element to the city’s "sweet-tooth" tag.

Italy’s first capital in 1861, Torino’s architecture spans generations, having hosted great architects like Ascanio Vitozzi, Guarino Guarini and `A0Filippo Juvarra. Everyone makes the mandatory stop at the Piemontese baroque style Carignano Palace, and at the hall of the first Sub-alpine Parliament. The famous restaurant del Cambio where Camillo Benso, the Count of Cavour, dined in between meetings, lies just across the square.

Buoy your spirits with an aperitif (a Tourinese invention) or a glass of wine or vermouth (invented by Benedetto Carpano in 1786). The place is Quadrilatero Romano. Try a Marocchino, a hot chocolate or coffee cup. And the famed Bicerin — a typical Torino coffee, chocolate and cream-based beverage, drunk hot and steaming, considered by Alessandro Dumas as being "among the good and pleasant things of the city."

Agnolotti, bolliti and bonet`85Eat heartily. Choose a typical, famed Trattoria. Or try renowned restaurants like Restorante Sotto la Mole, and Arcadia. Torino is chocolate turf, inventing the famous Giandujotti, the symbol of a sweet-toothed city. Enjoy tourinot (nut chocolate mignon shapes that weigh only two grams), or homemade pralines, creams, marrons glaces, alpines and truffles.

Offering sparkling, full-flavoured whites and rich and full-bodied reds, Torino is also the Italian wine capital. Enjoy the best Piemontese labels, accompanied with grissini (bread sticks) with cheese.

Torino apart, the Piemonte region was one big charming blur, an odyssey of fine wining and dining and a close look at prime local products that just happened to be chocolates, cheeses and wines. Pastry shops produce homemade pralines, creams, truffles, alpines, marrons glaces and tourinot. And easy-going cafes serve hot and sweet beverages.

My first culinary foray was to the little town of Pinerolo. Here, tucked away in a side street is Dolce Idea, a company engaged in the sweet business of producing chocolates dressed to look like cheese, sausages, and ornaments. Apron-clad Signor di Rosetto Franco, the amiable owner showed me how little chocolate chips taste heavenly with a sip of Grapa, which is best matched with chocolates, as are cognac and brandy.

On day two, with the Alps looking down on us, a little snow still clinging on to rocky escarpments, we headed south on the highway to Novi Ligure. The mountains apart, it was flat, green country. We reached just in time for some sweet delights at Novi, a company annually manufacturing under the brand name Elap, some 10,000 tonnes each of chocolate and candy.

A leisurely lunch at the restaurant Locanda dell’Olmo in the village of Boscomarengo and we wound up our day tour with a short visit to Giraudi, a chocolate shop in the little town of Castellazzo Bormida.

Our next morning outing held a surprise. What was portrayed as a mere rice factory turned out to be a real treat. `A0Framed by the Alps some distance away, Principato di Lucedio owned by Countess Rosetta Clara Cavalli d’Olivola, seems to leap right out of the movies. A former nunnery and abbey founded in 1123 by Cistercian monks, its large brick buildings straddle a giant courtyard, watched over by an 1100-year-old chapel.

Winding up our day tour was a stopover at Enoteca della Serra and Ristorante Castello di Ropollo in the little village of Ropollo, a 1000-year-old restaurant of sheer class and character. The next day found us back in the Bacchus country. Snuggled in a valley, two hour’s drive from Torino, watched over faithfully by sprawling vineyards, Canelli is a small town with a big wine history.

Winding up our Piemonte sojourn, we passed the region’s famed sweet hills and arrived at Enoteca Regionale Piemontese Cavour, whose wine cellar stocks not just wines but also chocolates and lots of light. Up the steps we went to the Masks Room, and then to the last room on the castle’s top, saw a typical rural workshop, and savoured the atmosphere of old. They’ve clung to their tradition in Piemonte, and no one’s complaining.

Fact file

Torino has air links with several European hubs. The airport is half-an-hour drive from the city centre. Taxis and buses are available. Accommodation is wide and varied, with tariffs ranging from Euro 50-250.

Enjoy the dining experience. On offer, is varied cuisine that includes everything from regional and Italian food to international fare. Allow Euro 25 to 30 for a meal for two at a standard eatery.

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