Truffle Time

With the autumn colours comes the truffle season. So with both these benefits of October in mind we set off to revisit the town Barolo for a lunch. Similar to last time we went via Turin but this time we got our Al Bicerin (expresso, dark chocolate and cream) from the original café of the same name that has been serving them up since 1784.

We then headed south and into the vineyards around Barolo. The vines were all changing colour but in different stages so the hills were covered in stripes of gold, orange, red and green – very picturesque. We ate at the same restaurant as last time – Hotel Brezza. Again it was a fantastic meal with an excellent set of antipasti (including a sublime hot gorgonzola toast) and then pasta with freshly shaved local truffles. This mushroomy sort of funghi grows underground and can only be found by knowledgeable locals often helped by dogs. It has not been successfully cultivated so its rarity and difficult harvesting conspire to make it very expensive. And to show diners that they are paying for the real thing the staff serve your pasta and then bring out the truffle and shave off your portion at your table. It was very tasty but not the most amazing thing I have eaten – certainly a unique taste though – sort of like perfumed mushroom I guess.

On the way back out of Barolo we stopped at another winery and had a most enjoyable chat with the owner (in Italian). We tasted several good wines and got a brief tour of the winery. Highlights were the Barolo (beautiful, rich, full flavoured red) and also a muscato (desert white wine). We bought three bottles, certainly not a large purchase, but he discounted them and sent us off with two free books on the regions wines. He also solved our question of why the vines on the hills were of such different colours – the various grape varieties change colour at different times in autumn.

On Sunday we went out for a ride south of Milan along the canals that end just near our house. It was a cold and very misty morning but the canals are pleasant change from the traffic of Milan as they head through the fields south of the city.