Un viaje a través de los sabores navideños del Alto Piamonte

Christmas is just around the corner, bringing family meals and gifts, of course, but also the opportunity to spend a few days exploring new destinations. Those of us who are passionate about good food and traditional products should include Alto Piemonte among our favorite destinations. This part of the region encompasses the provinces of Novara, Vercelli, Biella, and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, stretching northward between the Aosta Valley and Lombardy, wedging itself into the Alpine arc all the way to the Swiss border. Enhanced today by the Vivi Alto Piemonte project, promoted by the Monte Rosa Laghi Alto Piemonte Chamber of Commerce, this is a region waiting to be explored: from the majestic peaks of Monte Rosa to Lakes Maggiore, Orta, and Mergozzo, from the Borromean Islands to the historic villages, from the vineyards of Ghemme and Gattinara to the rice fields of Vercelli and Novara. The best way to tackle this gourmet journey is by car, a means of transport that allows you to reach the artisans who populate the entire area, carrying on centuries-old traditions, from rice, cured meat, and cheese producers to wineries and pastry shops. We've imagined a discovery itinerary structured like a grand lunch, from appetizer to dessert, without forgetting to refill your glass. Ready to travel with us? Fasten your seatbelts, let's go!

The appetizer

There's no more convivial way to start a meal than by sharing a delicious cheese and cured meat platter. Our cheeses hail from the Ossola and Sesia Valleys, two mountainous areas steeped in the culinary traditions of the Walser people. From the mountain pastures of the Alta Valsesia comes Toma, a cheese typical of the entire Alto Piemonte region. It can be enjoyed on its own, in Oropa polenta concia, or as a filling for miacce, thin, crispy wafers made with white flour, milk, cream, and eggs, which are cooked over the fire using special round irons.

Cheeses to discover in the Ossola Valley include Ossolano DOP and Bettelmatt Pat, made in the summer on just seven mountain pastures between the Formazza and Antigorio valleys, where the "muttolina" grass grows, giving it its distinctive flavor. The two valleys share the production of mocetta, a flavored and cured fillet. The Ossola Valley also produces Vigezzo prosciutto, with its smoky flavor, and brisaula, made from cuts of the beef hindquarter, particularly the thigh muscles.

The first

The provinces of Vercelli, Novara, and Biella are known for their characteristic rice paddy landscapes, where Baraggia Biellese and Vercellese rice, Italy's first and only DOP rice, is grown. Naturally, traditional recipes featuring it are numerous and vary from region to region: Paniscia Novarese pairs it with beans, vegetables, and Salam d'la Duja, while Panissa Vercellese combines it with Saluggia beans, pork rind, chopped lard, and Salam d'la Duja; two perfect first courses for the winter months. Local risottos also stand out, including the one with Gorgonzola, the celebrated DOP cheese from Novara, and riso in cagnone, a rice dish boiled and combined with toma cheese and fried butter, typical of the Biella area.

The second

The lakes of Upper Piedmont are rich in a wide variety of fish, which are the protagonists of delicious dishes. In Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta, brown trout, char, whitefish, perch, lavaret, and bleak are caught, prepared with stews, marinated, or simply grilled or fried. Meanwhile, Lake Viverone, in the province of Biella, is home to whitefish, characterized by a very delicate flesh. Even those who prefer meat will be satisfied by the quality of the products sourced from the Ossola Valley farms. Here, the meat is cooked, without added fat, on the red-hot laugera, a soapstone typical of the area, carved from the serpentine rock of the Ossola mountains, and then accompanied by sauces and roasted potatoes.

The dessert

The end of every great meal can only be sweet, and the provinces of Alto Piemonte boast some truly tempting ones. Stresa's margheritine are delicate, handmade biscuits that melt in your mouth, while Novara's biscotti, with their crumbly texture, are excellent with coffee. Vercelli boasts bicciolani di frolla, with an intense cinnamon flavor, while Biella boasts the typical canestrelli, sandwiching a layer of chocolate between two wafers. There's no shortage of leftover recipes from the mountainous regions, where the art of recycling has ancient roots: a delicious example is the Val d'Ossola bread cake, made with stale bread.

For Christmas, you must try the "highest panettone in Italy," created by chef Matteo Sormani in Riale, in the upper Formazza Valley, a Walser settlement particularly charming for its typical mountain architecture and surrounding landscape, also known as the northernmost in Piedmont. The panettone is made with a light and delicate dough, made with a little sugar, mountain water, and sourdough, enriched with candied Sicilian oranges and lemons, made by the chef himself through a slow process in the pristine open air of these mountains. This alone should make you want to travel!

In the chalice

Alto Piemonte also boasts some particularly renowned wine regions. Lovers of red wines should head to Ghemme and Gattinara, where the eponymous DOCG wines are produced, made from Nebbiolo grapes. Elegant, structured, and capable of aging for many years, they're perfect for enjoying during the holidays with meat dishes. In Gattinara, you can also visit the Regional Wine Shop, housed in the 19th-century Villa Paolotti, where you can taste and purchase prized local wines and visit the interesting ecomuseum. Those who prefer white wines will find a truly fascinating grape variety in the hills of Biella and Vercelli, home to Erbaluce di Caluso, a versatile native grape also produced as a sparkling wine and a passito (raisin wine). Biella, meanwhile, is the home of Menabrea beer, a historic brand that has maintained its artisanal quality over time. At the brewery, you can also visit the MEBO – Menabrea Botalla Museum dedicated to the local brewing tradition.