Val d'Astoa :

Aosta - panoramic view of lake Blue with Mont Cervinia Breuil (m 2004)

The beautifull mountain-region Val d'Aosta lays on the foot of the mountain MONT BLANC. The Christal clear lakes and rapids are full with salmon trout and in the woods you'll find game of differents kind. The lower meadows give pasture for cattles wich run free among the mountains and give milk and cheese with good quality. Winters can be very cold here, so food has to be both warming and nutritious. Soups with bread or grain are usually served, as well as gnocchi or rice with Fontina cheese and butter. Fontina cheese is also used in the traditional fonduta alla Valdostana, wich is served with truffles from Piemonte. Tradiotional are also stews made of meat from roe, hare or patridge wich are marinaded with herbs and spices at least 2 days before preparing. Pickling of meat is a very old coservation methode wich still occure in some regions.Look for carbonade in the smaller trattoria's in the valleys. Another traditional dish is trota spaccata (baked seasoned trout).A meal is mostly finished with a caffé Valdostane.

Piemonte :

Torino - Piazza Solferino with Angelica Fountain.

In Piemonte south from Vald'Aosta is selected olive oil from Liguria one of the ingredients in most of the traditional dishes, eg.: bagna caöda, a sort of dipsauce. In sharp contrast to this simple dish you can find dishes that have their origin from the noble families of Savoa - dishes that were even more raffinated than the French equivalences in those times. In bars in Torino (Turin) you can still see tracks of this abundance in form of Barrock-mirrors and chrystal vases filled with Giandurotti. Before lunch one can enjoy an aperitivo (Vermouth comes from Piemonte). Among starters you'll find sallads with slices of raw meat (carpaccio), truffled mushrooms, the famous bagna caöda dip or a cremie fonduta from Val d'Aosta. After this huge introduction one can continue with agnulot stuffed with meat, a wine tasting Risotto al Barolo or if it is cold outside a panicia (a strong soup). People from Piemonte prefer there pasta in brodo rather than with sauce. Alba is known for its tartuffo bianco and restaurants serve both starters and main courses with this unusual tastefull white truffle. Meat dishes as Brasato al Barolo and game prepared with red wine and mushrooms are 2 delicious main disches. Other typical main courses are: boliti misti al salsa verde and salmon-trout grilled over open fire. A popular summer dish is vitello tonato a creation both the people from Piemont and Lombardy claim to have inventet. Grissini, Italy's famous bread-sticks, wich were made the first time in the 17th century are now an important industry. Still you can find some home made variations in different size and taste in the smaller bakeries.