SEASON OF MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS
FULL OF FRUIT WITH RIPENESS TO THE CORE,
TO SWELL THE GOURD AND PLUMP THE HAZEL SHELLS…

The words of Keats' Ode to Autumn apply themselves to no place better than the Langhe, with its landscapes infused with soft languor and delicate charm in the morning mist and the evening twilight. Churches and castles stand atop rounded hills which gently slope towards villages resting quietly on fertile lands broken by impetuous torrents, and lonely buildings stand guard beside orderly rows of vines and hazelnut trees.

This is where the Langa of wine, amorously coloured by a countryside culture with roots as deep as those of the vines which grow on its fecund soil, meets the Langa of the pine and the oak, its patches of green alternating with pastures and hazel groves. Distinctive landscapes and traces of ancient culture combine to create the fascinating allure of a land which generously gives back well-being to those who cultivate it with care.

Irrigated by the Tanaro and Bormida rivers and situated among the geometric designs of vineyards and dense woods rich with wildlife, the Langhe have a charisma reminiscent of Piedmont. They don't captivate like the breathless beauty of Tuscany, they don't enthrall like the sun-drenched mirage of Sicily, and they don't grip like the rugged beauty of Calabria or the aristocratic serenity of Veneto. With their ancestral heritage, landscapes soft as a lover's caress, and the relaxed atmosphere of a patrician lounge, the Langhe allow themselves to be discovered little by little by he who has no care, repaying the explorer with gastronomic delights and artistic gems.

Alba glides across the banks of the Tanaro, which carries the international fame of this region for its wine and white truffles. Under the shadow of medieval towers, the tiled roads of Alba Pompeia converge in Piazza Duomo, where once beat the heart of the Roman Forum, although the configuration of the town remains Lombard Gothic, mollified by Renaissance influence. October is a month of great activity for the renowned Fair of the Truffle, with the apotheosis of local products of agriculture and of the vine, and accompanied by the folkloric events of the Palio degli Asini and the Giostra delle Cento Torri, as well as various other popular traditions, for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. Historical renditions in traditional garb confirm Italy to be the country most prolific in mundane events rooted in historical or cultural traditions. As for the truffle, it was defined as far back as 1400 as "a stimulator of lust", and was served at banquets dedicated to the triumph of Bacchus and Venus.

Whether it is an aphrodisiac or not, the white truffle of Alba is a rare and refined product, worth its weight in gold and jealously guarded by the "trufolao", who are said to be led by faeries in the moonlight to search out the best specimens in the woods.

If the trademark of Alba is the truffle and the triumph of wine, Cortemilia is the undisputed capital of the "tonda e gentile", the most regal product of the High Langhe, which uses the best hazelnuts in Europe to make the most exquisite torrone nougat in the world. Today the basis of an industry which has brought well-being to the entire area, the "nuceola", as it was called in Latin, also known as "avellana", founded its reign in the Langa on a rich historical past. According to Greek mythology, Hermes separated two fighting snakes with a hazel branch and gave it to his son Esculapio, making it the symbol of medicine; Moses made water flow from the rock in the desert with a hazel staff; water diviners similarly use a hazel branch in their search for sources of water; and hazel bushes have always inspired a sense of mystery, linked to Celtic traditions which referred to this plant as the preferred plant of the Druids and their disciples. Symbol of wisdom and endowed with curative qualities, the hazel has also given its name to Caledonia - Cal Dun - which means "hills of hazel", similarly to the Langhe, which means "hilltops".

Those around Cortemilia are indeed adorned with hazels and perhaps a certain Celtic spirit lingers there today, although the name probably is derived from the Roman Cohors Aemilia, the court of the consul Emilio Scauro, who established himself on the banks of the river Bormida on the Salt Road in the II Century AD.

If the Romans drove out the Ligurian or Taurine Celts, Cortemilia lived through bountiful periods also uner local rulers, to the extent that Emperor Ottone I allowed the Alermians to fashion their own currency - the silver "marchesano" which in the XIII Century crossed over the borders and arrived as far as England, where the original chart of Henry VII of Luxembourg, granting permission to mint coins, is still kept in the British Museum, confirming the commercial importance of Cortemilia. Del Carretto, Scarampi and Alfieri are other famous names to have dominated the area from castles, towers and palaces still visible on the hilltops, massive and imposing. Such is the palace of Prunetto, erected in the XII Century around a large square tower serving as fortress and dwelling for Henry of Savona, the father of the Del Carretto lineage.

Another noteworthy construction is the tower in the centre of Cortemilia, the only surviving tower from a structure built on the foundations of a Roman fort: grand and impressive its cylindrical form dominates the city in almost perfect symmetry with the Church of Santa Maria on the other side of the river Bormida. By crossing over a small bridge spanning the Uzzone torrent, we reach a small square in which stands the church from the XIII Century, in pure Romanic style - simple, elegant, suggestive. From under the shadow of the ancient bell-tower and cypress trees, the stone church exhibits a refined mullioned window adorned with vine, and a portal with a bas relief from 1500. All around, there is the enchanted silence of Monte Oliveto. In the city, we find characteristic tiled roads, porticos, balconies in wrought iron and stylish houses, among which stands out Palazzo Rabino, head office of the Confraternity of the Hazel, which promotes, precisely, the main product of the town and other typical products of the High Langa.
In a certain sense, the good fortune enjoyed by the hazel is owed to the British, who, with their naval blockade against Napoleon in the 1800s, prevented the importation of cocoa for confectionery production. Since necessity sparks ingeniousness, the Piedmontese discovered that hazel flour is an excellent substitute for cocoa, and during the 1865 Carnival the Caffarel-Prochet introduced the "gianduiotto" on the market, with the name of the famous Turin mask and a heart of, precisely, "tonda e gentile" from the Langhe. Indeed, this is where hazel appears in all forms, from sauces for lamb and pheasant to cakes, biscuits and pastries, a cornucopia of sweet tastes which honour what has come to be defined as a "Food Valley", a paradise for gourmets who appreciate the slow rhythms of a cuisine which is protective of its traditions but imaginative in the use of simple and genuine products, whose tastes are exalted by distinguished local wines such as Barbaresco, Barolo, Dolcetto and Moscato.

There is not only the truffle, therefore, in these hills celebrated by the likes of Pavese, Fenoglio and Arpino in literary emotions describing the folklore, the art and the magic of boroughs nestled amid the green, churches, sanctuaries and convents dotted among the vineyards and hazel groves, looking out over the sea. Surrounding everything is the mantle of silence, allowing nature to speak and inviting one to walk a bit more slowly, drawing them into contemplation. Such is the calm serenity of the area, which equally invites one to partake of its culinary treats: here, even polenta has a different taste, thanks to the hazelnut oil, of course, and the hazelnut cake from the shops of Cortemilia is certainly a specialty to savour in reverential meditation, particularly if accompanied by vintage Barolo.

Author: Margherita Calderoni