Brugnato, the canestrelli realm of the Vara Valley
Italian film director and writer Mario Soldati was a fan of the canestrelli di Brugnato, the evergreen pastry making icon of this centre of the Vara Valley, strategically located at the feet of the Apennines just a 30-min. drive from the Cinque Terre.
Yet, the term canestrelli might be misleading, as it is usually associated to small, flower shaped biscuits dusted with powder sugar. Brugnato’s canestrelli, in fact, are soft doughnuts (20 cm) with a distinctive flavour of wild fennel and anise. Three bakeries produce them daily.
The panificio Benelli, set at the limit of the historical centre close to the town hall is the most ancient depository of the (secret) recipe: Signora Alessandra provides advice on how to taste (and enjoy them). Easter is the time of a “limited edition” version known as “cavagnetto” (i.e., small basket), devoid of hole and filled with an egg (complete with shell). Foodies are also recommended a visit of the caseificio Esposito (est. 1956), a high-quality cheese manufacture (miss nots include caciotte and mozzarelle).
The curiously pincer-shaped historical centre – featuring in both the Borghi più belli d'Italia and Bandiera Arancione del TCI lists - is definitely worth an accurate tour. Around the 6th century Saint Columbanus’s Benedictine monks chose Brugnato for the foundation of a new monastery; in 1133 it became an episcopal seat. Porta Sottana (to the east) and Porta Soprana (to the west) still grant access to the borgo, whose heart features the 12th century Cattedrale dei Santi Pietro, Lorenzo e Colombano, closet o the Palazzo Vescovile, which houses a beautiful museum. This traffic-free area offers an array of eateries and bed&breakfasts. During the mid-June Corpus Domini festivity, the streets are covered with a carpet of flower petals, their geometry amazing.
Last but not least, Brugnato (conveniently equipped with a highway exit) is the ideal starting point for excursions to wards the coast (the Cinque Terre are at a stone’sthrow) and the uncontaminated entroterra of the Val di Vara.
My English abstract of the article as published on LiguriaFood
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