Ingredients for a weekend in Oltrepo' di Pavese

View from Agriturismo Mondo Antico, Oltrepo Pavese.

We combined these ingredients for a relaxing autumn weekend in the wine growing region of the Oltrepo' Pavese.

Image from HERE

One large scoop of local knowledge.
"Explore the hills and countryside below Pavia for some great local wines," said the lady from the Vigevano tourist office.  That was the plan.

Add a Fiat 500
Although we like to catch trains, sometimes hiring a car is necessary.  Our car of choice is the Italian favourite, the Cinque-Cento.  This one was an automatic, a rare thing in Italy.  Stefano was surprised to discover that it wasn't bad at all, even on the hills.

Add a portion of famous churches or monasteries.
We added both.
Certosa is a tiny town with a big reputation located just outside Pavia.  It is famous for one thing, an incredibly ornate Gothic/Renaissance style church which has a monastery attached.  The Cistercian order of monks still live in the monastery and conduct tours of their 'home'.  Every half an hour one of the monks gathers the crowd of visitors waiting patiently at the gates inside the church.  There are rare tours in English, but we chose to practice our Italian listening comprehension skills. Always up for a challenge to add a little spice to the recipe.

Once again we learned about the famous Visconti family who were the original owners of the Certosa complex.  The interior and exterior of the church are equally ornate and fascinating, but even more interesting was the tour of the lovely gardens and the monks' cells built around a huge courtyard for contemplation and prayer.  While we didn't catch all the monk's jokes, we understood that life must have been relatively comfortable as each 'cell' was comprised of a couple of rooms with its own courtyard, where the monks grew food, in addition to working the common land and spending much of their time in solitary prayer.

Lastly add the essential ingredient - A great agriturismo.

Agriturismi are definitely our preferred form of accommodation in Italy.

 In our experience, these uniquely Italian 'farm stays' offer lovely rooms, great fresh food usually grown on the farm, delicious wine, again usually produced on site, and charming hosts.  

Guilianna and Lucrezia our hosts at Mondo Antico

We stayed for just one night at Agriturismo Mondo Antico about 30 minutes drive from the lovely university town of Pavia.  Like many agriturismos, Mondo Antico has its own restaurant, perfect for dining in after a day of driving and sightseeing.  

Guilianna was our friendly hostess and her daughter, Lucrezia assisted her mother in the dining room.  The highlight of dinner was Guilianna's risotto. Simply made with just cream, butter, rice and parmesan but it was cooked to perfection.  Delicious. 

Stefano filled the boot of our little car with a box, or two, of the family's wine after Lucrezia took us on a tour of their vineyard. Wine making is her father's passion. 

Finish with the secret ingredient. 

We woke to a cool misty morning. The area is famous for fog and mist during winter and autumn. To us it added the flourishing touch of atmosphere to our autumn weekend. However, Lucrezia reminded us that the mist isn't quite as exotic when it settles in for weeks at a time, especially not when she is commuting to university in Pavia.

Grazie mille Guilianna e Lucrezia per la tua generosita. Speriamo tornare nella primavera per un altre fine settimana. 

Prossima volta a Grossio e Bormio con mia sorella. Ci vediamo. 

Certosa can easily be reached by train.  CLICK HERE for more details.
For more information about Mondo Antico Agriturismo CLICK HERE and for reviews of this lovely agriturismo CLICK HERE.

No skorts in Stresa

Isola Pescatori on Lake Maggiore

I'll get to the skorts, but first to Stresa. Friends from Australia, Mary and Melissa, arrived in Milano last week for a brief stopover on their way to a Scandinavian adventure. After a quick tour of the 'must see' spots in Milano we whisked them away to Stresa for the weekend.

Admiring the Duomo in the early evening light.

We are discovering that one of the best things about Milano is that it's a convenient stopover with many international flights transiting through Malpensa airport. Even more appealing is Milano's central location so weekends away are very easy to organise. Stefano's colleagues recommended Stresa as a great spot to take visitors and it's only an hour away by train. We arrived there around midday slightly disappointed by the fairly ordinary scenery along the train route, but once we reached the famous promenade along the shore of Lake Maggiore our disappointment vanished rapidly.  Looking out to the beautiful Borromean Islands we decided to make the most of the sunny afternoon. A brief ferry trip took us to the most famous, and closest island, Isola Bella.  Like other slightly more well known couples, Napoleon and Josephine, Charles and Di, we strolled around this once rocky outcrop. For centuries the Italians have been gardening here transforming the tiny island into a spectacular garden which spreads out like a bride's veil from the magnificent palazzo.

We could have spent more time exploring the other islands as the largest, Isola Madre,  has an even more expansive garden but like the light we were fading from our afternoon of sightseeing. Luckily all that was needed was a refreshing glass of prosecco, or an aperol spritz for the more adventurous Mary, and we were revived in time to stroll into town for dinner leaving the Italians to their lakeside card games.

Our lucky weather streak changed on Sunday as we woke to a cool, wet morning. Plans to catch the cable car to the top of Monte Mottarone were abandoned, as was our brief ferry trip up the lake in search of more pretty towns. So instead we enjoyed a hearty lunch in Stresa before returning to Milano Centrale.

Although we didn't spot a skort in Stresa, they were seen on the streets of Milano this week.

Yes, it was fashion week in Milano with police controlling the crowds who flocked to the usually empty designer shops in the Quadrilatero d'Oro. Perhaps the crowds had something to do with the free Campari cocktails, or maybe it was the live mannequins in the window displays.

Next year if you're in Milano for fashion week let me know and I'll book one of these appropriately dressed Fiats, but you'll have to BYO skorts.

Così fino alla prossima settimana addio da Milano.

Well why not?

Our dear friend Fi joined us in Milan for the last weekend of summer. So we thought, let's escape from the city and explore the lakes and towns just outside Milan.
Hire a Fiat 500?
Why not!

 Drive 55kms north to the lakeside town of Varese? 

Tour some beautifully restored villas?

 

Relax in the stunning gardens?



 

 
Stay in a magnificently restored ancient manor house?

Drink local Buosi café and stir with a chocolate spoon?



Join the crowds taking an evening walk by Lago Varese and discover a little corner of home?

 

 

Drink free prosecco on the terrace of our gorgeous hotel?

 

WELL WHY NOT?

We did it all and loved every minute. Can you tell?
Salute!