Hike to Bourcet in Upper Chisone Valley

Getting up into the higher mountains is always a thrill for me. The anticipation, the fresh mountain air, the wildflowers, the discoveries along the path, the views and the sense of accomplishment are some of the aspects of a days outing with my boots and buddies that satisfies my soul.
It might seem odd to you, that it would be such a thrill for me, seeing that I already live in the mountains, but naturally it is my own back yard and you know what they say about familiarity?

I love the mountains and even though I do live in the mountains, I love nothing more than getting out and up into them. The anticipation of a new walk in the woods when pull on my well worn boots and fill the water bottles up, brings a lilt to my step and a smile to my face.

It all feels so good, the jaunt in ones step that lasts just until the heat sets in, in earnest, and the water bottle's refreshing liquid has lost it's cool refreshing ways and the novelty of this new hike begins to wear a little thin.  The realization sets in that the spring in your step has done sprung, about the time that it dawns on you, that for the past hour you have been trudging up the lovely, but very wrong hillside from  which you were wanting to arrive, oh my....

When you finally see the much anticipated church just up above your head and although it is indeed a welcome sight, even if it undoubtedly just a hair further up the hill than what you were hoping for, it is a welcome sight. And you trudge on knowing there is a reward at the top, a small mountain festival is going on. There will be libations and sustenance.

 And there was.

And the water flowing straight from the source will and does, taste soooooooo incredibly good.

There will be happy hikers.

And there was.

And I highly recommend doing it again.

Especially if there is a chance to guess the weight of the pig and take him home with you. 

You just never know what kind of opportunity awaits you, hiking in the alps.

Bourcet... the plains calls the mountains and some surprising treats

 I so forget that going to Italian events are sometimes not exactly what I am expecting. I don't always pay close attention to the details before hand and Fabrizio can be a little thin on the explanations as well, so they tend to be a surprise or at least have some surprising elements to the events. With a rather oblique title as the plains calls to the mountains, we headed out of our valley to the plains to celebrate the mountains. I concluded it was an eating event. I wasn't really sure what to expect.

What I have come to expect is that when you least expect it, there will be a political angle to many public events. Sometimes in the most unlikely circumstances. So we arrived in Carignano,  a lovely old town with some beautiful historic buildings, and a town hall that is jarringly modern and seemingly out of place. For me it isn't a brilliant fit, but it is large and able to accommodate an art display showing off the various talents of the citizens of Bourcet, in addition to some of its history.

There was a reception of refreshments of very interesting offerings, but before we got to sample anything at all, it was a long round of speeches from both sides of the political divide. I never cease to be amazed at how everything in Italy is tied to the political system. There was a lot of hand shaking and talk of what needs to be done to support the people living the mountains and all, and it is close to regional elections, so that is somewhat to be expected. It was interesting for awhile but my attention span is very short as the Italian is a bit complicated, so I was greatly relieved when we got to the reception, the nibbling, the drinking, the mingling and perusal of the art display.

Traditional upper Val Chisone costume

Bonnet detail

Upon sampling the various breads, cheese and biscotti, which went down well with a delicate sparkling wine, I became curious about what everything being served was exactly. Although familiar, they all had a slightly different take on it and not quite familiar. It turns out that one of the local women had done some experimenting to make some modern updates on some old favorite recipes using the readily available specialties of the high mountains, potatoes, honey and lentils.

The potato marmalade was delicious, especially with the local Toma cheese dipped in it. It had the look and texture of applesauce and the distinct flavor of mountain mixed floral honey. 

These traditional ciambelle looked like whole wheat fried doughnuts, but turns out they were baked lentil cakes, light and fragrant with the mountain honey again. I never would have guessed lentils. I will be on a quest to make these as I found them intriguing and light. 

I was really surprised when I discovered that these tasty Riccioli biscotti were made from the different types of potatoes. The dark ones were not chocolate as they seemed, but were made from the deep purple potatoes. Surprising and delightful.  I love when food is surprising and evolved from the traditional certainties. That is how food becomes favorites after all. experimentation and accidental discoveries.  It does seem that for many it is sacrilege to mess with tradition, so I do appreciate the bold steps of the adventuresome cooks and applaud their boldness, especially when the results are so fabulous. I look forward to sampling more of their fare the next time we get to one of their mountain festivals. It is something to really look forward to, as we wouldn't want to miss it. See you there.

Out and About to Celebrate the Mountains

Today were coming out of the mountains to do a day trip towards Torino to participate in a small expo called Bourcet a Carignano - La pianura chiama la montagna  Or the plains calls the mountain. Literal translations don't always make a lot of sense, but the gist of it is the mountain folks from Bourcet are coming down and out of our valley to show off what all we have to offer to our friends on the plains in Carignano. Sounds like another opportunity to sample the local food and drink while making new freinds and seeing some of our old ones as well. We're doing our part. We're gathering up some local goodies to sample that everyone has so generously donated to the cause.  Bourcet is a small village further up our valley that we gaze upon from our view across the valley. They used to be a year round residential village, but not longer does during the winter, they hope to make some improvements to their infrastructure in order to change all of that. Fabrizio's aunt used to be a school teacher back in the day when folks still lived their year round. Fabrizio's father and his hunting buddies maintain a small hunting lodge where they have a small garden of potatoes and salad to keep them going during hunting season. It really is a kind of boys club.  Bourcet is a charming and beautifully remote spot that enjoys a fair amount of summer visits. They have a wonderful trattoria and refugio, as well as a climbing area and access to some gorgeous high alpine hiking, especially wonderful when the flowers are at their best. Will share more on this outing soon, but thought I'd pique your interest for a later installment, sure to feature some food and drink. So check back soon.