Italy Travel Style Vol. 1

Our first stop is Fratelli Ciapponi a historical
bottega full of gourmet delights. The shop
dates back to 1883 and has been in the
same family for over 100 years! We are
invited into the wine cellar, which descends
three levels underground.
You can feel the temperature drop going
down the first flight of stairs. The thick walls
dug into the mountain rock naturally
insulate the cellar. Barrels and bottles of
wines, massive wheels of cheese and
dangling salami fill the nooks and crannies
of the dim vault.
After a lesson on wine storage and the
process of cheese aging, we went upstairs
for a cheese tasting. We tried Casera
cheese; aged one year, two years and
another that was matured for ten years. The
ten-year cheese was firm and savory
whereas the young cheese was mild and
soft.
I completely agreed with Heather, one of
my travel companions when she said “I
could stay here all day!”
Our next stop is the Balgera Winery, a small
family run vineyard in the town of Chiuro.
Brothers Matteo and Luca are learning the
ropes, or shall I say “vines”, from their father
Paolo. Matteo takes us for a tour of the
grounds, the vats room and the cellar. We
also had a preview of the new cellar they
are building. We are welcomed into the
salon of their 16th-century house where
Matteo gives us an in-depth lesson on
winemaking and the Valtellina terrain. We
try the Valgella, Sasella, and Sforzato.
We also get a little sample of their Valtellina
Superiore along with Bresaola (cured beef),
an aged Casera cheese and Scimudin, a soft
cheese from the northern region.
I not only went home with a bottle of Sasella,
but I learned about the hard work that goes
into producing a bottle of wine. It was lovely
being welcomed into their home.
Just a two-minute-drive from Chiuro, is the
village of Ponte In Valtellina where we have
lunch at Ristorante Cerere. We are served a
Valtellinese lunch fit for a king. We start with
Sciatt, beef bresaola and venison bresaola. A
main dish of Pizzochieri, and of course,
locally produced wine.
Photos C. Abernethy / Picfair
ITALY TRAVEL & STYLE VOL. 1