TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CESARE ZUCCA
Hello non-touristy-tourists friends!I am in Udine, in the heart of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Let me introduce you to the The Marinis, or, I should say, the Morets, because of their dark hair, in 1905 opened a small tavern with a stable and a large courtyard with a deposit where the horses could rest, and fed the passing patrons with a warm but unobtrusive welcome – the same one reserved for real friends – and offer them bread, salami, cheese and omelettes.
Precisely in this simple yet excellent formula adopted by the patriarch Giovanni, lies the success achieved and consolidated over time by the Marini family: genuine and lively hospitality according to the canons of authentic Friuli, combined with the excellence of the food and wine proposal, have in fact made the Best Western Plus Hotel Là di Moret
The trademark “Là di Moret” is a real guarantee – also confirmed by the prestigious awards obtained over the years, first of all the numerous Best of Alpe Adria Awards – which it is renewed daily not only in the kitchen of “Il Fogolar” but also means welcoming 360 ° to involve gourmets and all guests, all travelers who want to be pampered by the comfort of 
the 86 rooms and take advantage of the high international standards of services the hotel – at the forefront those dedicated to women and noteworthy for the excellence and flexibility those dedicated to business customers and the world of MICE – and to experience the beauty and wellness paths of the Blu Moret SPA.
more than five generations has been wisely guiding this structure, symbolizing the best of accommodation and the high quality catering of an incredibly rich territory of history and culture, history and great gastronomy
Precisely in this simple yet excellent formula adopted by the patriarch Giovanni, lies the success achieved and consolidated over time by the Marini family: genuine and lively hospitality according to the canons of authentic Friuli, combined with the excellence of the food and wine proposal, have in fact made the Best Western Plus Hotel Là di Moret
The trademark “Là di Moret” is a real guarantee – also confirmed by the prestigious awards obtained over the years, first of all the numerous Best of Alpe Adria Awards – which it is renewed daily not only in the kitchen of “Il Fogolar” but also means welcoming 360 ° to involve gourmets and all guests, all travelers who want to be pampered by the comfort of the 86 rooms and take advantage of the high international standards of services the hotel – at the forefront those dedicated to women and noteworthy for the excellence and flexibility those dedicated to business customers and the world of MICE – and to experience the beauty and wellness paths of the Blu Moret SPA.more than five generations has been wisely guiding this structure, symbolizing the best of accommodation and the high quality catering of an incredibly rich territory of history and culture, history and great gastronomy
THE DINNER
Let me tell you about the cozy restaurant Il Fogolar
The room is warmed up by a real wood burning fireplace, the sealing boasts 500 dishes ‘del buon ricordo’ ( great remembering) a tribute to the traditions and the history or this territory.
The dinner was created by resident Chef Stefano Basello and host Chef Simone Gottardello from EVO at Aqualux Hotel SPA Suite & Terme Bardolino -.
The dinner was created by resident Chef Stefano Basello and host Chef Simone Gottardello from EVO at Aqualux Hotel SPA Suite & Terme Bardolino -.
it was a comeback , actually the couple worked together in a previous dinner in Bardolino , so this time they were more familiar with each other ways of cooking .
The two young chefs both believe in a gourmet cuisine deeply tied to their origins and to their territory understood as a baggage of history and culture in operation of a personal and professional enrichment, they decided to get together and share their experience once again.The encounter happened at “Il Fogolar”, for over a century a real window on Friuli, the symbol of the values of tradition and hospitality of this still little-known region, which has taken the helm of the previous event from EVO, the restaurant of the design hotel with a green soul that rises in one of the most suggestive corners of the Verona side of Lake Garda, and that allows you to live an experience of taste, tradition and creativity, immersed in a refined environment and at the same time welcoming.
The two young chefs both believe in a gourmet cuisine deeply tied to their origins and to their territory understood as a baggage of history and culture in operation of a personal and professional enrichment, they decided to get together and share their experience once again.The encounter happened at “Il Fogolar”, for over a century a real window on Friuli, the symbol of the values of tradition and hospitality of this still little-known region, which has taken the helm of the previous event from EVO, the restaurant of the design hotel with a green soul that rises in one of the most suggestive corners of the Verona side of Lake Garda, and that allows you to live an experience of taste, tradition and creativity, immersed in a refined environment and at the same time welcoming.
The menu entitled “When tradition rhymes with emotion” give a foretaste of rediscovered flavors, classic revised suggestions in terms of personal interpretation and new preparations that open the dances of imagination and curiosity.
The hoers d oevre were served with a Scala Bianco White wine,from Tenuta S. Antonio
and they keep the promise to tribute the territory, including the sound!
EAT AND LISSEN!
Yes , it happened when an extraordinary dish was served on a wooden box completed with hearphones. Eat and listen to the really recorded sound of the surrounding hills…
Cows included!
Stella Chianzuttan, a great pralina di Montasio and Blave di Martena a crunchy Blave by Mortean (a polenta – dialect means polenta – made with a flour made from a native variety of maize grown in the lands of the municipality of Mortegliano, Udine) accompanied by Caffè di mais, a a very original aperitif found in the stories of the peasants, while the Venetian chef thought of the Baccala ‘mantecato, yellow bean from Val Belluna (a precious 
bean, very tender, with an almost inconsistent skin after cooking, whose cultivation is documented since early twentieth century) and onion sorbet in saor (literally “flavor”, a typical Venetian condiment made from onions, vinegar, raisins and pine nuts). Simone continued with a Vialone rice creamed with a 48-month matured cheese from the Corrado Benedetti reserve, chestnuts from San Zeno, suckling pig and cabbage. 
tefano responded with a classic of autumn, pumpkin ravioli, Montasio broth and pitina (the famous “meatball” of Friuli Venezia Giulia that has obtained the IGP recognition in 2017).
Then Stefano’s signature dish , the Faraona in Tre Servizi (first, the clarified guinea-fowl broth is served, then the breast stuffed with walnuts and plums and wrapped with bacon.
bean, very tender, with an almost inconsistent skin after cooking, whose cultivation is documented since early twentieth century) and onion sorbet in saor (literally “flavor”, a typical Venetian condiment made from onions, vinegar, raisins and pine nuts). Simone continued with a Vialone rice creamed with a 48-month matured cheese from the Corrado Benedetti reserve, chestnuts from San Zeno, suckling pig and cabbage. tefano responded with a classic of autumn, pumpkin ravioli, Montasio broth and pitina (the famous “meatball” of Friuli Venezia Giulia that has obtained the IGP recognition in 2017).Then Stefano’s signature dish , the Faraona in Tre Servizi (first, the clarified guinea-fowl broth is served, then the breast stuffed with walnuts and plums and wrapped with bacon.
One of my fav was the dish ‘Da Sauris A Grado’ a delicious pan brioche combining Cheese from Sauris and sardines from Grado.
Finally Gottardello’s signature dessert, a real gem with lemon, Orelys chocolate and Lake Garda’s Viola DOP Oil.
A BREAD TO SAVE THE WOODS
A bread to revive the trees destroyed by the bad weather that hit Friuli Venezia Giulia – especially Carnia and Sappada – at the end of last October. This is the initiative of Stefano Basello, chef of the famous restaurant “Il Fogolar” of Udine.
The sadness of the devastation of his land – thousands of hectares of destroyed forests, on the ground over a million cubic meters of timber – has also touched this chef who has been leading for years what can be defined as the symbol of history, culture and values of tradition and hospitality of Friuli Venezia Giulia. But it is precisely the strong and poignant link to its territory, which meant that Stefano Basello was immediately activated to preserve, and in a certain sense revive, the beauty of these places and the essence of the trees exterminated by the fury of rain and wind .
A bread to revive the trees destroyed by the bad weather that hit Friuli Venezia Giulia – especially Carnia and Sappada – at the end of last October. This is the initiative of Stefano Basello, chef of the famous restaurant “Il Fogolar” of Udine.
The sadness of the devastation of his land – thousands of hectares of destroyed forests, on the ground over a million cubic meters of timber – has also touched this chef who has been leading for years what can be defined as the symbol of history, culture and values of tradition and hospitality of Friuli Venezia Giulia. But it is precisely the strong and poignant link to its territory, which meant that Stefano Basello was immediately activated to preserve, and in a certain sense revive, the beauty of these places and the essence of the trees exterminated by the fury of rain and wind . With the help of his father and his brigade – and the permission of the Mayor of Sappada and the Forest Guard – he set to work recovering the bark of the white and red fir trees and extracting the edible parts to obtain a kind of flour from use to get not only good and crunchy bread, but able to return to live a territory and its nature.
A gesture of sensitivity and respect on the part of Stefano who, besides being an excellent chef, is a man of great sensitivity who intends “to revive something extremely precious that, unfortunately, will no longer exist”.Here then is that bread made of inner bark becomes history and tradition.
After all, the flours obtained from internal bark of trees or roots were produced once, when the farmers used them to feed themselves as they were very nutritious and rich from an organoleptic point of view (which is why they are also called “subsistence”) .For this bread, characterized by a very good and very special aroma, it is also used mother yeast, with the addition of 20% of white or red firs, or lichens.
A gesture of sensitivity and respect on the part of Stefano who, besides being an excellent chef, is a man of great sensitivity who intends “to revive something extremely precious that, unfortunately, will no longer exist”.Here then is that bread made of inner bark becomes history and tradition.
After all, the flours obtained from internal bark of trees or roots were produced once, when the farmers used them to feed themselves as they were very nutritious and rich from an organoleptic point of view (which is why they are also called “subsistence”) .For this bread, characterized by a very good and very special aroma, it is also used mother yeast, with the addition of 20% of white or red firs, or lichens.THE HOTEL
Hotels rooms are modern, comfortable and welcoming .
The breakfast is just amazing! A triumph of artisan local cakes, desserts , cold cuts, eggs, vegetables, the best honey, the one and only tiramisu and the energetic zabaglione cream.
iI would like to mention the gorgeous SPA , the impressive swimming pools that boasts several jacuzzi, and those great beauty treatments at BLU MORET. wellness Center,
Then you have the beauty and the history of Udine, a not so touristy city wich is worth the discovery .
INFO
https://www.ladimoret.it/
CESARE ZUCCA
Travel, food & lifestyle.
Born in Milan, Cesare lives in New York, Milan and the rest of the world, traveling up and down in the US, Italy and Europe. Cesare photographs, tells about cities, cultures, lifestyles and discovers both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights.He meets and interviews top chefs from all over the world, “stealing” their recipes and telling you everything here, in a perfect ‘non-tourist tourists’style.
Travel, food & lifestyle.
Born in Milan, Cesare lives in New York, Milan and the rest of the world, traveling up and down in the US, Italy and Europe. Cesare photographs, tells about cities, cultures, lifestyles and discovers both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights.He meets and interviews top chefs from all over the world, “stealing” their recipes and telling you everything here, in a perfect ‘non-tourist tourists’style.
nontouristytourist.com 