I spent 4 fantastic days in a fantastic city: Turin, capital of the Piedmont Region, Italy.
Turin is a remarkable treasure of history , arts, culture and…great food.
Let’ s start with the history. Many venues to visit, so I choose two of them and I adventured myself in a fascinating journey through the Royal Palace and the Savoy dynasty. The breathtaking apartments, the Royal Library, the Royal Armoury, the Savoy Gallery, the Archaeological Museum and the close Guarini’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud recently reopened to public.
The next day I went to Venaria, the monumental Savoy Royal Residences and gardens, housing one of the most important centers for art and culture in Italy.You will be amazed by the enchanting Hall of Diana, the huge complex of the Stables, the famous golden ship Bucentaur and much more
The venue hosts several great exhibits, including Easy Rider, a glamorous exhibit that celebrate the magical world of motorbikes, evergreen symbol of “leaving the world behind”, “freedom”, and “speeding into the unknown”. and a great photo gallery showcasing the amazing work of Elliott Erwitt.
The current exhibit Hercules and his myth focuses and illustrates the figure of the Hero with a selection of extraordinary paintings and art objects created in classical antiquity and between the 16th and 18th centuries and literally surprising the visitor with an unexpected selection of those pretty tacky 60’s-70’s movies and their posters, starring the very first Superman.
Looking for a unique museum?
National Museum of Cinema, located In the iconic Mole Antonelliana, symbol of Turin. 
It runs vertically, up the ramps that line the inside of the building while exposing historical archives in film history, costumes, wigs and elements that have been used by great artists, and impressive screens showing films. On the year commemorating the centenary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, one of the biggest composers and orchestra conductors of the 20th century, the NationalMuseum of Cinema organised a large multimedia exhibit 
Soundframes that investigates the complex relationship between music and moving images.
From the first musicals, to impressive scores created by great composer such as John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, etc.The exhibit is exclusively made up of screenings winding along the Temple Hall’s helicoidal ramp. Visitors to the exhibition will be provided with wireless headphones that are necessary for a 360 degrees immersion. To complete this emotional journey into the universe of music in cinema, the last part of the itinerary consists of 6 rooms with highly interactive features.
Into modern art?
Here two beautiful museums
:
GAM. In addition to its rich collection, starting Oct 26, the museum will host THE MACCHIAIOLI Italian art moves towards modernity, an exhibition that focuses on the antecedents, birth and highly successful debut period of Macchiaioli painting, spanning the experimentation of the 1850s and the masterpieces of the 1860s, exploring in-depth the artistic dialogue established between 3 Italian Regions: Tuscany, Piedmont and Liguria.
MEF is hosting 100% ITALIA, a journey through the three great wars that have changed the world and its perception and, above all, an accurate account of Italian creativity.
The show proposes a selection of exceptional works never exhibited. masterpieces that are usually kept in private collections and that are hardly exposed to the public .
Welcome to Turin, Capital of taste!
On my arrival night, lovely Silvia from TurismoTorino.org took me to one of her favorite restaurant, Tre Galli, located in the heart of the Roman Quarter, one of the oldest areas of Turin.
There I became 100% Piedmontese! Boiled tongue with the traditional salsa verde (anchovies, parsley, bread soaked in red vinaigrette, garlic and egg yolk) Then panissa risotto with beans and bacon, a traditional peasant dish also known as paniscia depending on the local dialect, and here served in a metal can. Silvia ordered Agnolotti alla Piemontese, that are fresh pasta dumplings, similar in shape to ravioli and stuffed with tender fassona meat. I tried one: it was rich, generous and tasty.>
To follow, a delicate flan with leeks and fonduta of Toma Montecauri cheese.
Sweet finale with a bonet (peach stuffed with a creamy fusion of Chocolate and nuts.
Shall we lunch ?
Caffè Elena
Established in 1800, right in the heart of the magnificent Vittorio Veneto. Here furniture and atmosphere have remained unchanged.Ideal for breakfast as well as the lunch break or a later aperitif paired with high quality tapas made on the spot. I sat at the small table by the window, the one preferred from Emilio Salgari the world best pirates stories writer I had handmade potato gnocchi with sausage and sheep cheese, then grilled fassona (super tender meat) with arugula salad and parmesan cheese.
For dessert, I had panna cotta
made with a historical recipe, adding Vermouth Carpano, a bitter drink invented in Turin ,
cacao and hazelnut crumble. Yes, You need a long walk after that lunch.
Chiodi Latini
‘We are a vegetale–integrale restaurant’, told me Antonio Chiodi Latini, the quite bizarre owner and creator of this minuscule venue in the center of Turin. ‘No meat, no fish, no derivates, not at all those sad unflavored vegan dishes. We don’t want to be a trendy place, We like to research , experiment and have the right knowledge of raw materials, their benefit, their taste. We propose a new approach to healthy food, whole foods, paying attention to plant-based ingredients, placing them at the center of our dishes in all their simplicity’.
At lunch, the menu offers 5 choiches, Business, Image, Premium, Whole and Experience (to be booked in advance)
Under Antonio’s authorisation, I mix matched some of the choices, Starting with a porcini and cream on stale bread, followed a velvety watercress and Swiss chard with roasted pumpkin seeds, a broccoli cream, then the signature dish called ‘PA-PO-BA,we can’t do without it’ (that’s PAsta, Pomodoro, BAsilico)
and ending with the ‘chilly’ sorbet Freddoloso (90% fennel, cardamom, cream of parsley.) As drinks a healthy kombucha (fermented tea , pine needles and cones) and a delicate smoothy with fennel extract, celery. green apple, lemon, ginger and zucchini squash.
Pizza maniac?
Tasteit
An unusual concept for making pizza. It is called ‘gourmet pizza’ and you will be the creator! You have the possibility to have ‘your’ customized pizza, choosing between the selection ‘earth’ or ‘sea’. In the first section there is a great presence of parmigiano cheese because the manager Domenico made a long culinary experience in Emilia-Romagna, Parma ham or Ghirardi reserve smoked scamorza, the famous culatello di Zibello, porcini mushrooms, pesto of parmesan rucola in poppy seed crust. Any sea proposal? There is no lack of unusual couplings, such as the amberjack fillet paired with spinach, guancialino slice and porcini or a tuna and shrimp tartare with kiwi, orange citronette and grapefruit zest, or low temperature cooked octopus, mashed potatoes and taggiasca olives.
The most popular? With stracciatella, pork fillet cooked at low temperature, lard from Colonnata, sprinkled crispy bacon and sesame seed vinaigrette. For lunch, the menu takes on a more business format with the choice of two first and three seconds. I chose amberjack risotto with tomato and cheese stracciatella. Perhaps because of the late hour (it was almost 2.00 pm) to my taste, the rice was a little overcooked.
The score went up with the arrival of a slice of pizza scampiamola which takes its name from the raw scampi paired with a delicate guacamole just flavored with shallots, pepper and just a drop of tabasco (thank God! I hate guacamole full of garlic, coriander and onion !)
Fancy some tapas?
Languorini
Cosy little bar that will delight you with its creation. I tried the one called Maialino nel panino (semi-sweet bread, pork strips cooked at low temperature and the chef’s sauce) the always classic black bread and Mediterranean anchovies and ‘U pulpo’, crispy octopus, scamorza cheese and herb mayonnaise. To drink, a FOG crafted white beer.
Chocoholic?
Your destination is the store of Guido Gobino where you will find the cremino al sale, a chocolate praline enriched with integral sea salt and extra virgin olive oil, was awarded in 2008 as the Best Praline of the World from the prestigious London Academy of Chocolate.Are you a coffee lover?
Do not miss Nuvola Lavazza Museum. Lavazza is one of the oldest Italian factory producing coffee since 1885. The museum is a multi-layered journey through the world of coffee, from the first grocery store where Luigi Lavazza invented the concept of blending, to the characters from advertising campaigns to yearly calendars, shoot by renowned photographers such as Helmut Newton, and Annie Leibovitz.
To end the journey at the bar where you would tray some experimental coffee drinks or food, like the amazing coffee sprinkled chips.
Did you say burger?
Check out M** Bun, first ‘slow food’ burger of the history .
They use only meat processed in the Scaglia farm in Rivoli, strictly Km.0 obtained from animals raised and fed with cereals and fodder grown in their fields, to guarantee a unique taste and consistency at every bite.
In addition you can find different raw tartare (plain, with capers or olives. 
The menu is a fanny mix between Italian and Piedmontese dialect, burgers here are oven grilled, chicken, fassona, pig. and a daily winter soup. The potatoes are to die for: absolutely fresh-cut and grilled to perfection. (forget those greasy fast food fries.) To drink artisanal beer from Susa, local wine and Molecola, a home-made alternative to Coca Cola. I got one and took me a minute to realize that even here the name is playing with words, mixing Mole ( the symbol of Turin) and Cola, as per the drink….
My favorite restaurant with traditional Piedmont cuisine? The istorical Porto di Savona opened in 1863 and still one of the most representative venue in Turin.
I started with a mix of traditional appetizers vitello tonnato ( cold veal with tuna sauce),
Zucca, which is my last name. In italian, it means ‘pumpkin. Long story short, I couldn’t resist to try a little bit of a very promising pumping creamy soup with robiola cheese and amaretti. It definitely was a good choice. 
Then a Turin must: Fritto Misto Piemontese. A fried mix of salty to sweet. Enjoy 9 different ingredients: sweetbreads, anchovies with green sauce, tomino cheese with green sauce (parsley, garlic, olive oil)) Vegetable flan with Parmesan creamy sauce, amaretto, fruits and more. Perfectly fried, crunchy, not greasy and super tasty
Then I had the opportunity to taste the Finanziera, a real Piedmont treat. Apparently it was born in the eighteenth century and offered by the peasants to the revenue officers, whose jacket inspired the name. y. It’s an old poor recipe that used the less noble parts of slaughtered animals and the entrails, such as brain, lungs, testicles, sweet bells, liver and cock’s crest which were left to those who performed the slaughter and immediately cooked, prepared and consumed.Today the Finanziera is considered an elaborate and sophisticated specialty.
Where to stay?
I checked in at Genova Hotel, a four star Best Western Plus property, steps to Central Station Porta Nuova and all the transportation. Super central, excellent service, comfy bed, even a jacuzzi in my room!
The breakfast is generous and delicious. Among fresh cold cuts, a lot of cheeses, including my favorite tomini.
Lots of homemade cakes with fruits.
I loved the one with caramelized pears and
(of course) the traditional Turin gianduja chocolate.
I stayed 4 nights and I highly recommend it.
Get the Torino&Piemonte card!
Free admission in the most important museums and exhibitions in Turin, in the castles, fortresses and Royal Residences in Piedmont and discounted tickets for many attractions, events, rides, including the great City SightSeeing Torino bus
HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY!
That’s the secret recipe of the annual CHEF SOTTO IL PORTICO event on Saturday July 13, 2019 with a yummy encore today, Sunday 14, starting at 12 pm.
The event is big time celebrating its 10 anniversary, see you next year !
The refined and elegant space was set up with the aim of giving maximum visibility to Bottega Gold, the Prosecco Doc with its unmistakable bottle with golden livery, which has become in the world the incomparable standard-bearer and the reference point of the Treviso winery. The lounge bar card features, along with a selection of Bottega wines, also the Lemon Spritz cocktail that combines Prosecco and Limoncino, in the sign of Made in Italy and the contamination between Veneto and Sicily. Ginza, synonymous with sober elegance, is an area rich in history that dates back to the Edo period (1603-1867),
The company is based in Bibano di Godega (TV), 50 km north of Venice, and has two other production facilities in Valpolicella and Montalcino.
The range Today, along the main street there are many of the most well-known department stores in Tokyo that, along with high quality products, offer customers an equally appreciated service. Ginza is a kind of
cultural laboratory of the whole of Japan, which continues to renew itself by transmitting in symbiotic connection with the evolution of deeds, the enthusiasm and ageless charm of Tokyo.
Bottega S.p.A.Bottega S.p.A. it is at the same time a cellar and a distillery, which has a close-knit team of wine experts both in vinification and distillation. of products includes Prosecco and other well-known sparkling wines, the great red wines of Veneto and Tuscany, including Amarone and Brunello di Montalcino, the prized single-variety grappas, the distillates aged in barrique, the fruit-based liqueurs and cream. 
Founded in 1977 by Aldo Bottega, who had inherited from his grandfather the passion for the wine world, Bottega is a solid reality, which distributes its products in over 140 countries and is present in the most prestigious airport duty free shops in the world.
Chef Stefano Maddalin, cadorino by birth, after 5 years of hotel school and various experiences around Italy, he is currently taking care of the restaurant 
A local dish to pair porcini ?
Canederli as a dessert. Canederli are bread dumplings and can be considered part of ‘cucina povera’ (cuisine of the poor), as they are made of simple and inexpensive ingredients: stale bread moistened with milk and bound with eggs and a small amount of flour. I sweeten them and topped with berries jam and elevated them to a tasty dessert.
Preparation
Welcome to Tredwells, a Marcus Wareing restaurant and winner of AA’s London Restaurant of the Year. Great location, excellent service and a breathtaking menu signed by the charming Chef Chantelle Nicholson, Tredwells showcases the very best in British seasonal produce Located in the trendy Seven Dials area, right in the heart of Covent Garden, the venue boasts two bar areas serving seasonally inspired cocktails, cementing Tredwells’ reputation as one of the best drinks venues in Seven Dials. the restaurant sets over three floors, while the mezzanine and lower ground floors are available for exclusive hire. I went for lunch, tried several of Chantelle proposals and found them all perfectly cooked and pleasantly tasting, starting from the beginning with a great potato and rosemary bread with salted whey butter till the end, indulging in a delicious fig mousse.
COLOMBA RUSTICHELLA , SWEET DOVE OR CHIC JEWEL?
The elegant decorative silky foulard and the jewel pin give an exclusive and unique look to this confectionery speciality by Rustichella d’Abruzzo. The colomba Gioiello is an exclusive proposal to taste in family and is perfect for an original Easter gift. Available in pink, yellow and light blue package.
Typical Easter confectionery speciality, symbol of peace and purity, the colomba is a naturally leavened cake, enriched with candied fruits and a crispy coating of glaze and almonds. Originally from Northern Italy, well-known and loved throughout all Italy, the colomba is the delicious dessert that ends an Easter lunch with family, soft and perfumed from the very first taste. 
Made with a soft “Pasta Madre” (sourdough) obtained through a controlled artisan production process, in order to have its natural leavening, Rustichella d’Abruzzo colomba is presented with a pink, yellow or light blue flower-themed package, warm-looking and appealing, with really unique fragrance, lightness and taste.
INFO
Ingredients
by Cesare Zucca
Cooks in: 25 minutes. Serves: 2
to read full article click 
article
I met with Mauro Uliassi, the Chef who won 3 Michelin stars, 5 Cappelli Espresso, 3 Gambero Rosso Forks. Mauro opened the Uliassi Restaurant in Senigallia in 1990, creating a cuisine full of contamination, variations, sensations and memories.
Vincenzo Guarino from the luxurious 5-star 
Mimmo di Gregorio from
Grand finale with the iconic Salsa di Pomodoro, tomato sauce made from the youngest Chef of the Congress: Maicol Izzo from Michelin star 
Escorted and supported by his dad Michele (that ‘s so Italian…) Maicol created a new kind of bread whose dough has been prepared using the acidula water springing out from the local source. 
The bread must be dipped down into the traditional tomato sauce (more than 6 hours of preparation) and then you’ll taste this heaven…Bravo Maicol!
The unstoppable Mediterranean Cooking Congress will travel soon to Greece, Venice and Sicily, featuring Chefs from 10 different countries!
Capperi… che Pizza!
The info says ‘Nuovo format di pizzeria con pizza gourmet della famiglia Acciaio’.
This pizza is easily digestible, s
Throughout the years, the selections have been enriched and expanded to include the new era of gourmet pizza. They offer the highest level of product, bursting with freshness and aroma which translates into positive health benefits and heightened digestibility for the consumer. Each recipe includes detailed information about each ingredient highlighting both origins and methods of preparation.
The result is equilibrated and delicious in every aspect such as the selection of Piennolo DOP cherry tomatoes, preserved in water and salt, torzelle seeds, capers from Salina, tuna and anchovies from Cetara, broccoli rabe from Vesuvius and figs from the Cilento area, 
They cultivate this high quality by working directly with local farmers who are encouraged to grow and harvest their products with extreme respect for nature.
“I realized that the pizza was getting ruined”, says Giuseppe Acciaio, “for the quality not always adequate of the ingredients, but sometimes also for the inability of the pizza makers to manage them at best”. Precisely for this reason, alongside the project of “redevelopment” of pizza, Giovanni Acciaio puts up Pizza Neapolitan Gourmet, a training school for gourmet pizza chefs, in Moncalieri, of which his son Luigi Acciaio is president.
“A pizza maker is not only technical, he must know the products and who produces them, he must study,” says Acciaio. A choice, that of the pizza-maker profession, no longer as a refuge in the face of failures in other fields, but which, on the contrary, becomes a true vocation.
tellammare, Naples
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INFO
Tradition places the origin of the Bocconotto of Castel Frentano towards the end of 1700, during the period of greatest diffusion of chocolate in Europe, the main ingredient of the filling. A sweet idea, always based on what has been handed down, from the creativity of a cook who invented for her noble master, famous for being very greedy, a little sweet to eat in “a single bite”. Today the Bocconotto is one of the symbols of Abruzzese gastronomy: a casket of delicate shortcrust that contains a filling of chocolate, minced almonds and a pinch of cinnamon. The Bucci family owns and maintains the correct doses of one of the first recipes handed down. At the right balance between the ingredients, it combines passion for the traditions of Abruzzo and Castel Frentano.
on the tables the delicious sweets from the heart of chocolate and almonds. So, after giving directions on where to buy the Bocconotti to many people, in his mind he took a very happy idea: to put the same Bucci family to work with the opening of a workshop and a shop for the sale of Abruzzo dessert ! Sure of his intuition decided in a very short time to kick off the activity, strong also of another element: he was the custodian of one of the oldest recipes ever handed down by Bocconotto, thanks to his grandmother Sabbiuccia, known for his reputation as a skilled custard. It was she who prepared the Bocconotti for all of Castel Frentano and for every party: why not make such a delight to taste even those coming from neighboring villages? It was 2008 … and from there, after a period of settling, the success came, thanks to an increasingly large audience of customers and consumers who were able to recognize in the Bottega del Bocconotto of the Bucci family a quality guarantee closely linked to the tradition of Castel Frentano.Today the Bottega del Bocconotto is a flagship of all Abruzzo, a family-run business supported by valuable employees, operating in all stages of processing, from the preparation of individual ingredients up to packaging and sale.
There are several legends about the birth of the Milanese panettone.
There’s another side to the story. The Peduzzi Family (with Gaetano Sergiacomo, founder of Rustichella d’Abruzzo in 1924 and grandfather of the current Owners Maria Stefania e Gianluigi Peduzzi) moved from Valle d’Intelvi (Como) to Chieti (Abruzzo) in 1800, bringing with them all the Lombard culinary influences and starting the generation of high quality Food & Wine.
Loison bakery grants three generations of people able to constantly challenge themselves to keep up with the times and with food trends. Born as a small wood-oven bakery, through 75 years, the small workshop of Costabissara has become a well-established company whose production is in demand all over the world. 
In 1938, when Tranquillo Loison opened his small bread bakery in Costabissara , close to Vicenza, Italy, bread was a staple food for the majority of the population. However, the introduction of ration cards during World War II limited its distribution and consumption. The end of the war and the improvement of the economy led to an increase in the demand for sweeter and tastier products. 
That is when Tranquillo began producing focacce with figs and raisins. His son Alessandro soon expanded the range of products adding spreads, wedding cakes and fresh pastries that he would deliver personally to local coffee shops and families. In 1955, Alessandro began specializing in the production and sales of Panettone and Pandoro cakes, yielding about 20-30 kilos a day. This new activity, together with the pastry line, was immediately much more profitable than selling bread alone, a product that was discontinued in 1960. In 1992, Alessandro’s son Dario joined and eventually took over the company contributing to its international expansion as a symbol of what’s ‘Made in Italy’.
Loison has its own Museum and Library featuring a collection of historical postcards, antique confectionery items and books on the history of bread baking and pastry. A place where to breathe and promote culture. Dario Loison at times undertakes the role of university professor and gives lectures on entrepreneurship at Italian universities. Loison hosts groups of students who visit our company for a day to understand how and where ideas are born.
The other I tried is the Cherry Panettone (with red cherries) 
For more info
The Langhe offer panoramas of carefully cultivated hillsides, following ancient land divisions punctuated with buildings that lend structure to the visual space: hilltop villages, castles, Romanesque churches, farms, cellars and storehouses for cellaring and for the commercial distribution of the wine in the small towns and larger towns on the margins of the vineyards. 
This landscape covers eleven little towns located in the wine-growing areas with outstanding landscapes and the magnificent 
The moRning after we left for an ‘simulated’ truffle huntIing with the expert trifulau Carlo Olivero and his dog Steel. Simulated means that a truffle was previously hidden on the ground (of course Steel didn’t know where…) 
Well, in less than 10 minutes the was able to locate one. Then Carlo took us for a little walk, when suddenly Steel went crazy over a spot and started digging, He was right! There another big one (and not purposely hidden) Everybody, Carlo included, very happy! Grand finale. Gala Dinner at 3 Michelin star 
and guest Chef Támas Szell, from 
The truffle is a sort of mushroom known since ancient times. The first testimonies come from the diet of the Sumerian people and from the time of Jacob the Patriarch, around 1600 – 1700 B.C. Truffle are known as a qualitative ingredient in finest quality kitchens. Their cost could reach up to amounts of one hundred dollars per kilogram!y
An edition, the one just ended, which took place “Between earth and moon” paying tribute to the satellite of the earth which, through the phases of the moon, is an integral part of the search path and which was also inspired by organizers and visitors. The vintage, quantitatively and qualitatively exceptional, has been lived intensely at the World Market of the White Truffle of Alba, the largest international exhibition of truffles from the Piedmont hills of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. Here each single truffle has been checked by the special “Quality Commission”, available to customers for the entire duration of the Fair to guarantee quality and safety in purchasing. 
The season, which was hypothesized could be very interesting for the quantity and quality of the product, has surpassed the brightest expectations with about 700 kg of Alba White Truffle sold at the World Market of Alba White Truffle.
featuring Chef Gabriele Boffa, 
where we got the chance to meet with the Artist Valerio Berruti.
There are several legends about the birth of the milanese panettone.
This line, called
nontouristytourist.com 