“Size doesn’t count” or, we might say, never judge a city by its dimension. Not too much promoted, but often very picturesque and unique in their kind, medieval villages are a very hidden treasure in Italy’s territory not to undervalue.
We’re going to talk about Quargnento, an ancient farming village in the province of Alessandria (Piedmont region). The first thing to start with is food (did you have any doubt?).
Among several typical dishes, the stracotto (meaning cooked for a long, long time) won’t disappoint you. The basic ingredients are meat and….time. It’s basically a one-day marinaded meat in a mixture of vegetables, herbs and red wine, that is browned and left to cook with its marinading for 2 hours.
You can also enjoy the atmosphere of the actual ancient Quargnento in the second half of May, on the occasion of the “Palio dell’Oca Bianca” (literally, White Goose Festival). It’s a parade of people wearing medieval costumes. You can spectate the geese run and try your stroke with a crossbow!
Moreover, you don’t want to miss the chance to meet the most authentic local feature that has been condensed in a book: dialect. Being a typical Italian language feature, a dialect – and Quargnento dialect as well – shows a whole linguistic universe that, in turn, depicts the origin and the ancient lifestyle of a given town.
For very curious people only!
A boy following the white goose.
movingitalia.it - Piatti tipici e ricette a Quargnento e in provincia di Alessandria
comune.quargnento.al.it - Palio dell’Oca Bianca
comune.quargnento.al.it - Il dialetto di Quargnento
In the past beans were the meat of the poors: beans have always had many nutritional and energetic qualities.
Splinters of Africa scattered in the Mediterranean sea
Have you ever turned into jujube liquor?
Let’s profit from this season’s veggies.
Yellow like the shiny sun that caresses its peel