Calosso Gastronomic Festival

Festa del Rapulé

A feast of potentially 23 courses, washed down with fine wine, set in the a delightful hilltop village of Calosso (near Canelli)

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Calosso is a very picturesque hilltop village about eight miles from Casa della Fontana, and its gastronomic festival is held 'amidst the colours of autumn'

As you approach the village, you park and complete the journey by a free park and ride service, which is very sensible given the narrow medieval village streets.

The bus deposits you at the start of a 'gastronomic journey'; in the information tent euros are converted into tokens and these become the currency of the day. Armed with a map of the village showing the location of all of the 23 places where you can eat and drink, you can stroll around and put together a menu of (literally) as many courses as you can handle.

Each place gives a marvellous insight into the inner world of the village; you can eat in deconsecrated churches, the gardens of some fine residences, farmhouse barns and cantinas (outbuildings, traditionally used for winemaking), and most impressively, the crotin (cellars hewn out of the tufa rock) are open.

Accompanying the food at each location you will find two or three vintners offering a taste of their wines (one token a glass), and there are some fine wine makers in Calosso. We probably drank more moscato wine than strictly appropriate to balance perfectly with the wonderful selection of food, because at just 5% alcohol it doesn't slow you down quite as much as the red wines might.

Wine cart

This is how it used to be done. There are no evident brakes, so the horses of today are rather fortunate.

Last Tango in Calosso

Stylish poster advertising tango classes

Crotin

One of the ancient wine cellars cut into bedrock in the heart of the village

Barriques

The wine in these oak barrels will be released to market as a superiore after an appropriate period of ageing

Sea of vineyards

Vineyards stretch to every horizon as you look down from the ancient village centre

Parish church

Inside the church these statues bathe in soft light filtered through a stained glass window

Fireside camp

Parishioners in costume always catch the eye at a festa

Street jazz

A vigorous and animated set was given by this accomplished band to entertain the crowds

We discovered two particular new wines that were rather special; the Local Co-operative produces a moscato liquoroso, which is not a true dessert wine but which clings pleasingly to the glass, whilst another vintner was offering a barbera affinato (aromatised with herbs) called 'Solare'; both of which we shall be returning for with the car at a later date.

As for the food, there was less scope for vegetarians but Bob was impressed as usual. We particularly liked the 'Rustic starter' which we sampled in the tiny former Evangelical church - a bagnet verde (vegetable paste) on toasted bread highlighted with a hint of anchovy; Bob greatly enjoyed the mixed meat stew, and the cheese selection was copious and a fitting way to end the feast.

We wandered slowly up the hill to the church and castle at the top of the village. Outside the church there was a group of 'citizens' in medieval costume; inside, the warm October sun painted delightful rainbow pictures on the walls as it shone through stained glass. The castle and its grounds were open, the grounds offering a 360 degree view and very popular with both villagers and visitors.

From its hilltop perch, Calosso is surrounded by an ocean of vineyards stretching in every direction, whilst far to the north, the first snows had already fallen on Mont Blanc which gleamed on the horizon.

As we descended again, a jazz quintet had taken residence in the streets and was belting out some very lively numbers, to great appreciation from the surrounding crowd. After pausing for a while to enjoy the music we continued our descent arriving back outside the town hall just in time to see the contestants for 'Miss Rapulé' having a hilarious time treading grapes in an old wine cart.

The Calosso Gastronomic Festival is held on the third weekend in October.

Rapulé is a Piedmontese dialect word meaning 'little grapes'

E mail: kerrie@anitalianadventure.co.uk

0039 0141 851 154