Italian Gourmet Villages and their exceptional products
Small villages, Italian food and their excellence that have been handed down for centuries through a tradition that has now become art.
Italy is full of small and sought-after enogastronomical productions hidden in the meanders of small towns less known to most, but with a unique quality and taste. In the hills of Piacenza, a few kilometres from the border with Lombardy, in the ancient village of Vernasca, is produced the famous Vin Santo di Vigoleno. The production of this excellent wine is limited to 3000-5000 bottles per year and it has been competing for the record for the smallest DOC of Italy with the wine of Loazzolo, a small village of 350 souls in the province of Asti. Of the 150 hectares of land cultivated with Moscato, only 3 vineyards are chosen every year in order to give this meditation wine the exceptional qualities which distinguish it from any other. Even the pressing of grapes is done according to ancient techniques and the whole winemaking process follows the methods of a tradition whose roots are lost in the mists of time.
And then there is the traditional Treccia di mozzarella di Santa Croce from the small town of Magliano in Molise, the Violet Artichoke also known as scarciofeno cultivated in Montelupone, near Macerata, without forgetting the Garlic of Resia and Sarconi Beans. Whoever happens to pass by a small town in the province of Cosenza called Oriolo, in Calabria, cannot help but taste the famous Pittanghiuse prepared with raisins and local vegetables. We can also mention some typicalities of the main Italian islands, such as Pistachio of Bronte, Caper of Pantelleria and Lentils of Ustica for Sicily, or Myrtle of Sardinia.
From north to south, the map of typical Italian villages that we can rightfully define as gourmet is truly endless. A culinary patrimony of inestimable value, mostly hidden among the solid and ancient walls of local customs, masterful expression of stories and popular knowledge that make Italy the country with the highest number of certified enogastronomical productions. The list of specialities that made Italy famous all over the world is extremely long and very interesting is the fact that most of the typical Italian productions are created in communes with less than five thousand inhabitants.
