Berries
A summer or spring walk across the Park woodlands can become a treasure hunt. In the grasslands of the ridge, in the thick undergrowth surrounding the pine forest, concealed by a hedge surrounding an uncultivated field, or along the edges of the path, among the leaves protecting them with their wet and cool shade. They are wild strawberries, bilberries, blackberries, but also currants and the juniper, raspberries or the elder.
Even sour cherries and cherries. They spontaneously grow in this rich land continuously renovated by the biological cycle of the woodland, with the help of nature, cool air, the light filtering through the trees, the water dampening the leaves and the soil. Picking up these fruits means fun and surprise, the pleasure to discover the most secret corners of the woodland, the confidential contact with nature, the pleasure to pick up its fruits, but also the ritual of homemade conservation and processing.
As a matter of fact, the genuineness of these products well matches the several tasty traditional recipes that whole families have been using for generations: jams and preserves, fruit preserved in brandy, distillates, liquors, grappa... Today these products, usually prepared in the past by the expert elderly, are mainly prepared by local specialized holdings that, following the same rhythms and methods, transform the treasures of the woodland into delicious gastronomy specialties. In order to bring the tastes of the woodland to the people of the town…
Fruits, preserves, and liquors
The traditional cuisine knows one thousand methods to interpret the sourish and unmistakable tastes of bilberries, raspberries, blackberries, wild strawberries, as well as other precious berries growing in the bushes. Preserves, for instance, prepared with natural methods and without adding preservatives or further chemical substances, enhance the fragrance, the characteristic taste of chestnuts, elder, dog rose, blackthorn, but also the unmistakable aromas of berries enriched with cane sugar. Syrups are equally delicious: they are also available in a sweet berry salad. Brandy gives to blackberries, bilberries, raspberries, currants, as well as sour cherries, cherries, and even roasted chestnuts a particular taste for an ideal dessert. Distillates and mountain liquors are also famous. Grappa is obtained from all kinds of fruits and berries, as well as from other herb varieties and local productions, like for instance: grappa made with roses, rue, honey, gentian, mountain herbs... And then liquors, among which Nocino (walnut liquor) and Gentian herb liquor are very appreciated.
