Comune di Borgo Val Di Taro

Our agriturismo is located near Borgo Val di Taro in a remote little valley on the northern side of the Apuani Alps with several CAI hiking trail heads out the front door.  The hikes go along rolling hills over old roads through tiny hamlets and densely forested hill sides.  At 5:00 pm, the light changes and the green hillsides take on a look of lush velvet with trees and homes casting long shadows.  It is truly bella Italia!!!  Every house has a few chickens and a small garden, and you’re almost always accompanied by the sound of the KooKoo bird.   The food is fantastic and very closely tied to the region’s offering. In this region that means porcini (pictured is a porcini pâté which was amazing), prosciutto, and parmesan.  At our agriturismo, we enjoyed a homemade grappa distilled from plums – it was the smoothest grappa I’ve ever had – and a homemade feast of cinghiale (wild boar).  This animal takes three days to prepare and the meal (shared with 8 other Italiane couples, Mamma Mia J) consisted of a fondue of cheeses compliments of the neighbor’s cows, a porcini and cinghiale crepe smothered in the local cheese, a cinghiale stew with garbonzo beans, and a lovely lemon torte.  Of course, it started off with the local fizzy red wine and ended with a magnum of Brut Spumonti, OH and a digestive of wild plums that our host makes.  Our hosts were fantastic.  Next stop: Pieve Fosciana in the Garfagnana.

P.S. … Brendan’s Italiano is coming along nicely J !!!!