Sommariva Perno - Italy at its most verdant

View across the road from my Workaway Accommodation

• "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

• "The road less traveled is often the road to success." - Unknown.

I negotiated my suitcase down the steep steps of the train at the tiny station of Carmagnola waiting to see if I would be faced with numerous uscusita (exit) signs as I worked out which escalator or lift to take or whether I’d be stuck carrying my suitcase up numerous stairs, as is the case with smaller stations; the latter prevailed. I was early (a miracle given the likelihood of your train being ritardo (delayed) in Italy), and the weather was hot, so I crossed over to a small bar to enjoy a light refreshment. I was about to spend one week in the tiny town of Sommariva Perno, a commune (small town) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 35 kilometres south of the city of Turin, with a population of just over 6,000. With minimal public transport, no museums (gasp) no restaurants and no major hiking regions, I had no idea as to how I was going to get around or how I would spend my spare time. My reason for choosing such as remote destination is that I had secured my first Workaway[1] with the aim of improving my understanding of the culture of the inhabitants of a country, experiencing slow travel rather than ticking off tourist sites. My host was new to the Workaway platform and exuded enthusiasm and a and willingness to at least collect me at the nearest station, Carmagnola, sparing me the need for a taxi or hitch hiking. I thought: one week in the wilderness, I could manage. My main task was to help her with her verbal English and possibly paint the interior of her house. As per the recommendations of Workaway, I was to be given no more than five hours of work per day and two days off per week. What entailed instead was a week of excursions, food, wine and dancing, and of course, some language assistance thrown in; it didn’t resemble work to me as we blended English language with socialising, hiking, cooking and road trips. The host was working as a teacher but about to take leave, so on the first full morning there was nothing to do but sleep in, eat breakfast and roam around the property, admiring the mountain views and playing with the dogs. Later that evening a second Workawayer, a young German woman arrived, and, as host Luisa was out, it was left to me to explain how to reach the house as the google map instructions didn’t quite work, and I resorted to standing in the middle of the road flagging her down. I had learnt that Luisa and her extended family (who lived next door) were amused at her name – Benita. Apparently, Italians don’t use that name as it sounds too much like Benito (Mussolini that is).

Tour de France fever in Sommariva Perno, part of the route for 2024.

I was previously unaware of the verdant beauty of the Piedmont region with its ubiquitous wineries, vineyards and rich soil providing the perfect climate for truffles and caperberries, which Luisa pointed out as they grew between cracks in vertical rocks. And if world class wine wasn’t enough of a drawcard, the nearby town of Alba, which we visited, is the home of the Ferrero Rocher chocolate and Nutella Factories!

At home, enjoying one of many home cooked Italian dinners (and wine).

Every day, the three of us squeezed into Luisa’s Fiat Panda (one of the most common cards driven in Italy and smaller than most cars in Australia) and we enjoyed jaw droppingly scenic drives along narrow roads and historic villages; if Luisa got enthusiastic with her conversation (especially if she was speaking Italian with someone in the front seat), she would gesture with her right hand, and sometimes, with both.... it’s true what they say about Italians talking with their hands!

Lange Hills from the Castle at Grinzane Cavour

For one of our excursions, we visited the Castle at Grinzane Cavour which includes a newly opened Lange Museum which is largely about wine and truffles, which grow well in the region and fetch big money in auctions. The castle itself was built around the middle of the 11th century on top of the hill and it’s worth visiting for the panoramic views of the Langa hills, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato Vineyard Landscapes. All around the castle were large coil built ceramic sculptures by the one artist, reminding me of my days at Uni, as a ceramics major.

Lange Hills from the Castle at Grinzane Cavour

Over the centuries, the castle has been owned by various noble Piedmontese families, including the Counts Benso di Cavour, whose most famous member was Camillo Benso, a famous hero of the Italian Risorgimento, who lived in the castle and was mayor of the small village of Grinzane. Subsequently, after hearing the story, throughout the week, we worked hard on Luisa’s pronunciation of mayor. English can be difficult if read it phonetically!

Nearby we also visited the towns of La Morra and Verduno, offering equally jaw dropping vineyard views and charming old towns. After taking in all the vineyard views, and as we had expressed an interest in wine tasting, Luisa organised a private wine tasting at Tibaldi. Check out the cute graphics on their website . The tasting was led by Daniella, the sister on the right in the image. Earlier that day, Luisa’s aunt and cousin dropped in (the aunt would frequently drop by and sit at the table outside smoking) and the cousin insisted that there were better wines to be tasted elsewhere.  We didn’t really care as Tibaldi offered the chance to have a sommelier all to ourself and she was known to Luisa.

capers growing from the bricks at the Castle at Grinzane Cavour

Wine tasting at Tibaldi wines

Out on a Friday night in Bra at Tabuj Bar

On Friday night, on another excursion along the narrow winding roads of the Cuneo region, Luisa took us to Bra. In case you are giggling at the sound of the monosyllabic place name it’s worth noting that its title comes from the late Latin (Roman) braida, meaning open field or arable land. This is sometimes transcribed as breda. Some also say that it comes from the classical Latin praedium meaning farm or manor. Therefore, the Italian translation is Bra. It’s a university town with plenty of history and historic old town charm but we were about to see a different side. Luisa took us to a very bohemian bar; with every surface covered with artworks and surface decoration, a large sleeping dog that we needed to carefully step over and the bar owner resembling a wiry and aging punk rocker, I knew that once again, Luisa had a knack of picking out the unique places. After enjoying a few wines and aperitif (snacks you get with drinks in Italy), we took to the streets to find numerous bars open to the street and what seemed like the whole town dancing. I wondered if the local football team had won a major game to elicit such celebration, but Luisa assured me that I happened every Friday night.

Bra and Tabuj bar from above

As previously mentioned, Alba is renowned as the birthplace of Ferrero Rocher Chocolate and Nutella and we could see the factory from the road as we drove there on another trip.  I recommend reading further for the whole story of the Ferrero family; Pietro Ferrero, born in 1898 had moved to Alba in 1925 and he and his wife had opened a workshop together in the main street; this was when Alba was just a rural center where people from the nearby villages would visit on market day. Langhe Hills were poor; business opportunities were limited and shops were likely to see customers on Sundays only.

Sunrise by Alba’s native artist, Valerio Berruti in Alba

The Ferreros also opened a pastry shop in nearby city of Turin, spent time in Africa and grew their businesses. After the death of Pietro in 1949, the wife Piera and their son took over the business and Nutella was born. Called Supercrema, in 1964 the name was changed to Nutella, with the wider project to conquer the foreign market. The English word nut was combined with the Italian-sounding suffix –ella: a winning marketing strategy.

In a time when all competitors were focusing on hard chocolate bars, Michele (the son) Ferrero bet on a soft chocolate and hazelnut spread. As times were changing and chocolate was finally more affordable, Nutella contained more cocoa and cocoa butter than its predecessor Gianduiot.

The success of Ferrero is not lost on the town; recently a monumental sculpture Sunrise was donated to the city by the Ferrero family in memory of Michele (the son). Created by Alba’s native artist, Valerio Berruti, the work is displayed on a circular fountain surrounded by seats, in the very central area of the Ferrero square. Sunrise is one of the largest publicly commissioned existing sculptures in Europe and stands at 12.5 meters high. The title of the work Sunrise is symbolic as it is the Italian translation of the town’s name Alba. Alba is also an Italian name for a young girl.

“Therefore, the artwork is a monument to life, a reminder addressed to the viewer which aims to take him back to his childhood, a moment of life when everything can still happen.” Marco Rossi[2]

Luisa told me about Alba’s mayor Carlo Alba, who supported the Ferreros and the sculpture project and once again we worked on that pronunciation!

Having a closer look: San Dominico Church

The Ferrero factory may be a drawcard for the many tourists that visit Alba, but I found myself surprisingly intrigued by a church, despite having visited dozens on my Europe tour thus far. Unlike the many Baroque era churches nearby, San Dominico Church drew me in with its terracotta columns, probably because of my ceramics background. Built originally in the 12th century, it has operated as a Dominican Convent and now hosts exhibitions in addition to services. It has an extensive history worth reading.

The stunning terracotta tiles at the entrance to the 12th Century San Dominico Church in Alba.

Interior view of San Dominico Church, Alba

Aperatif in Alba

No trip to the region would be complete without a trip to Barolo & its Wine Museum. The museum was cleverly designed to include plenty of interactivity and links made between wine and art, music and film which pleased Luisa and I greatly. We had fun guessing the film/ song/ or artist who created the artwork referenced in a slide show. We got so carried away we had forgotten that Luisa’s brother had offered to give us a pesto making workshop for dinner!

Playing Guess the artist at WiMu Museo del Vino (wine museum)

(below) Fun with selfies at WiMu Museo del Vino (wine museum)

View from Barolo Castle

Luisa and I outside the Wimu Barolo Wine Museum

Extended family dinners were common in Luisa’s environment, and it was only a few steps between houses for us to join her brother’s family in their alfresco dining area. The pasta was indeed al dente, much more so that how it is cooked in other countries and of course it was delicious. Another ‘family’ dinner happened on the Saturday night, and I had offered to make an orange and almond cake, my one meagre contribution as Luisa was amazingly adept at whipping up wonderful lunches and dinners on her own without help.  

Dinner with family and friends in Sommariva Perno

I was unaware that the cake was going to be served up to not only the family but around another eight guests that arrived that night! Fortunately, there was enough to go around, and I received accolades from all. Then the dancing started. Luisa’s father had a live in Senegalese housekeeper, Nuboa who spoke no English but French and some Italian. As she was looking a bit left out, I asked her about herself and especially her beautiful daughters using Google Translate; through using a translate app, I had made a connection with Nuboa and found out that she was missing her daughters and her homeland of Senegal. Suddenly a song played, and she sprang into action and danced vigorously, grabbing our hands and swinging us around; until now she had remained stoic, seated and rarely communicative. There is something about the sound of a familiar song that triggers the brain to recall specific memories or associated emotions.

As a study suggests: For familiar music, the researchers found pronounced activation in regions of the brain typically associated with explicit memory systems, including the hippocampus and frontal areas. These areas are crucial for recalling facts and personal experiences, suggesting that familiar songs trigger a recall of specific memories or associated emotions. This result aligns with the theory that familiar melodies may help retrieve stored information about the context in which the music was heard, such as remembering the moment one first heard a favourite song or significant events tied to certain tunes.[3]

At around 1.30am, Benita let me know that the music being played was something to do with goodbye or goodnight and I was relieved to be able to politely head home. A few minutes later there is pounding on the door “helehn, helehn” I heard, from Ivano, Luisa’s husband. “AC/DC!” Despite AC/DC being the first live band I attended (age 13, Torquay Life Saving Club), I decided to give my hippocampus a rest.

Not many people have heard of Sommariva Perno, even Italians. My challenge to travellers is to visit smaller or lesser-known places and, if possible, get to know the locals. You’ll probably save money, be less stressed and find that there is actually history, culture, wine and dancing all within reach.

Luisa, Benita and me at La Morra, Piemonte Region

[1] https://www.workaway.info/ 

[2] Rossi, Marco

https://www.marcorossiartecontemporanea.net/scultura-monumentale-di-valerio-berruti-ad-alba/?lang=en

[3] https://www.psypost.org/neuroscience-study-shows-different-brain-reactions-to-music-based-on-song-familiarity/