Heavenliness - Val d'Aosta, the Alps!
If
you have never been to the Italian side of the Alps, which means taking
in the fabulous Val d'Aosta, you have not lived! Culturally Aosta is
loaded with ancient history from BC to the beautiful Roman Amphitheater
ruins to the Alpine culture and modern day. Everywhere you gaze there
are mountains framing your views, the town piazza is crowned with tall
glaciers in the background and you can have it all while sipping caffe
in the square. I love Val d'Aosta
The
gastronomic pleasures of this area begin with the infamous Fontina DOP.
This is the queen of the alpine meadows, a cheese made from raw milk,
fragrant and alive. To be labeled or considered Fontina DOP, it must be
made only from cows of the Valdostana breed that forage on local grasses
and meadows. This is the cheese that gave birth, to la fonduta
(fondue). It was from this awesome fonduta, that was transformed into
the other versions of fondue in Switzerland. If you want to savor the
original, this is where you need to be! Do not forget to try Fromadzo
DOP too, another very special cheese of the area, mix of goat and cow's
milk.
This
area is also ultra famous for the Lard d'Arnad DOP and the Vallée
d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses DOP. The prosciuto was an ancient gift for
bishops and archbishops, produced in the city of Saint Rhemy-en-Bosses
since the 14th century. The frigid stream of air that would come down to
the valleys bordering with Switzerland and the long winter cold coupled
with the manual labor of man, helped transform these raw prosciutti
into authentic one-of-a-kind pieces. They are aged 12, 18 and 24 months
and if you can find this ham, you must try it.
The
lard of Arnad is truly the jewel of the mountain peasant's world. Today
it is found in the area for sale where previously, it was very
difficult to find because it was the source of sustenance during those
long harsh and cold winter months. As they say, living in the mountains
is about 9 months of frigid cold and 3 months of just cold. So be sure
to try ultra thin slices of this served on warm crusty pieces of bread;
this is something you will come back for time and again.
A few of the brands assuring you of quality and origin are Saveurs du Val D'Aoste as well as Alpenzu. Alpenzu
is another group of the Val d'Aosta guaranteeing the origin of the
products sold. While at the hotel, we were lucky to taste chestnuts in
honey as part of an appetizer and while shopping we stumbled on le
tegole, famous cookies of the area, another must-try! 
While traveling make sure you do the castles of the region, they are fantastic!
July 2010
