Food&Wine Tour

Recommendations for foodies in Valtellina

 

Autumn is quite possibly the best time of the year for foodies to visit Valtellina. For gourmand travellers, this is the season of the grape harvest, the wine harvest, and a calendar of sumptuous events.

For sampling signature local dishes, we’ve put our top tips into a tour that spans the region.

STAGE 1: A GOURMET TOUR OF VALCHIAVENNA FEATURING CROTTI & LOCAL SPECIALITIES

Your gourmet tour of the region starts in Valchiavenna, where the spotlight is firmly on good food. Here’s where to sample “gnocchetti della Valchiavenna” (also known as white pizzoccheri despite technically differing to traditional pizzoccheri), brisaola (air-dried beef), and violino di capra (cured goat meat on the bone shaped like a violin) as well as other local meats. Head to one of the town’s ”Crotti” (find out more about these distinctive restaurants here), which are dug into mountainside where their produce has benefitted for centuries from a natural cooling airflow known as “sorel” that supports the conservation of cheese and meat.

Valchiavenna has a rich reputation for its wine and food so take a few days to explore this spot and sample the delicacies. Take home a pack of scrumptious Biscottini di Prosto butter biscuits—you won’t regret it!

STAGE 2: A CULINARY TOUR AROUND MORBEGNO TO TASTE BITTO CHEESE

From Valchiavenna, we’ll head towards Morbegno, a bustling little town that blends culture with cuisine in traditional deli stores which offer hunks of the area’s renowned Bitto cheese, which is DOP certified and very delicious.

From Morbegno, you have the chance to climb up into Val Gerola, the home of Bitto, or to the Costiera dei Cech on the other side of the valley, where cute, vibrant little villages are waiting to be explored.

STAGE 3: TAKE THE STRADA DEL VINO FROM SONDRIO TO TIRANO

The third stage of your gourmet tour of Valtellina is an experience to savour. Here’s where some of the area’s best produce has its roots.

Let’s begin with the wine: the Strada del Vino (The Wine Road) is prime wine-producing territory, weaving through the area’s signature steep terraced vineyards on the side of the Rhaetian Alps. You’ll get up close with grapes that will grow into the most delectable local wine that’s full-bodied and full of personality, such as Valtellina Superiore (and its five subzones) and Sforzato, both of which are DOCG certified.

For lunch or dinner, enjoy a glass of wine with a tasty plate of pizzoccheri, the region’s local dish that originates from Teglio. The distinctive landscape between Sondrio and Tirano is often very sunny and therefore very suitable for growing apples, hence the high number of orchards. The harvest for this Protection Geographical Indication PGI-certified fruit usually begins in September.


Elsewhere in September, Teglio’s meadows radiate with buckwheat in bloom, so be sure to take a stroll in this area in early autumn with your camera at the ready. Once you’ve hiked a while, you’ll have a deeper insight into – and even more appreciation for – exactly what has gone into your next meal of pizzoccheri, sciatt and polenta taragna.

TOURING ALTA VALTELLINA

Concludiamo il nostro tour enogastronomico tra Bormio e Livigno, due delle località più conosciute della Valtellina. Qui, tra una pausa alle terme di Bormio e un momento di shopping a Livigno (zona duty free), non perdetevi una visita alle cantine dell'amaro Braulio (clicca qui per maggiori info), ubicate proprio nel cuore del centro storico di Bormio (eh sì, il Braulio nasce proprio nella cosiddetta "Magnifica Terra") mentre alla Latteria di Livigno (clicca qui per maggiori info) potrete gustare dei prodotti latteari-caseari davvero unici, dal gusto genuino e autentico dell'alta montagna.

Your gourmet tour reaches its climax in the upper part of Valtellina between Livigno and Bormio. Once you’ve got your fill of duty-free shopping in Livigno and recharged your batteries at the thermal baths in Bormio, your next stop will be the cellars at Casa Braulio (click here for more information), which lie unexpectedly in the very centre of Bormio’s old town, followed by the Latteria di Livigno (more information here) where unique Alpine dairy products have been something of a craft for generations. 

CLICCA QUI PER SCOPRIRE DI PIU' L'ENOGASTRONOMIA VALTELLINESE