After a busy fall with Cheese Journeys to France, Switzerland, and England, I’m looking forward to a quiet winter with the family in Virginia – making pasta with my grandkids, catching the next season of Stanley Tucci, and preparing for a smash hit tour with Emilio Mignucci of Di Bruno Bros. in May! Want to join us?
If you love Italian cheese, wine, truffles, and charcuterie, our Northern Italy Cheese Journey will take you to the heart of Italian specialty foods: Piedmont. And who better to serve as a co-host than Emilio Mignucci, whose third-generation family business in Philadelphia sources so many of the region’s delights? If you’ve been to one of the six Di Bruno shops or surfed their website for edible gifts, you know that Di Bruno Bros. represents some of the best producers – from snackable Cravero Parmigiano-Reggiano to the delicious booze-marinated cheeses of Beppino Occelli.
If you love these products, you’ll love going with Emilio to Giorgio Cravero's home to sample Cravero Parmigiano-Reggiano at different ages. The Craveros are a fifth generation business, with the hand-written family ledgers to prove it. And they love to entertain. Don’t be surprised if Giorgio’s father comes out to greet you on his bicycle (with his small dog riding in the front basket) or if Giorgio gives you a big squeeze as he drops a glass of Prosecco into your hand. In the town of Bra, where the family lives, visits from cheese buyers are quite normal, but when a pack of American cheese enthusiasts arrive, that’s pretty unusual! Giorgio likes to demonstrate his appreciation by showing you every aspect of cheese production, stuffing you with samples, and then taking you for an epic lunch at the family restaurant. Prepare to eat the best Parmigiano flan of your life!
The same is true of Occelli Formaggi, a family business in the tiny village of Valcasotto where underground cheese caves are still kept cool by pipes that circulate local river water. You’ll have the chance to follow Emilio down into this stone labyrinth and learn how seven different kinds of wood shelving are used to age Occelli cheeses. And of course you’ll sample the entire line, from Testun al Barolo to whisky-infused Malto d’Orzo. The red carpet rolls out when Cheese Journeys rolls in with Emilio, so you can expect plenty of wine bottles to pop and homemade pasta to appear on tables. Roll up your sleeves if you want to get your hands in some chestnut flour!
Finally, you won’t believe the Tolkein-esque mountain hamlet that surrounds a tiny creamery, called Valliera, that has been restored to produced Castelmagno – a crystalline cheese that rarely makes it to the U.S. The young cheesemaker will show you her cheesemaking process and tell you about Castelmagno's ancient recipe as you peer over quaint wooden rooftops, stone staircases, and mist rising over green pastures in the distance. Join Emilio at a picnic table for a casual tasting and a rustic lunch, served in an Alpine cheese paradise. Few people ever take a back-roads cheese adventure, and you can now tell your friends you’ve been in a mountain caravan through the Alps in pursuit of lost (or nearly lost) cheese traditions.
What I’ve described is just three days of a 10-day tour that includes so much more – from a truffle hunt, to an island excursion around Lake Maggiore, to wine programming that takes you to the exclusive tasting room of Chiara Boschis – a wine legend, who is one of the most inspiring women we’ve ever met. As Emilio said on our last tour, “I could literally listen to her talk all day.”
Inspiration is what drives Cheese Journeys. I’m inspired to bring people to the best producers around the Europe and the U.S. in order to enrich each other’s lives. Whether you’re a budding turophile, a wine geek, a business owner, a food entrepreneur, or a couple who enjoys cooking together, you’ll be changed by the experience of traveling to Northern Italy. You’ll love the warmth of the people, the vistas full of vineyards, the village hotel where we stay with a wonderful winemaking couple (Laura and Massimo), and our private chefs who fix locally sourced meals and offer cooking classes. Prepare to learn, laugh, and relax – and with Emilio on this tour, you know that’s every moment of the day!
Wishing you a happy fall! Thanks for considering our Northern Italy Cheese Journey -- the full itinerary, pricing, and terms are available on our website, via the link. Questions? Please don't hesitate to email me at anna@cheesejourneys.com.