TheItalianscallit “secondacasa”.Australianswould
callit a weekender,a holidayhouse,ormaybejustour
place...inthecountry,upthecoast,inProvence,or
wherethefamilycamefrominGreece,CroatiaorSicily.
ButI’llgowiththeItalianexpression.Inmycase,
mysecondhomeis a lesser-knownnortherncitycalled
Bresciaanda smallapartmentinGardaBresciano,
thewesternshoresofnearbyLakeGarda.
NotfarfromMilan,thecapitaloftheLombardy
region,Bresciais a surprisingcitywithanextraordinary
history.Etruscans,Romans,theVenetiansandof
course,theLombardswerehere.Thelivinglegacy
ofthesegreatculturesandcivilisationscanbeseen
inBrescia’sUNESCOWorldHeritage-listedSanta
GiuliacomplexandthenearbyRomancapitolium.
Thisis a placeofpasta,riceandpolenta,cheeses,
softandsharp,fromthesurroundingmountains,
butter(andplentyofit),gamemeats,lakefish,porcini
inautumn,excellentwineandsomeofItaly’smost
acclaimedchefs,restaurantsandfoodartisans.Andmy
Italian-now-Australianhusband...hencetheconnection.
AsmasstourismengulfsItalyfromheelandtoe
rightuptoitsbootstraps,there’smuchtobesaidfor
findingyourownlittlecornertoexplore,awayfrom
thebackpacks,selfiesticksandpizza,pastaandgelato-
frenziedhordes.Thatsaid,Bresciahasgreatpizza.At
LaCascinadeiSaporiinthesmalltownofRezzato,
NewPizzachampionAntonioPappalardoslowferments
stonegroundflourfromhismixesofancientgrains
tomakelight,airybases,toppingthem with seasonal
vegetables,andcreatively
combinedmeatsandcheeses.
(Pappalardohasworked
withSydney’sStefano
Manfredi,alsooriginally
fromBrescia,onManfredi’s
Pizzapertarestaurants.)
Pasta?A no-brainer:inanytrattoriaacrossBrescia,
you’llfindcasoncelli– fresheggpasta“caskets”wrapping
a meat,breadcrumbandparmesanmixora filling
ofpiquantlocalBagosscheese,bothversionsdressed
withburntbutterandsage.
AndsomeofthebestgelatoI’veevertasted(and
believeme,it’sa regularpastime)comesfroma
moderngelateriainsuburbanBresciacalledBedussi.
Beyondthecity,Brescia’splaygroundis itsprovincia,
thealmost5000-square-kilometreadministrativeregion
surroundingit,whichtakesin three key landforms:
mountain, lake and plain.Chiefamongitslakesis Garda,siteofourlittle
apartment,withitsMediterraneanmicroclimateand
produce(olivegroves,citrustreesandcaperbushes),
grand19th-centuryvillas,mountaintrails,glorious
viewsanditsless-glorioushistoryasthesiteof
Mussolini’sItalianSocialRepublic– theNazipuppet
stateestablishedinthefinalthroesofWorldWarII.
Tospendtimethereis a sourceofgreatpleasure:
lakeswims,mountainwalks,pebble-beachafternoons,
mealsoffishwithbigoli(fat,house-madespaghetti)at the
trattoriaovertheway,alpinecheeses,freshwatersardines
fromthefisherman’sstallinthesquare,spiedobresciano
ready-roastedfromthebutcher’s(a mixofmeatsspit-
roastedwithbutterandsage)toserveonpolentataragna- yellowcornmealdarkenedwithgrainsofbuckwheat.
Andalways,if nota Pirlo(Brescia’sSpritz),a local
LuganaorGardaClassico,there’sa glassofFranciacorta,
Italy’sanswertoChampagne,madeonthemineral-
richsoilsbyLakeIseonextdoor.Atthebaseofthe
Franciacortahills,at theOsteriadellaVillettainPalazzolo
sull’Oglio,I’mhappytohaveeverylocalproduce-
focusedcoursewithunabollicina(literally“bubbles”).
Whichbringsmetotheplains...la pianura,la bassa
bresciana,thelowlandsandpasturesofthePoValley
runningdowntowardsotherLombardyprovincial
centreslikeMantua– notableforthethree-starredDal
PescatorerunbythehospitableNadiaSantiniandfamily.
Anotherfavouriteis Crema– theprovincialtown
chosenbydirectorLucaGuadagninoasthelocation
for his film,Call Me by YourName,whichalsofeatured
LakeGarda’sSirmione.
Thisis anotherLombardy,
windingalongthePoriver
anditstributariestothe
Emilia-Romagnaregion.
InEmilia-Romagna,
you’llfindmanymoreplaces
ofmyheart:Bologna,whereI firstlivedinItalyasa
student,a citynicknamed“thered,thefat,thelearned”
foritscommunistandanti-fascistpast,itsLambrusco,
mortadella,tortellini,bomboloniandtagliatelleal
ragù,anditsancientuniversity.
There’sFerrarawithelderlyladiesinfurcoatsriding
theirbicyclesinthepiazza.AndParma,whichgavethe
worldprosciuttodiParmaandParmigiano-Reggiano.
Andfinally,there’sModena,hometothefinest
agedbalsamicandthemarvellousMassimoBottura
andhisbrilliantwifeLaraGilmore... But that would
be another (Italian) story.➤
Aloveletterto...
BRESCIA
By Joanna Savill
Thisis a placeofsome of
Italy’smostacclaimedchefs,
restaurants and food artisans.GOURMET TRAVELLER 85PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES.