Incuneata fra Trentino e Valtellina, scavata da nord a sud dal fiume Oglio e patria degli antichi camuni, che hanno scolpito sulla roccia tredicimila anni della loro storia, la Val Camonica non è solo una paradiso per sciatori ed escursionisti (il Parco dello Stelvio e quello dell’Adamello-Brenta, il Passo Tonale, il ghiacciaio Presena sono ricchezze naturali non indifferenti), ma anche un forziere di tradizioni, culture e sapori generosi, ancora troppo poco conosciuti.
Gastronomy in Val Camonica
Specialties such as caicc and the castrato sausage from Breno, Rosa Camuna and Casolet from Capo di Ponte, the sheep violin from Berzo Demo, the fatulì ricottina from Cevo, the spongada and rye bread from Malonno, the cuz from Corteno Golgi, are just some of the many exquisite companions of a trip or stay in the valley, discovering fascinating churches and early medieval buildings, frescoes and rock engravings, traditions and millennia-old stories.
Breno
Breno, an ancient and welcoming village in the middle valley, watched from above by its millenary castle, deserves a stop not only to admire the seductive frescoes by Romanino (master of Brescia painting of the 1500s) in the little church of S. Antonio or the wild surroundings of Pizzo Badile and Concarena, but also because it offers an eloquent approach to the rich heritage of Camunian flavors. In the heart of the historic center, there is, for example, the Gastronomia Domenighini, housed for over half a century in an old stone shop, where you can find caicc from Breno, large ravioli with a curious topping and a sumptuous filling of meats and salami, which for decades represented the festive dish. A few steps through the paved alleys brings you to Macelleria Pedersoli, symbol of very particular salamis, such as castrato sheep sausages of light color and soft texture, made with the leanest parts of sheep raised in the valley; aromatic pork sausages called strinù and a savory salami, served cooked with potatoes, polenta or boiled vegetables.
To enjoy these and other specialties, you can sit at the tables of the nearby Trattoria Taverna, the family place of Piera Ducoli, who never fails to offer customers carne salada, casonsei (square ravioli with meat filling) homemade; “dirty soup,” “tripe in broth,” “Breno-style sirloin” and a tasty turta de porsel (prepared with boiled pig blood along with bread, cheese, milk and then baked), the main dish of rich winter snacks, washed down with the best local and Franciacorta labels.
Val Camonica, local agriculture
Up to 50 years ago, viticulture in Val Camonica was a respected part of local agriculture and had merlot, sebina, and marzemino as its lead grape varieties. The frenzied rush to industry in subsequent decades led to the abandonment of large stretches of territory and the oblivion of ancient knowledge until, in recent years, some decided to return to the origins, relaunched the traditional wines. Thus comes a gentle Baldamì, a versatile red wine whose name in dialect means marzemino, and a full-bodied Camunnorum, produced from dried grapes and aged in oak barriques, emerging from the barrels of the small winery Rocche dei Vignali in Cerveno, a few kilometers outside Breno towards Capo di Ponte, opened four years ago by Gianluigi Bontempi and a group of friends organized into a cooperative.
Capo di Ponte, Val Camonica
Back down to the valley floor, you can head to Capo di Ponte and its imposing archaeological area, a true mecca for generations of archaeologists who have studied and deciphered an enormous amount of rock engravings here, telling 13,000 years of history of the ancient Camuni people. On rocks smoothed by the action of a prehistoric glacier, men from the Paleolithic to the early Middle Ages carved with incredible mastery an astounding series of scenes of hunting and field life, war and religion. Much of the graffiti, which locals have always called pitoti (dolls), is concentrated in the Naquane National Park, the largest and most important in Europe dedicated to rock art.
Meanwhile, in the hamlet of Cemmo, are the two famous Boulders that gave rise, at the beginning of the last century, to research on Camunian art: on one, the oldest depiction of a chariot discovered so far. Adding to the area’s charm are the small Romanesque churches of San Siro and San Salvatore, considered among the most interesting early medieval buildings in northern Italy. Concerning flavors, Capo di Ponte offers some of the most renowned valley cheeses, produced by the Caseificio CISSVA (with a sales point also in Edolo): Rosa Camuna, a semi-fat sweet cheese whose shape reproduces a famous rock engraving; the “Casatta di Corteno Golgi”, made with raw cow’s milk; the Casolet, always from raw but partially skimmed milk; the Silter, a hard and aged cheese and others.
Il Castagnolo, chestnut brandy
In nearby Paspardo, home to the Chestnut Consortium of Valle Camonica, it is almost mandatory to stop to taste a product unique in Italy: Castagnolo, a fragrant chestnut brandy obtained through a special fermentation process of the fruit. Heading to Berzo Demo, you can stop at Forno d’Allione to enjoy the specialties of the Ancient Trattoria Vivione, passionately and professionally managed by brothers Claudio and Mauro Bernardi and their families.
Characteristic is the room with white vaults, adorned with wooden statues carved by Mauro himself, where appetizers on wooden boards are served with sheep violin, berna (strips of seasoned and dried sheep meat, origins dating back to prehistory), smoked beef with toasted walnuts; first courses such as “chestnut maltagliati coated with Alpine cheese and chamomile flowers,” “ricotta and nettle malfatti with porcini mushrooms”; calsù (large ravioli) filled with potatoes, cotechino and cheese, and main dishes such as game in salmì or polenta e osei.
A short excursion to the nearby and picturesque Val Saviore leads to Cevo, where emerges the Arturo Maffeis Farm, which at almost one thousand meters altitude raises Bionda dell’Adamello goats, from whose milk it produces a smoked ricottina called Fatulì and a series of exquisite cheeses with alpine pasture aromas. Returning to the valley floor and reaching nearby Malonno, you are captivated by the scents of Forneria Salvetti, famous for over a century for its fragrant spongade (a traditional round sweet bread), rye breads (a millennial valley crop) and naturally leavened chestnut breads, prepared with stone-ground flour in an ancient local mill, tasty biscuits and grissini with chestnuts and walnuts.
Liqueurs in Val Camonica
At the gates of Edolo, a stop is almost mandatory at the Liquorificio Alta Valle Camonica, run by the Tevini family, which, among many specialties, also offers a renowned Genepy, obtained by cold maceration of plants harvested at over 2000 meters altitude and an aromatic Alpine Amaro, which condenses the virtues of 15 types of mountain herbs.
Edolo is the gateway to the upper valley, a village with character, where even in winter months, among the colorful comings and goings of skiers, it is pleasant to enjoy a walk along the Oglio riverfront or stroll through the alleys lined with shop windows full of goods. A few kilometers away, towards Passo Aprica, is Corteno Golgi (birthplace of Camillo Golgi, Nobel Prize winner for medicine in 1906), home of the cuz, an ancient and succulent shepherds’ dish worth tasting at the tables of Ristorante Parco.
From Stelvio National Park to Adamello
From Edolo the state road winds through the snowy and breathtaking environments of the Adamello Natural Park and passes through quiet villages like Vezza d’Oglio and Temù, comfortable and well-equipped bases in every season not only for the Park and Val Grande but also for summer skiing on the Presena glacier.
Ponte di Legno, at the foot of the Tonale, between the Stelvio National Park and the Adamello, is the northeastern terminus of Val Camonica and our itinerary. The sun, which bathes it for much of the day, the liveliness and animation of the historic center, especially during these weeks of winter holidays or summer, are an invitation to scour its gastronomic venues, such as Salumeria Salvetti in Corso Milano, specialized not only in typical salami and cheeses, like Bagoss, but also in mushrooms (porcini, chanterelles…) dried and preserved in oil, the latter presented in attractive glass jars with wooden lids.
Or like Ristorante San Marco in Piazzale Europa, where a dynamic chef hosts: Marco Bessi, who offers refined and cleverly reinvented regional cuisine, with signature dishes such as: “Risotto with Fatulì“, Gnocc de la cua, “Tortelli with Bagoss and hazelnut butter”, Minestra de Scandela (a vegetable and barley soup), “Guinea fowl breast with marinated vegetables”, “White braised venison” and “Pears caramelized in red wine”.
