Monza: Villa Reale is now open

Milan is known all over the world as a city of fashion, the reign of shopping and it often overshadows the near Monza. Monza should remind you of the Italian Formule One Grand Prix that takes place every first week end of September in the racetrack in the Park of the Royal Mansion.
 

It has just been restored and reopened to the public and, whenever you may visit the surroundings, I think this is a must.

It was built upon request of Maria Teresa from Austria who wanted his son to have the summer house not too far from Milan and on the ancient axis that linked Milan and Vienna. So they used to spend the every day life in the Villa in the center of Milan (it’s peculiar to know that you are allowed to visit its garden only if you are accompanied by a child no older than 12 years old) and moved towards North when it started to become too hot in the city.

If you look at both these mansions you will find a lot of correspondences between the architecture, whose worths was dued to Piermarini.

The Royal Mansion of Monza dates back to the XVIII century and it is characterized by a U shaped structure: you will be introduced in different apartments and you will discover the history of the first kings of Italy. It’s so interesting to notice that most of the Made in Italy is still preserved in this house since Queen Margherita (whose name was donated to the well known Italian Pizza) wanted to furnish the spaces with Italian masterpieces: porcelains, tiles,…

And you will pass through Mickey Mouse’s room….was Disney inspired by this? Visit it and discover and you won’t be disappointed.

After the visit of the Villa, you can enjoy a walk in the park, one of the largest of Europe, where the river Lambro flows and you can walk along many lanes dotted with stables, farmhouses, little temples. Here you can ride horses or your bicycle or you can even walk and reach the city center that is noteworthy too.

For lovers of shopping, you will find something to be delighted from: there are several shops all along Via Italia and Via Vittorio Emanuele II.

At the crossing of these two streets you will find the old City Hall, the so called Arengario that dates back to the XIII century and stands in the middle of the Market square.

Walking along Via Vittorio Emanuele, you will find the court on your left and will walk over the Lions’ bridge that lets you cross the Lambro river. If you walk along the river and you go back to the city center, you will meet the Dom square in Gothic style in which you can visit Teodolinda’s chapel and the Serpero Museum that preserves most of the Longobardic treasures, among which we remind you of the Iron Crown, bearing precious stones and that, according to tradition, was wrought with a nail from Jesu’s Cross.

Monza has become one of the Provinces of Lombardy and it is just the starting point for visiting the so called Brianza, a land characterized by workers, by a lot of furniture producers, the holiday destination for the Lords who left the city and restored themselves in a place characterized by noble residences, sanctuaries and the green countryside that is so difficult to find in the center of Milan…but not too far!

When visiting Monza, taste the Rice with Luganega

Ingredients

Kg. 1 rice
gr. 150 butter
1 onion
2 litres broth
1 glass Barbera wine
gr. 400 luganega (thin sausage from Monza)

Melt butter in a saucepan and, before it starts frying, add the chopped onion and the sausage that you have previously reduced into pieces. Pour the rice and let it roast. Simmer with the glass of wine. Once it has evaporated, stir in one ladle of broth. Add another one, once the previous has reduced and until rice is cooked (max 18 minutes). Serve rice and enjoy it.

Lombardy: towards North, towards the snow and the good wine ... Morbegno

During the first week-ends of October, Morbegno hosts a very well organized event: the old wineries of the town open their doors to public. It's called "Morbegno in Cantina" and it's a very good way to taste good wine that is produced with the grapes cultivated here near and the good plates!!!

 

Since you are going to drink a lot, be aware and reach the town by train directly from Monza or Milan: in two hours you can easily reach the city centre. Soon afterwards buy the ticket of one of the tours you prefer and then start tasting.....

Morbegno is a town in Lower Valtellina and it is found at the mouth of the Valgerola, at the point where the Bitto streams merges with the Adda. Its location has allowed a notable expansion thanks to commercial exchanges with Lake Como, Po Valley and Bergamo area.

I have been there for 3 times in the past years and tried always different routes: the first one, the one I preferred thanks to my friends Fabio and Cristina, was in Traona on a saturday afternoon... we were enjoying the atmosphere so much that we lost the last available bus to get back to the centre of Morbegno and, at night, we have had to walk about 3 hours!!! Please don't forget to coordinate your time... The second one was in the centre of Morbegno on a Friday night but it was not so funny and the latest and the most different was Gustosando: we ventured in the wineries of Dazio and Civo.

From the main square of Morbegno, every half an hour a bus leaves to take you to the first village where you can reach the oratory from where the tour is gonna starting.

Don't forget to take out your glass to be filled in by the host and the dish on which you will be served different typical plates.

The first one we tasted was the so called

LOW-FAT SOUP

Sincerely I don't know why it is so called, have a look at the ingredients with me:

1 stale loaf;

1 liter meat broth;

100g casera cheese;

50g Parmesan cheese;

1/2 onion;

butter.

Break the loaf into pieces and put them into a tureen, pour over it the boiling broth and add diced casera. Sprinkle over Parmesan cheese and finally add the onion that you have previuosly sliced and cooked in the butter.

Enjoy it!!

  

But if it is cold and you eat it with a good wine glass...it's delicious.

Then the tour goes on and following the directions you can find the other refreshment points and taste the different wines they propose and the different plates.

Another one I liked really very much was the Lasagnette with bresaola and casera cheese even if, at first sight, you cannot think they are very light! In this version of the lasagne you substitute the ragout with bechamel and diced bresaola and cheese.

I think that Morbegno in cantina is a very nice event that allows you to deeper know Valtellina and amaze your taste.