The primi brought a vitello tonnato like no other. Capers – they grow wild all over Saluzzo, sprouting from cracks in ancient walls like culinary weeds – and anchovies were formed into a crumb around Fassona beef, served atop a puree. Sublime eating, it was perfectly paired with a 2019 Barolo from Ceretto, an especially apt choice as the legendary winery was one of our destinations the following day.
It started with a visit to Saluzzo’s centuries-old market where our guide proudly pointed out local cheeses and ‘bianca di Saluzzo’, white roosters loved for their flavour and texture. They’re often eaten in a cold salad with aspic jelly, while other local specialties include filled ravioli called gobbi, or ‘hunchbacks’, as well as moreish rum-filled chocolate pralines called Saluzzese – get them from Pasticceria Delsoglio.
Our next stop of Ceretto, one of Italy’s most spectacular vineyards, sat a 40-minute drive away. Established in the 1930s, they craft legends such as Dolcetto, Barbera, Barolo and Barbaresco across a total of 170 hectares in four local estates – we learn that one hectare of land in Barolo costs between three and five million euros.
