S Europe Travel

In Venice I head for the fish market just past the Rialto bridge, shaded by a roof that stands supported by stone columns, their tops carved with watery creatures. Under this roof are all sorts of things I hope to meet on my plate – although many are so ugly that I would not want to meet them while swimming! Elsewhere in the piazza beside the Grand Canal are rows of fruit and vegetable sellers, with farm women sitting patiently carving up fresh-picked artichokes and dropping the hearts into pails of cold water and lemon juice.

In the Piedmont, although there is a wonderful food market right in central Turin and it’s hard to tear myself away from all those chocolate shops, I head for the Langhe Hills and the region around Alba. Farms and vineyards are everywhere, but my favorite stop of all is at Cascina del Cornale, a farmers co-operative between Asti and Alba.

Their shop is filled with the best local wines, farmhouse jams, tangy vinegars, baked goods, burlap bags of the region’s famous hazelnuts, dried porcini mushrooms and fresh fruit, including the rare Madernassa Pear. But most of all, I go for the cheeses, which include many rare ones unobtainable outside the region. This is the best place to learn about these and sample them before visiting the farms where they are made. And I can sample the local products at lunch or dinner in the co-op’s restaurant.