BERGAMO
The transition between mountain and plain takes place in historic Bergamo. which is really two towns, one a dizzy hilltop citadel, the other a spacious lower city with cool arcades, inviting cafes. and theatres. It is the medieval upper town which attracts visitors. A group of fascinating buildings clusters around its time-stained piazza, among them a chapel built for Bartolommeo Colleoni, the most arrogant of Venetian generals, who was horn in Bergamo and was determined that his bones should rest there, despite the objections of the church. The composer dear to the hearts of all Italians. Gaetano Donizetti, was another native of Bergamo, and a theater is dedicated to him here.
Bergamo is famous for one dish, polenta e öséi, a round, golden-orange mound of cooked corn meal crowned with skewers of tiny birds interlaced with leaves of sage.
There is a good overnight stop in the town, the long-established HOTEL MODERNO. In summer its broad terrace provides a charming place to dine, and the food is exceptionally good, particularly the antipasti, ravioli, and those little birds on a bed of corn meal.
BRESCIA
This metropolis in the plain is alternately ultramodern and steeped in antiquity. The most famous swords in the world were once forged here, and there is still something bellicose about its austere architecture. Its cathedral dome, the third highest in Italy, is a source of considerable awe. If you happen to be motoring through Brescia you may find, as we did, that a good luncheon can be had at the HOTEL VITTORIA. If you don' care for those little birds, you might ask for capretto alla bresciana, one of the particularly celebrated local specialties.
CREMONA
The world' greatest violin makers, Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarnieri among them, flourished in this city in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Even today, small artisans in Cremona continue to fashion violins in the old tradition. The architectural heart of the city is breathtaking too, glittering with a Lombard-Gothic cathedral, an octagonal baptistry, and the highest Gothic belfry in Italy. (What, another superlative! )
We will use more restrained language about the restaurants in Cremona. We had poor luck, in fact, and wish that we had followed our first impulse to try the Ristorante Galleria. That' where we're going next time.
PAVIA
Once the capital of Lombardy and an ancient university town, Pavia suffered cruelly during the war. Its famous covered bridge was destroyed, but has now been rebuilt. Its grandiose cathedral, where Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci worked, has been patched up. Visitors are inclined to neglect Pavia for its famous Carthusian monastery, six miles northward, a monument so richly bedecked with Renaissance detail that i seems cloying to some architectural palates. The same cannot be said of the liqueur called Gra-Car which the venerable monks now distill there and sell to visitors.
Pavia is famous everywhere for one dish, zuppa alla pavese, a nourishing meal-in-itself which is a standby in Italian households. The recipe follows on a later page. They also are fond of frog soup, lasagne with cod, and a particularly savory risotto with shrimp, fish filets, mushrooms, and peas. Some of these treasures can be encountered a the RISTORANTE BIXIO, Strada Nuova 81, in the company of Clastidio, a proud wine from Casteggio.
MANTUA
This is the land of Virgil, most famous of Latin poets, who was born in nearby Piétole about 70 B.C. No sign of Virgil remains, hut Mantua absolutely shimmers with the splendor of the Gonzaga family, whose court was one of the most famous of the Renaissance. Their overwhelming ducal palace with all its ramifications contains more than 450 rooms. The one occupied by Napoleon for a night in 1797 is still piously preserved. Another room will linger far longer in your mind, the exquisite bridal chamber whose frescos occupied that master draftsman, Mantegna, for five years. Few rooms in Italy are as beautiful.
Mantua is a good stop, either for luncheon or an overnight stay. At noon-time you should find complete happiness at AI GARIBALDINI, Via S. Longiono 7. We encountered a handsome menu there, including the Mantovan version of ravioli, chicken cacciatore, and a lovely bottle of Lambrusco. The ever-dependable Jolly Hotels, less frequen in these northern regions than in the south, offer you most comfortable accommodations for a night in Mantua.
Here are recipes for two tried-and-true Lombard dishes, in case you would like to try them in your own American kitchen.
Zuppa Pavese
This soup is made with Italian brodo, which is a broth or consommé of chicken and veal. It is light in color but full of flavor. Heat the consommé to the boiling point and poach in it, one at a time, 1 egg per person. Place the eggs in the center of hot soup plates and pour the broth over them through a fine strainer. Around each egg place slices of bread which have been browned on each side in butter and sprinkled with grated Romano or Parmesan. Serve more grated cheese with the soup.
You can. if you prefer, break an egg into each hot soup plate and pour the boiling consommé over them, though in this case the eggs will be less well cooked.
Casoeula
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy pan and in it brown lightly 2 slices of bacon, diced, 1 onion, sliced, 3 or 4 carrots, sliced in rounds, and 1 stalk of celery cut in ½-inch pieces. Add 1 ½ pounds lean pork cut in thick slices, ½ pound Italian pork sausage, cut in chunks, and a small piece of bacon rind. Season with salt and pepper and 1 bay leaf, and sprinkle with I tablespoon flour. Blend in the flour and add 1 cup dry white wine. Cover the pot and cook very slowly, adding stock or water if necessary, for about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
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