Day 3 in Piemonte

Thunder and lightning throughout the night made for a great show but not quite the sleep extravaganza we were hoping for.  The day was a joy, even though my SD camera card was left in this netbook.  Most of the breakfast, lunch, Eataly (tasting prosciutto crudo, drooling over an entire hock of culatello and throwing back a cafe macchiato) and stroll through Frossasco will have to wait until I get home and have the correct cable to connect my camera to this pc.., however we also went wine tasting at Dora Renato Winery..and here's a picture from that enjoyable experience

Our hosts, the fun filled B and B owners, Fabrizio and Marla, are standing next to Peggy.  Then Clara the founder's wife, Silvano their son, the current winemaker, and finally Renato, the original founder.

The chocolate and pistachio gelato photos will also have to wait until I figure out how to download them from the hard disc in this camera to the blog.  That said, our travel guides extraordinaire, Marla and Fabrizio, brought us through their region of Piemonte in exquisite style.  The wines and grappa were so well made at Dora Renato that we parted with not a few bottles :))) Here are just a few of those we're hand carrying home...just like old times??? no, just kidding :)))

On the way back to Bella Baita, we passed a commemorative bridge where Hannibal had camped out to try and recruit the 15,000 men he had lost crossing the alps into Italy.

Then came our home cooked dinner.

The starters included a spicy tomato and a cinghale (wild boar) spread over crusty bread...Then perfectly prepared pillows of gnocchi...

Paired alongside our hand-carried bottle of 2004 Scott Harvey Barbera, which our hosts enjoyed very much.  It certainly held its own compared to the lovely tastes of the local Barberas we had from Dora Renato

(BTW,Their top end Barbera is called Cavalleria because their town of Pinerolo was the headquarters and starting home of the entire Italian Cavalry!)

 We then dug into Italian kebobs of chicken, beef and sausage surrounded by locally grown vegetables...very yum...

The meal was perfectly complemented by the panna cotta (cooked cream) infused with young walnut liquor and strawberry coulis.

We had a splendid day and are looking forward to a long hike tomorrow.  The forecast is for sun and temperatures in the high 60s at our 3000 ft altitude.  Hopefully, after another great night's rest, we'll be ready to tackle the mountain just outside our door.

Ciao bella from the Bella Baita in Perasca, Italy...the high Piemonte town where the Curling, downhill and biathalon events were held within a few miles from here during the 2006 Winter Olympics based in Turin.