THE TRADITION
1_
Collect here:
Crotto Belvedere
Piazza delle Chiesa
23020 Prosto SO
Founded way back in 1646, it has been run for over 50 years by the Pasini family.
Equipped with 3 dining rooms for a total of 100 seats and a covered terrace with 40 seats, with a glass window overlooking the Mera river.
In the summer you can also eat in the covered garden.
Marco invites you to visit the Crotto and the characteristic narrow passage in the middle of the rock in search of the “sorél”.
Crotto
A natural cave characterised by the presence of a current of air called ‘sorél’, which keeps the temperature constant at around 8°C, creating an ideal environment for storing wine and maturing cold meats, sausages and cheeses.
Traditionally, these were meeting places, decorated with paintings and furnished with stone tables and seats, where people met up for a drink and a chat.
Pork ribs alla piota with polenta taragna
The “piota” is a slab of local stone, the undisputed protagonist of the crotti. This cooking method recalls primitive cuisine, when cooking was done over the fire and represents an evolutionary phase, moving from embers to stone.
In the crotti, the piota is used to cook meat and vegetables: here the piota mix offers pork ribs combined with polenta taragna seasoned with butter and cheese.
Local red wine
A nice little 10 cl glass bottle of red wine, ideal to accompany your lunch.
2_
Taste here:
Church of the Assumption of the blessed virgin May
Beyond the 17th-century bridge, the Baroque church is dedicated to the Blessed Mary of the Assumption, and was built on the site that, according to tradition, was indicated by the Virgin Mary, who appeared to a local girl, Anna Foico, in 1572.
The bell tower, one of the highest in the valley, was erected in the first decades of the 17th century.
The church was decorated at the expense of Marc’Antonio Lumaga from Piero, a banker in Paris, with paintings attributed to the circle of Simon Vouet.
The interior features valuable confessionals and choir stalls carved in walnut wood.
Next to the church, in the direction of Chiavenna, is the ancient Ospitale, built in 1684 to replace the one buried under the landslide of 1618.
The ancient Ospitale
When the landslide of 1618 completely buried the centre of Piuro, the ancient building which gave lodging to wayfarers and to the ill also disappeared, therefore another was built on the side of the church of Prosto; the project was given to Giovan Maria Quaglio from Laìno in Val d’Intelvi.
To avoid occupying the square in front of the church, “Which is the best ornament of this place”, he had it built against the slope of the mountain.
The four arches on the ground floor correspond to as many windows on the two upper floors, all framed by multi-coloured friezes.
Access to the wide staircase was provided at the left end so that it could also serve for a future wing on the left, and though it was never built, its stones remain.
The complex, which has never housed people but was the headquarters of the management board for a kind of home care, has been fully owned by the parish since 1975.
The mill and the ollare stone workshop
The former home of the Del Curto family, dating back to 1600, is still known as ‘Il Mulino’, because it supplied the surrounding area and nearby Switzerland with flour
The typical biscuits, made with flour, butter and sugar were prepared during the August festivities and have become a culinary must in our days.
Not far away, it is worth mentioning the soapstone workshop with the production of the typical Lavec, an ideal handmade stone pot. One of its main characteristics is its ability to distribute heat evenly and constantly during cooking: this peculiarity enhances the natural flavour of food, making it particularly tasty and flavoursome.
In case of bad weather
Porticoes of the ancient Ospitale.
1_
Collect here:
Crotto Belvedere
Piazza delle Chiesa
23020 Prosto SO
Founded way back in 1646, it has been run for over 50 years by the Pasini family.
Equipped with 3 dining rooms for a total of 100 seats and a covered terrace with 40 seats, with a glass window overlooking the Mera river.
In the summer you can also eat in the covered garden.
Marco invites you to visit the Crotto and the characteristic narrow passage in the middle of the rock in search of the “sorél”.
Crotto
A natural cave characterised by the presence of a current of air called ‘sorél’, which keeps the temperature constant at around 8°C, creating an ideal environment for storing wine and maturing cold meats, sausages and cheeses.
Traditionally, these were meeting places, decorated with paintings and furnished with stone tables and seats, where people met up for a drink and a chat.
Pork ribs alla piota with polenta taragna
The “piota” is a slab of local stone, the undisputed protagonist of the crotti. This cooking method recalls primitive cuisine, when cooking was done over the fire and represents an evolutionary phase, moving from embers to stone.
In the crotti, the piota is used to cook meat and vegetables: here the piota mix offers pork ribs combined with polenta taragna seasoned with butter and cheese.
Local red wine
A nice little 10 cl glass bottle of red wine, ideal to accompany your lunch.
2_
Taste here:
Church of the Assumption of the blessed virgin May
Beyond the 17th-century bridge, the Baroque church is dedicated to the Blessed Mary of the Assumption, and was built on the site that, according to tradition, was indicated by the Virgin Mary, who appeared to a local girl, Anna Foico, in 1572.
The bell tower, one of the highest in the valley, was erected in the first decades of the 17th century.
The church was decorated at the expense of Marc’Antonio Lumaga from Piero, a banker in Paris, with paintings attributed to the circle of Simon Vouet.
The interior features valuable confessionals and choir stalls carved in walnut wood.
Next to the church, in the direction of Chiavenna, is the ancient Ospitale, built in 1684 to replace the one buried under the landslide of 1618.
The ancient Ospitale
When the landslide of 1618 completely buried the centre of Piuro, the ancient building which gave lodging to wayfarers and to the ill also disappeared, therefore another was built on the side of the church of Prosto; the project was given to Giovan Maria Quaglio from Laìno in Val d’Intelvi.
To avoid occupying the square in front of the church, “Which is the best ornament of this place”, he had it built against the slope of the mountain.
The four arches on the ground floor correspond to as many windows on the two upper floors, all framed by multi-coloured friezes.
Access to the wide staircase was provided at the left end so that it could also serve for a future wing on the left, and though it was never built, its stones remain.
The complex, which has never housed people but was the headquarters of the management board for a kind of home care, has been fully owned by the parish since 1975.
The mill and the ollare stone workshop
The former home of the Del Curto family, dating back to 1600, is still known as ‘Il Mulino’, because it supplied the surrounding area and nearby Switzerland with flour
The typical biscuits, made with flour, butter and sugar were prepared during the August festivities and have become a culinary must in our days.
Not far away, it is worth mentioning the soapstone workshop with the production of the typical Lavec, an ideal handmade stone pot. One of its main characteristics is its ability to distribute heat evenly and constantly during cooking: this peculiarity enhances the natural flavour of food, making it particularly tasty and flavoursome.
In case of bad weather
Porticoes of the ancient Ospitale.
3_
To discover:
Acquafraggia waterfalls
The Acquafraggia waterfalls, also famous for having been described by Leonardo da Vinci in his Atlantic Codex, are located in the municipality of Piuro.
The source of the Acquafraggia stream is at Pizzo di Lago, at 3,050 meters above sea level, and descends through two glacial valleys, creating a series of suggestive waterfalls.
This is how the name Acquafraggia originated, from “acqua fracta,” meaning interrupted stream.
“Passing through the Valley di Ciavenna,” wrote Leonardo Da Vinci in his Atlantic Codex, “up the said river one finds waterfalls of 400 m, what a beautiful sight …”
The river mentioned is the Mera, the valley it passes through is Valchiavenna, and the belvedere is that of the waterfalls, a natural wonder that could not leave the great genius of the Renaissance indifferent.
Giants potholes
These are a series of large rocky basins created by water erosion on sedimentary formations, looking like ‘potholes’ (small basins).
They originated when the melting waters of the glaciers, flowing through crevasses or glacial mills, formed eddies with high speeds, even up to 200 km/h.
These eddies exerted enough so much pressure that they carved deep furrows in the rocks, dragging sand and gravel.
Contrary to an old theory, it is not the erratic boulders that create the potholes, but the erosive process of water vortices.
3_
To discover:
Acquafraggia waterfalls
The Acquafraggia waterfalls, also famous for having been described by Leonardo da Vinci in his Atlantic Codex, are located in the municipality of Piuro.
The source of the Acquafraggia stream is at Pizzo di Lago, at 3,050 meters above sea level, and descends through two glacial valleys, creating a series of suggestive waterfalls.
This is how the name Acquafraggia originated, from “acqua fracta,” meaning interrupted stream.
“Passing through the Valley di Ciavenna,” wrote Leonardo Da Vinci in his Atlantic Codex, “up the said river one finds waterfalls of 400 m, what a beautiful sight …”
The river mentioned is the Mera, the valley it passes through is Valchiavenna, and the belvedere is that of the waterfalls, a natural wonder that could not leave the great genius of the Renaissance indifferent.
Giants potholes
These are a series of large rocky basins created by water erosion on sedimentary formations, looking like ‘potholes’ (small basins).
They originated when the melting waters of the glaciers, flowing through crevasses or glacial mills, formed eddies with high speeds, even up to 200 km/h.
These eddies exerted enough so much pressure that they carved deep furrows in the rocks, dragging sand and gravel.
Contrary to an old theory, it is not the erratic boulders that create the potholes, but the erosive process of water vortices.
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