CHEESES

Producers in the Valsesian area, who work almost exclusively with cow and goat milk, offer both fresh and aged products all year round.

Valsesia's cows are fed fresh grass from spring to autumn, while hay becomes their winter food. In summer, the herds are taken to alpine pastures, where they spend the hottest season grazing on fresh, nutrient-rich and aromatic herbs, giving alpine dairy products a distinctive and specific flavour. Many cheeses are certified as PAT – Traditional Agri-food Products of Piedmont.

Toma made from cow's milk is the queen of Valsesia's cheeses. Alongside the typical Toma Valsesiana, suitable to be eaten fresh or aged, there is Toma Macagn (from Maccagno), originally produced on Alpe Maccagno (2,200 m) in Val Vogna and known for its rich and soft texture, perfect for melting, and the special Toma Ajgra, made from raw cow's milk with a strong and spicy flavour.

There are also many other truly characteristic cheeses. Starting with those made from goat's milk, such as Caprino valsesiano and Crava, which is the Valsesian goat toma. And a variety of fresh cheeses such as Mascarpa (Valsesia ricotta), Vacciarin, made by draining unsalted curd cut into slices, Salagnun and Frachet, two cheeses in which the dairy is crumbled and mixed with spices or aromatic herbs. Their origins come from economic hardship in the past, as producers found creative ways to use every production leftover.

CURED MEATS

Valsesian charcuterie offers various interpretations of cured meats made from beef, goat, and pork.

Traditional breeding, especially of cows and goats, helps maintain a culinary tradition that's closely linked to the territory and rural life. Meat from wild game is another specialty that continues to be appreciated and sought after by locals and visitors.

Don't be misled by the name Sausiccia d'vacca: it is actually a matured salami made only from beef of cows that have reached the end of their milking or breeding career.

The meat is medium ground and seasoned with spices to make small salamis of about 200 grams, aged from a minimum of three weeks up to six or eight months. Sausiccia d'vacca is recognized as a Traditional Agri-food Product of Piedmont.

Salam d'la duja is a pork sausage (shoulder, pork belly, and mixed cuts) typical of the hilly and mountain areas of this part of Upper Piedmont. Its name comes from the 'doja', Latin 'dolium', the terracotta jar in which it matures while immersed in melted lard, keeping it soft for a long time. After maturing the aging process continues for about a year. Salam d'la duja is also recognized as a Traditional Agri-food Product of Piedmont.

Other specialties of Valsesian charcuterie include Mocetta (originally made from chamois or goat, but today more commonly beef), liver mortadella, and fidighina, typical of hilly areas and the lower valley, Bergna (air-dried sheep meat), Sausiccia d'crava (goat salami) and sanguinaccio (blood sausage), the last two certified as Traditional Agri-food Products of Piedmont.

WINES

The slopes of the hills in lower Valsesia are home to four DOC wines (Boca, Bramaterra, Colline Novaresi and Colline della Sesia), and above all to Gattinara, a DOCG red of international renown.

Nebbiolo is the characteristic red grape variety of this area of Piedmont, producing high-quality grapes particularly noted for their excellent balance and for making wines that are ideal for aging.

Known since the 13th century, its name seems to come from 'nebbia' (fog), though it is unclear whether this refers to the appearance of the grape or its late ripening, often resulting in harvests during the autumn mists. Here this grape is also called Spanna, and it characterizes all the red wine production.

The DOCG Gattinara is without a doubt the most famous wine of the area, produced purely from Nebbiolo (Spanna) grapes, except for up to 10% Vespolina and Uva Rara grapes. Gattinara requires at least 35 months of aging, of which 22 months must be in wooden barrels, while the Gattinara Riserva version requires a minimum aging of 47 months, of which 36 must be in wood. Produced only in the Gattinara area, it has a garnet red colour and a dry, harmonious flavour with a typical slightly bitter note.

Among the DOCs, Boca and Bramaterra are two red wines aged for at least around two years, while the regulations for Colline Novaresi and Coste della Sesia cover a wide variety, including aged reds, young reds, rosés, and whites.