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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Liz Boulter

An alternative Tuscany in northern Italy: fairytale hills and terracotta villages in Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese

Fairytale castle in Italy
Fairytale castles, such as Cigognola, dot the Oltrepò Pavese. Photograph: FedevPhoto/Alamy

‘Look at the colour,” says tasting expert Carlo Veronese, sitting at a restaurant table in the village of Bosmenso. “Check how flexible it is, then give it a sniff and think about what you smell.” Only after we have given proper attention to appearance, structure and aroma do we taste the speciality before us.

We are not trying fine wines, however, but what many say is the world’s best salami: salame di Varzi, made in 15 villages around the town of the same name in south-east Lombardy.

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