Boca is a small town in the province of Novara located at the foot of a picturesque hilly plateau in the heart of the Monte Fenera Natural Park, a picturesque area where the protagonists are the gentle slopes of the Lower Valsesia, a protected area where the remains of the Neanderthal Man of the Mousterian Culture were found corresponding to the late Palaeolithic age and caves where the first specimens of Cave Bears lived.
An ancient Ligurian, Celtic, Cimbrian, Roman, Lombard and Frankish settlement, Boca was in medieval times a fief of the Counts of Biandrate and was then ceded to the Vercelli and then subject to Spanish and Austrian domination before becoming a permanent member of the Kingdom of Savoy.
In this very attractive area you will also have a great opportunity to admire an iconic, historic Sanctuary and taste the famous Boca DOC, a local emblem, a sublime wine highly appreciated in Italy and abroad.
Once you arrive in the municipal limits of Boca, I suggest you start your visit from the famous Sanctuary of the Crucifix located on a picturesque hill next to the Strona di Briona stream erected in the seventeenth century in Noeclassical style.
Its construction took place after the death of a local couple with works completed by the architect of Ghemme Alessandro Antonelli and his son Costanzo.
The majestic façade dominates a short staircase with an imposing portico formed by a series of columns surmounted by a large tympanum.
Of great importance is a frescoed wall depicting an immense Crucifix and the interior containing some valuable frescoes, an ecclesiastical place that became a well-known pilgrimage destination after some miraculous healings took place.
Continuation with the beautiful Church of San Gaudenzio with refined Romanesque forms but reformed in the year 1602 as indicated by a plaque, a building raised on a rectangular plan with an imposing bell tower and boasting on the external walls traces of ancient frescoes depicting biblical scenes.
Afterwards you can reach the Parish Church dedicated to the same Saint as the previous one and Patron of the town, built in the Middle Ages but totally launched in 1968 with the demolition of the three naves and the reconstruction of the façade which was in danger of collapse.
Inside you can appreciate beautiful frescoes and paintings by artists of the Valsesian school, valuable marble works in the high altar and various canvases with images of saints in the two side aisles.
Reaching the square Piazza Matteotti you will find yourself in front of the Chapel of Santa Maria e Sebastiano which preserves a beautiful fresco of a Madonna and Child executed on a small altar developed behind a small metal gate.
In the nearby Via Senato you will see Casa Cobianchi of nineteenth-century origin which was the home of a noble family of Intra.
On the same artery stands Casa Rezzi with a high eighteenth-century façade with arched wooden door, rectangular windows and embellished on the roof by a suggestive fireplace framed in polished red marble.
Near it you will pass in front of the Bishop's House, another eighteenth-century building that was the residence of some Novara Bishops with traces of frescoes on the walls and spaces that were used as stables and parking for carriages next to a belvedere.
Boca is a town famous for its fine grapes grown in this Piedmontese area, already known in ancient times and highly appreciated in the following centuries by the Spanish soldiers who occupied this territory for a short time.
The vineyards are cultivated at an altitude between 400.0 and 470.0 meters in the local municipal territory with encroachment into the nearby municipalities of Cavallirio, Grignasco, Maggiora and Prato Sesia.
In contemporary times, exactly on September 5, 1969, Boca wine obtained by decree issued by the Republic the coveted title of controlled designation of origin that protects its production, origin and preservation of native vines.
The vineyards are made up of rows of Piedmontese vine grafts between 2000 and 5000 in modern vineyards, plants grown with the Simple Guyot method.
The soils are of volcanic origin, composed of porphyry gravel with reddish surfaces containing various kinds of mineral substances in the subsoil, a very low pH, free of calcium and organic components that can alter the taste of the fruits of the vine.
Boca DOC is created from two main types of grapes, 85% of the famous Nebbiolo and 15% of Vespolina, the first absolute king of Piedmontese grafts, the second represents a variety that is often difficult to breed due to some diseases of the plant if not treated, also suffering high humidity indexes, characterized by low yields but perfect for giving Boca DOC an excellent spiciness without altering the aroma and taste of the body of Nebbiolo.
After the harvest, fermentation and maceration take place on the grape skins in open steel and wood vats with a capacity of 20.0 and 25.0 hl, manually punching down every 1/2 days.
Subsequently, after the phases of spontaneous maolactic pressing that takes place in the spring season, the wine is placed in large Slavonian oak barrels with a capacity between 20.0 and 28 hl, remaining to age for a period of time that is around 3 to 4 years, while the aging in the bottle will last about 12 months.
This wine with an alcohol content of 12 degrees, very suitable for aging, robust, full, incredibly expressive has a characteristic and vivid ruby red color with typical nuances tending to garnet.
With a very pleasant smell, it gives off aromas of pomegranate, berries, violet, violet with nuances vaguely tending to tobacco and licorice.The taste is highly palatable, dry, harmonious, intriguing and at the same time savory.
Velvety at the first taste, immediately stimulating at an inviting second course, leaving at the end a tail with a soft bitter taste that does not destroy the pleasant silky sensations, on the contrary, it enhances them like a magnificent final note of a sublime hymn.
Boca DOC is an excellent table wine, perfect to accompany various aged cheeses, white and red meats such as turkey, duck, chicken, guinea fowl, pork, beef, veal, roasts and rolls, served at a recommended serving temperature between 18.0 and 20.0 degrees.
Time for your lunch, to stay in the local gastronomic traditions I recommend starting with an appetizer based on mixed cold cuts, grilled peppers, first courses of your choice between Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms or Gnocchi with Toma, option of second courses between Sliced Beef with Boiled Vegetables or Free-range Chicken Breast stuffed with cooked ham combined with mixed salad.
Visiting Boca is a beautiful mix of tourism, art, history, nature, and the great chance to taste a DOC wine of great prestige, details that you will surely remember with great pleasure.
Link : https://www.comune.boca.no.it/it-it/home
Where to Stay | Recommended Accomodation
Agriturismo l’ Antico Sapore
The Hills of Maggiora
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