Sillavengo, centre in the province of Novara on the border with the province of Vercelli, in Piedmont, a stone's throw from the Sesia river, a land of historical places but on the other hand also well known for the production of excellent wines and a delicious gastronomy protagonized by specialties based on the legendary rice and cured meats highly appreciated for their superlative tradition and quality.
This visit is a perfect day for all those who wish to enjoy tourism and at the same time taste edible products of relevance such as in this case the famous Salame della Duja, the Duja Salami, pride and joy of an entire region.
Sillavengo, a municipality not very extensive in territorial terms but is rich in historical and monumental attractions of undoubted value.
Once you are in Sillavengo I suggest to start the visit from the central Piazza Santa Maria where the Parish Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie stands, although erected in the 16th century is a splendid architectural example in neoclassical style for a renovation in the 19th century that gave it its current appearance.
The church is characterized by a sober but well-defined neoclassical façade with salients facing west and divided by a frame in two registers both marked by Tuscan pilasters, a central portal crowned by a broken triangular tympanum with two secondary entrances surmounted by windows and a pediment on which an oculus opens.
Part of the complex is a bell tower developed on the north side of the church with a cell that has an opening on each side crowned by a four-pitched roof.
The interior with a nave has side chapels with walls marked by coronal pilasters that support the cornice and a presbytery raised by two steps closed by a semicircular apse with the presence of columns.
Of considerable importance are, a baroque altar, a 17th century altarpiece depicting the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus surrounded by Saints Pudenziana, Quirico and Rocco and a valuable organ built in 600 by Giovanni Battista Gavinelli of Bellinzago and restored in 1993, known to be the oldest still functioning in the whole of Piedmont.
Continuation with the Church of St. John which, despite its marked eighteenth-century Baroque architectural lines, is a medieval religious building dating back to the 13th century, built as an integral part of a fortress erected in the Middle Ages, of which unfortunately there are no traces.
The single-nave interior boasts a beautiful marble altar of the 18th century, various twentieth-century frescoes of the high artistic school executed on the barrel vault and adjacent walls and a wooden choir of the same period.
The current 4-star hotel-restaurant Al Castello Resort is housed in a manor built between the 16th and 17th centuries which was the home of the aristocratic Caccia family and then of the Giumilini family in an area named feudal lord territory of Sillavengo by Gian Galeazzo Sforza Duke of Milan in 1483.
The current structure was used as a school in the 18th century and some false battlements were added to its façade in the 19th century to restore the building to its castle shape.
Continue through Via Nazario Sauro arriving at the Sillavengo Cemetery where the Church of Santa Maria Vetere built in the 10th century stands.
This artistic masterpiece developed in a magnificent Romanesque style boasts a beautiful gabled façade flanked by an imposing bell tower erected on a quadrangular plan and with beautiful frescoes from the 1400s inside.
Afterwards you can head along Via Legnano to linger briefly in front of the beautiful Churchof Santa Maria Nova built in 1500 with stones from the Sesia river masterfully placed in Opus Spictatum style or with a symmetrical intercalation in bands.
On the sloping roof stands a small turret while on the walls you can admire the remains of valuable frescoes, some of which date back to the 13th century and others executed in the 1500s.
At the end of the visit, I recommend visiting a company to get to know a product of enormous reputation and prestige, namely the famous Salame della Duja, the Duja Salami, an edible delicacy of Novara that boasts a great and long tradition.
The fame of this product was already present in ancient times as one of the favorite Piedmontese local cured meats of the House of Savoy and also by the high-ranking Napoleonic entourage during the French occupation of these territories of the province of Novara.
This sausage of pure native pork, well known by the dialect name "Salam d' la Doja", is currently produced on a large regional scale, but the deep-rooted origins are here in Sillavengo and neighboring places, with partial encroachment into the Vercelli area.
Created from the so-called heavy pig, a pig with an age of about one year and a considerable weight of around 160 kilograms, raised purely outdoors.
The proceeds for the elaboration are generated by cutting shoulder, thigh, culatello and bacon with the mixture of these elements.
After the shredding process, everything is flavored with salt, pepper, garlic and other aromatic spices crushed and crushed in a mortar, ingredients that will then be mixed as per loyal tradition with filtered red wine using the prestigious Barbera for this process.
The future salami is then placed in a pig casing tied with the classic manual bridle system left to dry for about 15 days in carefully controlled cells in terms of ventilation and temperature and humidity indexes.
This phase precedes the immersion of the piece in an earthenware container called "Duja" from which the cured meat takes its name containing melted pork lard, an operation that is carried out to maintain softness but on the other hand also with antioxidant functions.
The sausage being prepared is stored for a period that corresponds to three to twelve months, depending on the selection of pieces that will have a greater seasoning AD HOC, a process that is carried out to acquire more spicy flavors.
On the established date, following meticulous times and practices in terms of time, the cured meats will be ready to be classified, registered and branded, obtaining the P.A.T. recognition. and therefore placed on the market.
This cured meat falls within the classification of "Salami Cotti Grassi" is a very versatile salami that goes beautifully next to other sausages in assorted appetizers, excellent as a snack, added as an ingredient to the famous Paniscia, a very famous dish of the true Piedmontese cuisine based on rice.
Time to have your lunch, I recommend to start a mixed appetizer based on Duja Salami, Fideghina, Marzipan and Ossola Ham, first courses to choose between Paniscia or Tagliolini with Gorgonzola, among the second courses you can opt for Tapulone or Grilled Pork Rib both with a side of fresh vegetables.
A visit to Sillavengo is recommended for all those who wish to get to know an attractive territory of Piedmont that offers attractive landscapes and at the same time a significant historical and artistic heritage and to get to know a product of excellence such as the renowned Salame della Duja, local, regional and national gastronomic pride.
Link : https://www.comune.sillavengo.no.it/it-it/home
Where to Stay | Recommended Accommodation
Resort Al Castello
Tenuta Valtoppa
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