Orta: Day 2 … Sagra Alpina

Yesterday, Nicolò invited us to dinner. “Join us if you would like some good, simple food,” was the way he worded the invitation. He went on to describe it as an event that is part of a local festival.

The festival in question, which is being kicked off with tonight’s community dinner, is the “Sagra Alpina.” It’s a commemorative event that concludes on August 3 with a flag-raising ceremony, and a parade to lay flags at monuments. It is designed to honor the “suffering of the Alpini of Orta.”

Unfamiliar with the Alpini, I looked it up on the internet. Turns out that the Alpini are the special mountain infantry unit of the Italian Army. These troops apparently distinguished themselves in combat during WWI and WWII.

The dinner was being served in the courtyard of the Oratorio Sacro Cuore [Oratory of the Sacred Heart] … next door to Casa Longhi. We didn’t have far to go. Amongst the first to arrive, we had our pick of the communal tables. We opted to sit in the back and observe the festivities. We were later joined by some of the local families who seemed to get a kick out of our presence as we were the only non-Ortans present.

The menu offered a couple of choices … all ‘nonna-style’ cooking. Mui went up to order our food, which was delivered by waitresses who came around collecting the tickets that were issued when placing the order. It was all very well organized.

We both opted for the Bolognese pasta since Mui thought the bistecca might well be horse meat, which is still part of traditional Italian cuisine. Our pasta came with a side salad and dessert … chocolate torta. Good food. Good fun. And a great way to wrap up our stay in Orta.

Tomorrow we move on … though we don’t really want to leave. However, it is too late to cancel our prepaid accommodations in Verbania, Italy. Casa Longhi is booked anyway. Hopefully, the newcomers will enjoy their stay as much as we have.Read more