A Little-Known Italian Dessert You Can't Live Without

 It took me forever to find a decent photo of it, because every photo I found makes it strangely look absolutely disgusting, but I swear that the persi pien will be the most scrumptious dessert you'll ever eat. If the restaurant does it right, that is.

So just what IS this amazing delight? 

The persi pien are baked peaches filled with dark chocolate and amaretto cookies.

(This is the best photo I could find of them--credit to another blog, here.

Still sound not all that great?

That's what I thought at first, too. Then I went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Italy: Ristorante I Cacciatori in Roure--which is a tiny hamlet in the mountains about halfway between Pinerolo and Sestriere, and discovered these little gems. My boyfriend and I never skip dessert when we go out to eat, and we often get 2 different ones, just to have more to try. 

I'd ordered a bonet--which is my second-favorite dessert, and a post for another day, and had frankly scoffed when he ordered baked peaches. I mean--gross. I've never liked baked fruit much, unless perhaps in pie form. They remind me of my one stint in an Italian hospital, where I was fed only nasty baked apples, but I digress.

Hans ordered the peaches, the persi pien, and when they came, and the sweet smell of peaches wafted toward me along with the rich, dark chocolate scent, I grabbed his plate instead of mine.

That night we actually ordered a second helping of the peaches--they were that good. And when I was back at the restaurant this summer, we told the owner as soon as we sat down that she'd need to save some for us!

Unfortunately, you can only get them in the summer, as they are seasonal. But if you find yourself in Piemonte, where they are a specialty, and it's July, don't miss them. You won't regret it. Even if they look a little like dog poo. Ignore that and dig in!

Bergamo: A New Discovery

 You know, after decades traveling all over Italy, I sometimes trick myself into thinking that there's nothing left to discover.

I mean, of course I've done "The Big 3" several times over (Rome, Florence and Venice). I've hit all the charming Tuscan hill towns, braved the chaos of Puglia and Campania, and explored my beloved Piemonte to death.

So I was pleasantly surprised this summer to discover a new hidden gem: Bergamo.

Isn't that pretty? 

You probably look at that picture and think...how could you have missed this place? But it's off the radar.

It's only coming on the radar lately because there is an airport in Bergamo that is starting to be used more by the low-cost airlines on their routes. And that's actually how I discovered it!

I had to deliver my son and his girlfriend to the airport in Bergamo for their flight to Morocco. My boyfriend and I dropped them off, and since it was still early, we thought we'd head into the city and do some exploring.

And wow--was I impressed! I had zero expectations, and thought: ok, we can walk around the town for 10 minutes, grab an aperol spritz and be on our way back to Torino. But immediately I was struck by the beautiful medieval architecture--and by the peace. Since Bergamo isn't a well-known town, there were very few tourists around, and we sort of had the place to ourselves.

But it wasn't just beautiful structures. Bergamo actually was a thriving town, full of cute galleries and shops and lots of charming restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating in quaint piazzas.

And we even got our spritz in the end!!

Located just 45 minutes to the northeast of Milan, and easily reachable by train, I highly recommend Bergamo as a stop for anyone enjoying a vacation in the north of Italy!