Agriturismo Cascina Papa Mora

Cascina Papa Mora is a Piedmontese farm dating from the beginning of the 20th century. It has been brought back to life with love from the Bucco sisters, Adriana and Maria Teresa, with swimming pool and horses stable. Its production is organic and certified since 1995. The Papa Mora Farm is situated at 320 meters above sea level and dominates from one of the gentle hills of the village of Cellarengo, among rolling meadows and Acacia and Lime tree perfumed woods. There is a lawn in front of the farm, a pond and vegetable gardens. Orchards and vineyards surround the farm. The spectacular chain of the Alps frames the skylight and on clear days the mountains from the majestic Monviso to the Monte Rosa can be seen.

The farm has 7 rooms with their own bathrooms. The rooms are all different, they are distinctive in the furniture and decoration, each of a different colour or plant: yellow, green, rose, ivy, grapes, calla lily, and peach.
There also is a conference room perfect for work events.

It’s from the organic vegetable garden, that gives tasty sweet smelling vegetables every season, that are created the recipes for the restaurant. Plates are cooked according to the season and using everything is picked from the garden, never hasting a bit. Fresh herbs are picked just before using them in the kitchen and the chef decide what to cook only after having a walk round the garden, and the orchard. It is important to appraise the typical dishes of the local tradition and the food isn’t too heavy by using too much fat. The chef put simplicity first, and choose top quality meat and ingredients, and cook them trying to exalt their flavour. The homemade bread is baked in a wood oven. Sauces, pasta, cakes and ice-cream are homemade. Fruits are gathered from the orchard (of 350 trees) to make jams and fruit in syrup for guests’ breakfast and for fillings wonderful cakes and desserts which are always on the menu: Trifle, English soup full of our fruit, custard and cream whipped just before being served. Another specialitie is “anchovies coated in hazelnuts”, a recipe from Piedmont middleclass kitchens of long ago. From the vineyards are obtained three wines, that are on the wine list together with a good selection from other local vineyards.

The building of the new stables was finished in 2002. At the moment, there are 6 horses and a pony. Room guests have the exclusive use of the swimming pool from June to September. The pool is placed in the middle of a sunny lawn.

The owners take guests riding along suggestive paths through woods, vineyards and meadows, with an itinerary that goes on for kilometres without sight of cars or asphalted roads. Cascina Papa Mora is an educational farm, working with classrooms on didactical activities. Cooking classes for adults and families are organized, and photography classes are held by one of the must important portraitist in Italy.

In the middle between Turin, Alba and Asti, the Langhe, the Roero and the Monferrato districts, Papa Mora is in a good position to visit all the interesting tourist and gastronomic places in Piedmont. The Castle in Pralormo, just a few kilometres from the farmhouse, hosts “Messer Tulipano”, an extraordinary exhibition of 50.000 tulip bulbs blooming along paths and lanes in the Castle grounds. In spring an unforgettable living experience! Turin, a splendid city rich in traces of the Savoia Monarchy and completely renovated in preparation of the 2006 winter Olympic games. In the city of the Mole Antonelliana, the Fiat, the River Po, the Royal Palace, coffee shops, historic restaurants and shops, you can still breath the air of times gone by. Turin is the seat of the Egyptian Museum, second only to the Cairo Museum. A few kilometres from Turin you can visit the Hunting Lodges of Stupinigi and Venaria Reale, the Mandria Castle and Park, Rivoli Castle that houses the Museum of Modern Art. Racconigi Castle, just 20 km from Papa Mora, is one of the summer residents of the Savoia, immersed in its splendid centuries old Park. To talk about wines in Piedmont, means talking about Langhe and Roero, a gentle expanse of endless hills covered completely by grape vines on which life is still governed by the ripening of the grapes and by the “truffle hunt”. The wine itineraries pass through vine upon vine and lead to historic winemakers’ cellars and castles that dominate the highest hills and survey the endless valleys from the Langhe of Asti up to the Ligurian borders. These are views of heart-stopping beauty that remain impressed for ever in those who see them. This is the home of Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Arneis and other worldwide well known sumptuous wines. Asti offers official sites to visit such as the Town Hall or the elegant Cathedral, but it is also rich in rural sites, that make it loved in all its aspects even if its gastronomic siren is the one that draws. The third week in September brings the “Palio” (a city horse race) which draws crowds of tourists. The Sunday before, the city centre becomes the biggest open air restaurant in the world, with numerous kitchens set up in Piazza Alfieri. The local clubs from all over the County offer their most typical local dishes. But the most spectacular event is the parade of old fashioned crafts and professions in authentic costumes from the early twentieth century.