Franciacorta… the third wine to be discussed in my little miniseries on the sparkling wines of northern Italy. To recap, we have the Moscato d’Asti from Piemonte, and Prosecco, from the Veneto. In between these two regions we have Lombardia. Land-locked Lombardia, Italy’s largest, most populous region, home to Milano and Lake Como, is not known as a major wine-producing area, but it does have Franciacorta, Italy’s truest answer to Champagne.

Here are the similarities between Franciacorta and Champagne. Both are produced using the Methode Champenoise, or Metodo Classico, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. Both are made from the varietals Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc. Both use the same labeling system to identify the level of sweetness of each wine. Extra Brut is the driest, followed by Brut, Extra Dry, Sec, and Demi-Sec being the sweetest. Like Champagne, Franciacorta must be aged, for at least 18 months, by Italian law; what you get when you use the Metodo Classico is a sparkling wine with smaller and more plentiful bubbles. You also get a more subtle and complex taste, hints of vanilla and almond.

But there are differences as well, between these wines and their French cousins. Only a small amount of Franciacorta is produced each year; only one sixth the amount of Prosecco and far less than Champagne. They work better with food than Champagne also. They are fresh and crisp and lively and pair well with seafood or risotto. In fact, I’ve eaten risotto that has been prepared with Franciacorta in the recipe; this is delicious. Then add another glass on the side. This makes it perfect.

Franciacorta costs more per bottle than Prosecco or Moscato d’Asti. Look for it by the glass at wine bars; an excellent way to try it. 

Pro-SEC-co… Pro-SECCO… Prosecco… I never know exactly how to pronounce it, how to quite do that double ‘c’ sound, but no matter, I love saying it anyway. I’d go as far as saying that Prosecco is one of the reasons I go to Italy. Yes, I can buy some decent Proseccos in the U.S. now, but it isn’t that. It’s being able to order it in any bar as an aperitivo for 4 or 5 euro and enjoying it with the free meats and cheese the bars offer at aperitivo time, watching the bubbles in the crystalline straw-colored wine, and the fresh fruity taste that tastes like summer no matter what time of year it is that appeals to me. Continuing my short series on Italy’s three main sparkling wines, Moscato d’Asti, Prosecco, and Franciacorta, today I’ll focus on the Veneto’s contribution, Italy’s best known sparkling wine, Prosecco.

It’s possible that Prosecco’s signature fizziness was discovered accidentally. Since the Veneto lies in the far northeast corner of Italy, against the Adriatic Sea, and with the Dolomite Mountains to the north, winters are cold and come early. The Prosecco grape, however, is a grape that ripens late in the season. By the time growers harvested the white Prosecco grapes and crushed them, beginning fermentation, the temperatures would drop, halting that fermentation. No temperature control in those days… At that point the wine would be bottled to rest for the winter. With the warmer temperatures of spring it was found that carbon dioxide bubbles had formed in the bottles, and the incomplete fermentation had created a wine that was sweet, low in alcohol, and slightly fizzy.

Today the best Proseccos are thought to be those from the area called Conegliano-Valdobbiadene in the Veneto, and they are now produced using the same Charmat method as the Moscato d’Asti. For a wine to be called Prosecco it must contain at least 85% Prosecco grapes, the remainder being made up of Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, and/or Chardonnay.

Coincidentally, the New York Times ran an interesting article today on the current state of the Italian Prosecco industry. Since Prosecco is the name of the grape, and not the region, it may be used for sparkling wines made from it, no matter where they are grown or the wine produced. There’s concern among the Italian growers of Prosecco in the Veneto that this will diminish the value of their product. But we know that while they can copy the name, they’ll never copy the unique terroir, the climate, the temperature, and the conditions that make Prosecco from the Veneto the one, the only, the original and true Prosecco.

Like Italy’s other sparkling wines, Prosecco should be bought fresh and drank promptly. It’s the quintessential Italian aperitivo drink. Mix it with peach juice and you have the cocktail Venice made famous, the Bellini. 

Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante are produced, naturally, around Asti, in the foothills of the Italian Alps in Piemonte. The Moscato d’Asti is a DOCG wine that has been produced in these hills for centuries. There are references to it found in writings of the 1200s, and a recipe printed in 1606 is not all that different from how the wine is still made today. The ripe Moscato Bianco grapes are separated from their stems just before being pressed. Then, the unfiltered grape juice is separated from the skins. The juice is fermented using the Charmat method, in the tank rather than in the bottle, but only for a short period of time. After fermentation the wine is filtered several times, finally leaving a clean and clear wine. Naturally high in sugar and low in alcohol, slightly fizzante, fizzy, Moscato d’Asti has become a sweet and fruity year-round favorite; perfect for apertivi or lunch, as well as paired with desserts. Simple and perfect.

Its cousin, Asti Spumante, is more effervescent than the Moscato D’Asti. Spumante, literally foaming, is also produced from 100% Moscato Bianco, and produced similarly to the Moscato d’Asti, with the unfiltered grape juice being stored in tanks at near freezing temperatures to prevent fermentation until a desired time. Then, temperatures raised and yeast added to the tanks in the Charmat method, fermentation begins. The main difference between the two wines is the length of fermentation time. Shorter for Moscato d’Asti, and longer for the Asti. Asti is a non-vintage wine, meaning best to find a fresh bottle and drink it soon.

It’s tradition here in Piemonte to have a holiday toast with one’s neighbors and family with one of these sparkling Moscato wines and panettone. Nice tradition… let’s keep it going. 

Asti is an easy day trip from Stresa and many of the wineries are open for tastings.

The scene below is actually two-dimensional and etched in a piece of glass. It's small, and locked safely in a frame attached to a stone wall.

This very old and fragile set of figures is made completely of chalk. Sadly, the cow and the Virgin Mary have been lost, and the chalk is crumbling badly in places, but I love the soft colors and tender feel of this arrangement.

A nativity scene as depicted by an Ethiopian artist. Look at the details, the pots and dishes, the women seated on the left working, and the gauzy desert fabrics.

It’s quiet on Isola Bella. The weather on Vigilia di Natale, Christmas Eve, was unseasonably warm. Tourists are few. A Christmas mass was held in a small chapel. Normally the chapel holds 18; this day a ‘crowd’ of 40 filled it. Not too many shops are open. Nothing distracts from the serenity, simplicity, and true meaning of the day.

Being on Isola Bella is always a bit like being inside a fairy tale. This 2008 Christmas season it is especially so, as it hosts an enchanting exhibition of presepi, nativity scenes.

Nowhere else in the world has the art of nativity scenes been taken to such a level as in Italy, where the tradition dates back to the 13^th century, when St. Francesco d'Assisi found a small stable and asked for permission to construct a recreation of the birth of Christ. Permission was granted, and a tradition was born. It is my favorite Italian Christmas tradition. I lose myself in each one, taken back in time and place, imagining myself right in the scene.

And in a country with literally thousands of presepi, the ones here on Isola Bella are still unique. A private collection, they are displayed here now in the streets, chapels, and alleys that surround the giant palace owned by the Borromeo family, who live there still. Yes, like a fairy tale. The presepi have been gathered here from all over the world. They are constructed of almost any material you can think of. There are large ones and small ones, elaborate and austere. There are about 100 of them here on display all around the island. I hope to have some photos to post soon of these.

In past years these presepi have been loaned to the merchants of Stresa for the Christmas season and displayed in their shop windows. As lovely as that was, I think this is by far a more meaningful and memorable way to take them in. Magical scenes of a magical event, on display in a magical place.

It’s the big question. The important one in Italian households during the Christmas season. The one asked by pollsters on the street and in surveys online. Namely, will it be Panettone or Pandoro in your home for Christmas? No small matter, and not an easy decision.

On the one hand, there’s the Panettone, the traditional Christmas bread of Milan. There are several legends, as sweet as the bread itself, explaining its origins. I like the one attributing the recipe to a baker named Toni, a servant in the kitchen of the powerful Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan in the late 1400s. A nobleman named Ughetto, pretending to be a kitchen apprentice, prepared a dessert for the daughter of Toni, with whom he was in love. The bread is a success, Ughetto gets his girl, the Duke approves of the marriage and has a new dessert, and the cake is forevermore called pane di Toni, panettone, Toni’s bread.

The process to make Toni’s bread is long and arduous, taking several days, and it is still lovingly prepared in the traditional method in special ovens all over Italy. The basic dough has remained the same for these centuries; the tall cylindrical shape we know today dates to the early twentieth century when a clever baker put a paper shape inside the baking pan to prevent the dough from overflowing. And today the panettone can be found with not only the traditional sultane, raisins, but also with a variety of other fruits, even chocolate chips.

On the other hand there’s the Pandoro, recently gaining in popularity as a holiday bread. Also Northern Italian in origin, Pandoro was originally created in Verona. Pandoro, pan de oro, meaning golden bread, gets its name from the rich color of the cake due to the eggs used for its leavening. What I like about it is its unique shape. Baked in a special pan, the cake, when turned out on a plate, assumes a shape not unlike a Christmas tree. And better, when sprinkled with powdered sugar the effect is of a snowy golden pine. And best, when sliced horizontally, the slices of cake are stars. And best best, some of the newer versions have custard hiding inside!

You can now understand the dilemma. Tough decision. But either way, it wouldn’t be Christmas in this region of Italy without a Panettone or a Pandoro.

Allora, dimmi, so tell me... panettone or pandoro?

I love the way the Christmas season can change the whole mood of a city. And being the fashion capital of the world, Christmas in Milan is celebrated in its own elegant way. Here's how the city celebrated the 2008 Natale season: The festivities begin early in December, on the Piazza of the Basilica di San Ambrogio, where the O Bei O Bei market starts off the shopping season by offering all kinds of gifts, handmade crafts, religious items, and Christmas decorations. Simple things for the most part; sort of a warm up for the serious shopping to come. And to warm you up while you’re shopping there are vendors with hot drinks, cioccolata and vin brule, to wrap cold fingers around.

To keep the Christmas spirit going Milan has set up two skating rinks, the Villaggio delle Meraviglie at Porta Venezia, and another at the Idroscalo. Fun to watch, even if you don’t feel like skating. There are winter sports for nonskaters too; wander over to the winter wonderland of a snow park that's been created behind the Castle, in Piazza del Cannone, where you can go tubing, or even take a little ski or snowboard run.

As the days tick off towards Christmas many shops in the city will remain open on Sundays and extend their hours. Now’s the time to see and be seen on some of the finest shopping streets in the world. Lights twinkle everywhere. There’s an overabundance of Christmas trees. Trees of silver and gold, trees covered with Christmas balls, and trees wrapped in silken strips. But the piece d’resistance, the thing that sets Milan apart, is the magnificent Swarovski Christmas tree, this year set up in front of Stazione Centrale, Centrale train station. This 12-meter tall tree sparkles and dazzles, emblazoned with 12,000 lights and 8,000 Swarovski crystals.

And as Christmas Eve draws near, the Duomo becomes the center of activity in Milan. Stop inside to warm up, not only your hands but your heart and your soul, moved by the splendor of the cathedral and the music of the many choral groups performing there during the season, and the lovely feeling that only comes at Christmastime.

It’s easy to visit Milan from Stresa and enjoy the Christmas festivities. Visit my post here for some instructions.

At the end of the day, with the winners determined, the division in the road is removed, enemies become friends again, and the city becomes peaceful once more, until the next year…

Even if this will be your first and only opportunity to visit Milan it’s possible to get an overview of some of the major sites in one day. The Duomo, La Scala Opera House, the Castello Sforzesco, and a viewing of DaVinci’s Last Supper can be visited, at least briefly, before catching an evening train back to Stresa. If it's your first time I highly recommend booking a half-day tour that includes The Last Supper. And if you’ve already been to Milan several times, then you have the freedom to travel in at your leisure and take advantage of the culture, the fashion, the shopping, and the food of this trendy city in any way you like.

Here are some basic instructions for taking the train from Stresa to Milan. Purchase your roundtrip ticket at the Stresa train station. (You can read more about the station here.) Be sure whether you want to arrive at Garibaldi or Centrale, and then ask for a ticket, andata e ritorno, roundtrip. The price will vary depending on which train line it is, whether it is an express or regional, and time of day and day of the week. For regional tickets, remember to punch your ticket into one of the yellow boxes you’ll see hanging on the wall of the station near the tracks. This validates your ticket for this portion of the trip. Watch the clock and the monitors for the arrival of your train, and listen to the announcements, and then embark. Note: regional trains do not have assigned seating; all other trains do.

Once arrived in Milan, if you want to take the Metro, you’ll need to stop at a tabacchiera, the tobacconist, which is really the newspaper stand, and purchase tickets for the subway. Each ticket is good to use anywhere on the Metro system.

Taxis are lined up outside of all stations.

Now, one word of caution. On your return trip, Stresa will not be the destination shown on the monitors. The final destination will be shown. Trains returning to Stresa may say Geneve, Domodossola, or Bern, so you may feel more content if you ask at the information desk, just for peace of mind. You can cross-check the train number on the monitors and your ticket.

That’s all there is to it. Easy, economical, and fast, and you’re traveling like a real Italian.