The wonderful flower meadows, the splashing of the water, the shade-giving forest, the warming sunshine and the goats along the way are a far remove from our usual daily reality. However, reality catches up with us again at the first pangs of hunger. So, we stop off at a grotto and fortify ourselves with typical Ticino fare, including a Ticino platter, polenta with brasato and risotto, washed down with a merlot sipped from the traditional bocalino. As I said earlier, we'll save the dessert for later…
By the way, the black goats in these parts go by the name Capra Nera Verzasca and are native to this valley. The fact that they're particularly resistant to large temperature fluctuations makes them the perfect breed for the Verzasca, which is hot in summer and can get quite cold in winter.