Sunday 25th November 2007

We slept well – no rain to keep us awake and a very peaceful dawn with just the sound of the birds and the bells of two local churches. When we looked out, we saw sun, some blue sky and the suggestion of views. Plan A was put in place, we would go for a walk before lunch. We anticipated a large lunch and the walk would help our appetites.
We guessed that the scenery would be good but had not anticipated how dramatic it was. This was the scenery of guide books, holiday brochures and paintings – rolling high hills, deep valleys and hilltop villages. There was barely a square metre not covered in vines and the skyline was dotted by towers and large villas. It was still misty and low cloud flowed over the hills and down the valleys. My photographs do not do justice to the beauty of the views and I just hope that we will be able to return when the weather is better. The walk back up the hill was really warm with the air temperature at about 17°C and the sun shining on us, we began to strip off layers in order to keep cool.
One o'clock came and we made our way to the restaurant, just a few metres from Henrietta and it was very pleasant not to have to wear a coat. Our table already had bread, about 10 packets of breadsticks, red wine, still and sparkling water. Very soon, the food started to arrive and, if you are feeling hungry, I suggest that you don't read the next section. The meal was as follows:-
Anti-pasta
1) Salami and ham accompanied by fried doughy batter sprinkled with salt and served, like bread, in a basket.
2) Parma ham and parmigiana cheese shavings with olive oil. This was delicious and I even took up the offer of a second helping – I didn't know what was coming!
3) Thin slices of veal served with a tuna sauce. A very tasty dish and a combination that I would never have thought of.
4) Savoury pancake stuffed with asparagus and ham and covered with a mild cheese sauce. By this time it is 14:00 and we haven't got to the 'secondi' (the main course).
5) A dish of very small sausages in a meat and rosemary sauce served with a savoury egg custard looking similar to a small crème caramel.
6) Asparagus risotto. At this point we were both feeling full, I was refusing frequent offers of second helpings and we were restricting the portions being given to us. However, at least this must be the equivalent of the pasta course, so the secondi must be next.
Pasta
7) Wrong! The pasta course arrived – ravioli stuffed with vegetables and served with a meat sauce. By this stage out waistlines had expanded considerably and we were on our second bottles of red wine and water.
Secondi
8) Slow-roasted beef, roasted tiny new potatoes and roasted tiny carrots. Delicious but neither of us could finish it all. Time now 15:20 and we are glad that we have had time between courses. I am not alone in having had two walks around the courtyard in an attempt to create room for the next course.
Dolce (sweet)
9)An intense chocolate blancmange with a nougat-type ice cream. Time is now 15:45.
Coffee
10) A break followed before an expresso and a complimentary Grappa from the owner.
We finished the meal at 16:30 after settling the bill - €40 including two nights stay for the motorhome. They refused payment for the second night, that would have been an extra €10. To put this in context, this was less than it cost us to stay for two nights at Lake Garda without any meals!
The combination of the location, beautiful views and excellent home cooking made this a wonderful stay.
I would recommend anyone visiting this area in a motorhome to make a diversion and stay at 'Ai Ciuvin' but I suggest that you book first (see www.camperonline.it/aiciuvin.htm tel: (+39) 0141 855 253) and take the directions from the website. Our Garmin satnav would not accept the GPS coordinates on the Ai Ciuvin website and I suggest that you use N 44° 43' 59.7 E 8° 10' 53.6, which is what the Garmin read when we were on site.
Needless to say, neither of us felt like having any tea and, the way I feel at the moment, I don't think that I will want any breakfast in the morning!
Photos: The village of Castiglione Tinella across the valley from Ai Ciuvin; Castiglione Tinella at night.