"Rice is born in water and must die in wine”: an old saying of Piemonte celebrates for generations two treasures of the territory. The area among Vercelli, Novara and Biella supplies over half of the whole Italian production. Born at the foot of Monte Rosa in a territory gradually developing towards the Vercellese plains, the precious Riso di Baraggia Biellese and Vercellese is the only Italian DOP rice, cultivated in the 7 varieties. In the Vercelli plains, the rice cultivation introduced by monks in the Middle Age, has today one of its main center at the principality of Lucedio, that preserves the ancient medieval building, the bell tower and the chapter hall, one of the most beautiful architectural works of Vercelli. A small jewel of historical and social memory, that has made the history of the Po Valley, is the Museo delle Mondine (Museum of Rice Weeders), to visit at the Cascina Colombara in Livorno Ferraris, where to buy a rice from the Lower Vercellese area. Perfect destination for a day trip or a weekend, you can admire the unique landscape of the "checked sea" from the neoclassical dome of the Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara or along the Cavour Canal, cycling between abbeys and castles in the geometric paddies landscape, bordered by poplar rows, in the fascinating ecosystem between Vercelli and Novara, or take a tour to the "Savana" of the Biella area, the Oriented Reserve of Baragge. Then just let you savor typical rice recipes, from the "paniscia di Novara", which in Vercelli becomes "panissa" (for some variations related to ingredients and cooking time) to a lot of dishes enriched by tasty cheeses (among them, Toma and Gorgonzola, Castelmagno and Montebore) till the culinary thriumph of an elegantly simple risotto with Alba white truffle.
