Italian Food, Wine & Travel group goes to Lombardia!

Later this week on Saturday our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) will be featuring our 19^th region out of 20 in Italy with Lombardy or Lombardia. Located in central to northwestern Italy, Lombardy borders Switzerland to the north, Piedmont to the west, Emilia Romagna to the south, and the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige to the east.

Lombardy is home to the capital of Milan and is a strong financial and industrial region of Italy. According to my Italian cookbook, Italy the Beautiful Cookbook, Lombardy “produces 60% of the nation's economy.” The landscapes provide everything from the Po Valley and beautiful villas around the northern Lakes of Italy (Lake Como, Lake Iseo, Lake Gardo and Lake Maggiore), to the alpine towns tucked in the mountains and valleys of the north around Valtellina and Valchiavenna.

My visit to Lake Como.  Views from Bellagio.

There is plenty to do for the outdoor enthusiasts and art lovers in Lombardy. I've written about the peninsula town of Sirmione I've visited in the past as well as Bergamo and day trips from each, but this is only a taste of what there is to experience. What are your favorite towns in Lombardia?

My visit to Sirmione. Views from the top of Rocca Scaligera

Wines of Lombardy

Located around Lake Iseo, Lago Iseo, you'll find the hills where Italy's esteemed sparkling wines arise, Franciacorta. There are plenty of other wines to also consider including bonarda and barbera from the province of Pavia, pinot noir of the Oltrepo Pavese, chiavennasca of the Valtellina and the whites of Lugana. We'll explore more of these in our group this week with recommendations and food pairings.

Wine map of Lombardia - Copyright of Federdoc

Foods of Lombardy

Who can't live without some of the cheeses of this region including gorgonzola and marscapone? Sometimes we fail to recognize where some of our favorite foods originate from. Rice, risotto, dominates many of the dish selections with additions including the addition of butter or the popular spice of the region, saffron. Maybe start with the zuppa pavia or the pastas including pumpkin tortelli and the special pizzoccheri of the valtellina area. When it comes to meat in Lombardy you'll find lots of veal and the most popular veal cutlets, cotoletta alla milanese. Who's hungry?

Here's a preview of what's to come. Don't miss all articles live this Saturday May 7^th and join our Twitter chat at 11am EST @ #ItalianFWT. We can't wait to hear from you! 

Vino Travels -  Chiavennasca of Lombardia vs. Nebbiolo of Piedmont
The Wining Hour -  Vines and Views of Valtellina Valley
Culinary Adventures of Camilla - Sbrisolana and Cantina Casteggio Barbera
Girl's Gotta Drink -  Visit Franciacorta Wine Region: Italian Sparkling Wine For the Win!
Enofylz Wine Blog- Franciacorta: The World Class Italian Sparkling Wine of Lombardy #ItalianFWT
Food Wine Click - Valtellina: Another Expression of Nebbiolo
Orna O'Reilly -   Sirmione: Pearl of Lake Garda
The Palladian Traveler - Spritz Campari: Milan's Passionate Red Cocktail
Cooking Chat - Grilled Halibut with Parsley Pesto and Wine from Lombardia
L'Occasion -  36 Hours in Lombardy
Vigneto Communications - Lombardia: A Wealth of Wine

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