CA D'J Pra In Ala di stura

Wonderful family-run place, starters, first courses, second courses, side dishes and abundant desserts, payment by donation

A place where you feel at home. A family welcome and excellent food.

Had dinner last night. A beautiful place, nestled among the village houses, you can eat outside under a portico. The food is authentic, made with excellent ingredients, and the house wine is good. Run by Don Ilario, the donation is donated to a humanitarian project in Lebanon. The world would be a better place if there were more restaurants like this. Go there.

Forget the idea of ​​a restaurant, put yourself in the shoes of the wayfarers who traveled the pilgrimage route in the 14th century, seeking refuge and refreshment.... If you can put yourself in the shoes of those times, Le Contessine is the place for you. In the hamlet of Cresto di Ala di Stura, off the main road, lies a hidden cabin... The only sign on the road is a stone with "82 with an arrow" written in red. This is the first magic moment; it's a stone on the side of the road, but it makes you realize that this is the right sign, that you must take that path.... A few steps up, a wooden sign halfway up tells you to go right.... Then you climb further, incredulous that among this cluster of cabins there could be something special. You know you've arrived because there are some tables with benches outside. The wooden door is open, we look out and Ibrahimovic appears, welcoming us as if we were truly pilgrims on a journey! We sit inside, still in disbelief and, above all, unprepared for this way of catering! With the simplicity and kindness of someone who knows how to welcome us, he tells us what he has to offer for dinner... Paper placemats and steel cutlery, stale bread but with a fantastic home-made flavor... He simply offers us two slices of salami, then asks if a risotto with toma cheese or tagliolini with zucchini and fresh tomato would be a good first course. "We have this," he says... Risotto and tagliolini are fine, thank you... While we wait, some zucchini and pickled sardines arrive, and a boiled sea bass with mayonnaise. No pomp, no gourmet presentation, a plate with food inside, but the flavor... special! The risotto arrives: toma cheese and mountain butter, a sprinkling of pepper, the rice cooked to perfection... The tagliolini are no less delicious, basil picked from a vase outside the door, a zucchini and a tomato picked from the cellar in front of us, the pasta cooked and sautéed to perfection. For a second course, I can give you a stew with cooked vegetables, he tells us, I'll make a tray for you so we don't waste any leftovers... For a moment, I thought about this stew that must have fed others like us, back and forth through the kitchen... But then, thinking about it... If there's anything left over at home, you put it in a container and then bring it back again... Nothing happens... In short, such a good, tender, flavorful stew... We finished it, too bad it was so little. For dessert, he brought us a meringue pie with freshly whipped cream, with cherries they had compote themselves. We also had some leftover Bonet.... Let's just say the dishes were displayed without filters.... Anyway, I'm a Bonet fan, and even though this was a "leftover," it was made according to all the rules of grandmothers' recipes, delicious. No wine, just spring water in a carafe. We got up and asked for the bill... "Do as you wish"... Well, that was the final straw; this dinner was priceless, so much so that it was prepared with love. We looked at each other embarrassed; in a world where everything is quantified, this freedom surprised us. This morning I woke up again with thoughts of Joseph, his shelter, and the dinner... I'll return, and this time I'll be able to enjoy the simplicity and joy this place offers, where everything and everyone is united by a feeling of love and brotherhood.

Discovered by chance and I must say we were truly enchanted... from the service, to the simple but good food to the truly family atmosphere... like feeling pampered like at home. We will be back.

This isn't catering in the conventional sense, so you need to be patient and flexible. In the end, I guarantee you'll have eaten well, had a casual chat with the staff, and left paying a fair price, knowing you've helped less fortunate people. An interesting project, a wonderful experience.

A peaceful corner overlooking the mountains, under terraced pergolas.

A delightful and delightful place, everything was delicious!!! We'll be back!!

Le Contessine is somewhat hidden from the road. I received a very warm welcome and was the only guest on Sunday. There was no menu; instead, they offered salami, ham, and goat cheese as antipasti, lasagna as a primi, and chicken with ratatouille as a secondi. The whole thing is for charity, so I paid €20 including water and wine. It would be nice if there were a bit more choice; the website lists plenty of dishes.