Free accommodation to be won!

WIN a night in B&B for two people!
How many statues are used in the "presepe del torchio"?

Win a night accommodation for two people at Villa Mimma B&B.

Send your answer via email at win@villamimma.com including your
details (name, surname, address and a telephone number).

Deadline: 17:00 hours of the 30th of November 2010 (Italian time).

The winner will be decided with a blind-folded draw on the night of the 30th of November amongst those who sent the correct answer.

One entry per person only.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Fan number 70 on facebook has won a free night accommodation at Villa Mimma B&B for two people!!!

Plan of the house - B&B and apartments

Artificial snow dome: the first in Italy, amongst the first in Europe!

Near Villa Mimma there will be the first Italian artificial snow dome, Dubai style! This will be amongst the first European ones (there are already one in Holland and one in Germany), opening towards the end of 2013! Over 100 new jobs and a unique business boosting opportunity for the Monferrato region.

Restaurants

Here are a few restaurants in the area that a friend who moved to Cerrine (20 min from Villa Mimma) from the UK has tried and enjoyed over the last year or so. We hope that this comprehensive list will help our guests discovering the area and give them some ideas. All places need to be reached by car from Villa Mimma:

Cafe del Conte Amico
Piazza Castello 2
Castell'Alfero
14033 Asti
Tel 0141 405755
http://www.cafeconteamico.it/

Jane says: "I had lunch here after a walk with some of the girls. Most of us had an Antipasta and Primi, with bottled water, followed by coffees. We split the bill which came in at EUR 12 per person as a guide. Not sure if it is open in the evening - closed on Tuesdays"

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Pizzeria Pic Nic
Via Ospedale 7
14100 Asti
Tel 0141 556228

The expats met here for dinner one evening - not far from the main square. Pizza, wine, coffee, limoncello - came in on a split bill of EUR 17. Open on Mondays when a lot of the other restaurants seem to close around here.

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Orchidea Bar Trattoria Pizzeria
Via Casale Ghiale 12
15020 Cerrina
Tel 0142 94160

Closed Mondays. On main SS590 road running through Valle Cerrina, last building on the right coming from direction of Ozzano. Jane says: "Wayne and I have had lunch in here - very tasty can chose individual plates or go for set menu excluding wine. EUR 10. Lovely hosts."

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Gran Caffe
Corso Valentino 153/155
15033 Casale Monferrato
Tel/Fax 014270819
http://www.gran-caffe.net/

Jane says: "Great place for an aperativo. Been here on a couple of Saturday evening with friends. Aperativo is approx EUR3 for wine and nibbles per person One of the best aperativo places according to our friends. It is opposite the Co-op on the main road in Casale. ( added bonus is you can park in the Co-op or Penny market car parks)"

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Pizzeria Ristorante del Corso
Corso Valentino 131
Casale Monferrato
Tel/Fax 0142 71294

Would advise booking on Saturdays. Great food - pizza's and pasta's, mains etc. Bill roughly EUR 15 per person for starter and main course, coffee and wine.

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Cascina Martini
Via Gianoli 15
Corteranzo
15020 Murisengo
Alessandria
Tel - 0141 693015
cascinamartini@cascinamartini.com

Jane says: "Had a super meal here - bit more pricey, but lovely setting and they do a taster menu. I believe you need to book, and they will open if it is just you - they did for us and our friends last year, one of whom is a chef, and he was in heaven there. Think the bill was around EUR 40 per person

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Cave di Moleto
Moleto
15038 Ottiglio
Tel 0142 921468
http://www.moleto.it/

Jane says: "Wayne and I had dinner here last summer -would recommend sit inside or smother yourself in mosquito repellant - this is where he got badly bitten. The food is lovely, and the restaurant is well known locally - must book to ensure a table - we had starters, main, desert to share, bottle wine, coffee - bill roughly EUR 30 per person.

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Tuais
Via Pessine 29
Odalengo Piccolo
Tel 0141 919196

Jane says: "We went here with other friends in November, we were the only ones there. More pricey as we had a truffle on our pasta so paid extra for that. They do have a big terrace with fab views which would be good in the summer. Would recommend booking as we were the only ones there and our friends booked the table."

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La Foglia d'Oro
Via Madonnina 35
Serralunga di Crea
Tel/Fax 0142 940170

Closed mondays. Well known restaurant.

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Selene
Valle Cerrina (on the left hand side as you enter the Valley. It has a big Ice Cream cone on the forecourt as a landmark)

Open for snacks/lunches. It has a bar and you can also get a pizza - takeaway only in the evening - very thin pizza base - lovely, and plenty of choices for topping - very good price.

Free accommodation in B&B to be won!

Complimentary accommodation at Villa Mimma in honour of Paola's 70th birthday for the 70th Villa Mimma's facebook fan!

Conditions:

• Register as a Villa Mimma's fan before September the 6th 2010 (Paola's birthday);
• Free: One night accommodation at Villa Mimma's B&B for two people in double/twin room.

How to claim your free accommodation:

• You will receive a unique identifier number from Villa Mimma B&B via email;
• Quote your identifier number at the time of the reservation.

Excursions and photography

Discover the Park of the River Po and its nature trails with "Orme Lievi" (Light Footsteps)

"Light footsteps as the traces of the animals that disappear with the wind or with a few drops of rain,

Light footsteps as those that everyone of us should leave behind ourselves but that become deep sulci in everyday life"

See the website http://www.ormelievi.it/ for further information.

The Holy Shroud - Turin 2010

Today we went to see the Holy Shroud in Turin. We left Villa Mimma around 10:30am, with rack-sack with sandwiches and water prepared by Paola for us. We parked in Casale Monferrato station and were lucky enough to find a free parking space. Buying the train ticket to Turin was quite an adventure in itself as the station machine was broken. Nevertheless we made it! We boarded a coach that took us straight to Vercelli where we could then take a train to Turin.

In Vercelli we had 30 minutes to spare so we took the chance to stroll to the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, a Romanic-Gothic church. The red, green and grey marbles and stones used for its interior and exteriors make an impressive church worth seeing it. The cloister is also open to the public and it was restored for the millennium.

Once in Turin (at around 1pm), after a pleasant train journey from Vercelli, we strolled under the galleries that are on the side of Piazza Carlo Felice, Via Roma, Piazza San Carlo (which is the centre of Turin life), until we reached Piazza Castello. We passed many fashion shops and cafes, selling the renowned chocolate of Turin!

In the church of San Lorenzo, at the corner of Piazza Castello, we could appreciate the Shroud through pictures and historical notes. This was excellent as the children could see it and I had the time to point features out to them. I was worried about their interest for it, but they were really keen to know about the scientific proofs of the authenticity of the Shroud and the extreme similarities between the signs of the Shroud and the recount of the crucifixion by the Gospels.

We had time to stroll to the gardens by the Royal palace and find a playground before joining the queue to see the Shroud. We had booked to see it at 4:30 pm, joined the path that led to it at 4pm and hardly stopped at all in our walk towards it. Time passed incredibly fast as the walk develops under a structure build for it with paintings of the life of Jesus through history. Then the path takes you above some excavations of a Roman Theatre, until you reach the final point where you join a group to see a presentation of the Shroud and its signs. After this, you are asked to enter the Guarini Chapel built in 1694 for the Shroud.

The silence and devotion of the people in the church are certainly catching and the emotion for seeing something so real is overwhelming. Whether you believe that it was Jesus wrapped in that cloth or not, it is still unbelievable what the man of the shroud must have suffered and the sense of dignity and respect that the figure inspires when you stand by it.

Overall it took us about 45 minutes to go through and it certainly wasn't that ordeal of queueing and waiting that we expected, even for the children.

Tickets to see the Holy Shroud: http://www.sindone.org/

Train connections to Turin: http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/

Accommodation at Villa Mimma email info@villamimma.com

(20% discount on accommodation and train tickets with bookings to see the Holy Shroud).

Saturday 27th of March Villa Mimma had the pleasure of hosting the writer Angelo Petrosino for a meeting organised by the village library for the children of the primary schools of Treville and the area.

The writer, who lived for many years abroad, first in Paris and then in Cornwall, has engaged the children immediately thanks to his nice and joyful nature, trying to make them understand how useful it is to pay attention to all that surrounds us.

Answering the many questions that the young audience asked him, in particular about how to become a writer, he explained how he listens to the silence and watches with careful eyes the little things of everyday life . You don't need wizards, witches, super-heroes to give life to his books because there you can only find true and lively characters who may be are a little bit noughty!

The adventures of Valentina, the main character of 70 + books that he wrote, are the cleardemonstration of the success that his stories meet amongst children of all around Italy.

Discover more about this great author on his website: http://www.angelopetrosino.com/

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St. Joseph's festivals - Casale Monferrato 13-21 March 2010

The celebrations for St. Joseph festivity have started this weekend.

 

Exhibitions, shows, markets, and a huge Fair Ground,... are available in Casale Monferrato for the rest of the week for everybody's enjoyment.

 

Moreover, this week Casale will open all its private and public monuments to its visitors.

 

Don't miss this occasion to participate in the celebrations!

 

 

First Prize for "La Cantina dei Presepi"!

"La cantina dei presepi" of Villa Mimma has been voted the best nativity of the traditional category in the competition "Vota il presepe" lauched by Genoa's council and SAGEP printers, with the support of the Lions Club.

 

The nativities set-up by Andrea Gandini in the cellar of Villa Mimma have been voted 122 times, with the runner-up having been voted 110 times.

 

The official cerimony will take place in Genoa on the 17th of February.

 

Thanks to all who have voted!