In this blog post, we would like to introduce you to one of our long-standing partners: Paolo Rovera.
La Freidio started growing medicinal plants in 1997. Since then, NOTHING has changed at Frieido: Only organic cultivation methods are still used today. That is why we are happy to work with this small farm in the Valle Maira, which produces the special white Genepy that you can find in our inn.
Dear Paolo, can you tell us something about yourself and your products?
I am Paolo Rovera and I have lived in Stroppo since 1988. My father was also originally from this village and, like many others, had emigrated to Turin in the 1950s. In 1989, together with my wife Silvia, I opened the restaurant Lou Sarvanot, which closed in 2015 after 26 years of operation.
In 1997 I joined forces with La Freidio, a company that produces medicinal plants. And then in 2012, Silvia and I opened together the cheese dairy, Sarvanot.
But my main products are flowers and genepì liqueur.
Genepì is a plant that grows wild in the Western Alps at high altitudes (over 2,500 metres above sea level) and has always been used in folk pharmacy for the treatment of mountain diseases and colds, as well as for the production of the liqueur of the same name. Today, the flowers are mainly used for the production of Genepì liqueur.
Your products are typical of the Valle Maira: what makes them so special? For how long have you been producing them?
Genepy liqueur is a typical product of the entire western Alpine region (Italy, France, Switzerland) and has the peculiarity of being made almost exclusively from the flowers of Artemisia genepì or artemisia mutellina (genepy). These are flowers that grow only in the high mountains and have a special fragrance and balsamic aroma.
Since the harvesting of wild flowers is prohibited, over the years Genepì cultures have been created, which may only be operated in the high mountains, so as not to distort the organoleptic palette of the flower and, consequently, of the liqueur.
My Genepi liqueur is characterised by the fact that it has no colour. That is why it is also called white Genepi. It is made by suspending the Genepi flowers over the alcohol (this is also called suspension infusion), rather than putting them into the alcohol. This method extracts all the flavours, but not the other ingredients. The result is a transparent, highly perfumed liqueur.
Sustainability is a central focus of the Locanda Mistral. What does sustainability mean to you? And how does it influence your products?
Living in an environment that is still relatively unspoiled, I think that any activity undertaken in the valley must be sustainable.
Hence my decision to grow certified organic crops.
What do you wish for the future of Valle Maira?
Only one thing: that we manage to increase the services in order to reduce the gap with the better-off destinations and regions in the surrounding area. That in this way we can stop, and possibly even reverse, the migration that is taking place.
Finally, is there a question we didn't ask you but that you think is important? What else would you like to say or write to our readers?
There could be many more questions. But as a priority, I simply want to thank those who have already come here and fallen in love with the valley so much that they have stayed to live here themselves. And I hope that others will follow their example.
