Melvi

You won’t arrive in Usseglio by chance, you have to decide to go there. This village with a population of 200 is situated at the foot of Mount Rocciamelone in the southernmost part of the Valli di Lanzo at an altitude of 1,300 metres. Roots are a matter of some importance here as Giorgina Somale knows well. This is where her mother was born and a few years ago she and her husband Fabio Vinardi decided to return and establish Melvi, specialised in cultivating and processing rhubarb. It is not common to find rhubarb in Italy, especially at such high altitudes. What is unique about that of Usseglio is that processing is carried out with the fresh fruit without drying it, as happens elsewhere, thus giving the end product with extraordinary flavour.  Melvi uses it to make the “Usseglio liqueur,” the aperitif Rab, Gin Melvi and soft sweets. They also sell the likes of juice, sweet cider and vinegar with apples from the Valli di Lanzo and other Piedmontese valleys.

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