I recently wrote about my visit to the lovely village of Lillaz in the Italian Alps last weekend. Well, down the road from Lillaz is Cogne – which has, apparently, been discovered by the Russians.
Cogne is larger than Lillaz and is not short of a few good eateries and hotels either. According to one of the locals I met at the weekend, Cogne is very popular with Russians. The Russians are very welcome in these parts, seeing as they stay in 5 star hotels and push the boat out too.
So what makes the Russians keep coming back to Cogne? Here are a few images which attempt to understand just why they flock to this mountain village all the way from mother Russia.
Maybe the Russians like the shops. There are plenty of them, and many are lovely, like the one in this picture:
Perhaps the Russians think it is always Christmas here in this corner of Italy. Perhaps the locals want them to think this – the decorations shown in the next picture were still looking festive deep into the month of March!
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
Or maybe the Russians like the locals, who, it has to be said, seem to be a good bunch! The man at this window did not seem to bat an eyelid – possibly because the somewhat powerful flash on my camera froze him!
Then again, the Russians must simply find Cogne enchanting. Not a surprise.
However, at the end of the day, there is the wonderfully hearty mountain food, and the abundance of strong alcoholic liqueurs. And I know that Russians are partial to the odd tipple or twenty.
Good taste these Russians. Now maybe you too can understand why the Russians keep coming back!
For Good Food in Cogne
If you do find yourself in Cogne in the cooler months, head for the Tarabas Pizzeria Restaurant and treat yourself to the potato gnocchi with speck and chives (chives = erba cipollina). 100% scrumptious! The Tarabas restaurant can be found in Via Clementine, at number 11. Booking is a good idea, so give them a ring on 0165749371 before you go, or ask someone at your hotel to ring them up for you if your Italian is not too hot. Beware though, eating a ‘prim0’ – first course – will not leave you with much space for anything else, aside from Cogne Cream! Best go for either a first course or a second course. I went for both, and did not manage to finish the second course, or, boo hoo, grab a helping of Cogne Cream.
All photos by Alex Roe, his trusty Canon EOS 40d and a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 lens.
