A River Runs Through It

Ivrea is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, just south of the Val d’Aosta, and is situatied on the Via Francigena. The town straddles the Dora Baltea River and the Ponte Vecchio is one of several the bridges that connect both sides of town. The Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) dates to 100 AD, although the current stone bridge was built in 1716 to replace the original wooden bridge. (Main blip). Ivrea, known as the Industrial City of the 20th century, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for the industrial and socio-cultural project of Ivrea founded by Camillo Olivetti in 1908. We toured the museum with a couple of retired employees who told us the fascinating history of the Olivetti company and the evolution of the typewriter, mechanical calculator, and personal computer, the products manufactured by Olivetti. My first typewriter (well,my Mom’s) was an Olivetti Lettera 32 in 1965 (extra). After the museum, it was time for a mid-morning snack, so we strolled over to the Balla Pasticceria to experience Ivrea’s other claim to fame, the Torta ‘900 (extra). The Torta ‘900 is an exquisite chocolate cake, so much so, that the secret recipe is patented. Over 100 years ago, the master pastry chef Ottavio Bertinotti, invented the recipe to celebrate the new century. Hence the name, Torta ‘900 (novecento is how the Italians refer to the 20th century). Umberto Balla bought the recipe in 1972 and continues to keep the recipe ‘under lock and key’. So, of course, one can experience the authentic Torta ‘900 only at the Balla Pasticceria in Ivrea. Scrumptious. Light and delightful. And yes, we each had our own slice of cake