A great sandwich with local specialties is what you wouldn't expect in an anonymous service area, even abandoned as a fuel stop. To be precise, we're at Rio Coloré Ovest, kilometer 30 of the A6 Turin - Savona. Chairs and tables outside, in a small covered outdoor area, simple stuff of red plastic. Then the entrance to the bar, the Festival Snack Bar, also dated, but clean, and with everything you need, including phone recharges.
The surprises of the Festival Snack Bar
As in all service areas, here the bar is always open, 24 hours a day. We are in the municipality of Bra, the Rio Colorè area has become over the years - thanks to word of mouth and petitions to prevent its closure - a must-stop for those going from Turin to the sea, but also for those who, entering Marene from the opposite side, use the underpass to indulge in such goodness. Alberto Vinai and his wife have been stubbornly managing this area since September 1, 1992, making it over time a real free zone for gourmets, a gem set in a tongue of asphalt.
Sandwiches and Piedmontese specialties
The main surprise lies in the "display case" of sandwiches: with prices ranging from 6 to 6.90 euros, an exceptional (and award-winning) combination of specialties that you dream of. The homage to the territory passes through the Toma di Langa and the one from Alba with truffles, the peppers of Carmagnola, the tender Bra, the Raschera, the anchovies with green sauce or with the butter from the surrounding valleys, the frittata cebana, the Bra sausage. Very often, maxi sandwiches of rare goodness for products and combinations gathered in different and suitable types of bread, all delicious, are born. Just to mention: vitello tonnato or anchovies and peppers or, again, Bra sausage and friarielli, all the sandwiches are very good and offered in about twenty combinations. The offer of desserts is also substantial, which can be combined with good coffee service. Also substantial is the selection of excellent canned products from small local realities - some hard to find - or broader, evidently carried out with meticulous research. Wine and beverage proposals are available both at the counter and in the self-service fridge. There is also a tobacco service.
Festival Snack Bar - Area di servizio Rio Coloré Ovest - Autostrada A6 Torino - Savona, KM 30 - Bra (CN) - facebook.com/riocoloreovest
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