In Borgo di Valcasotto, home of Beppino Occelli's Antiche Stagionature, he received a very welcome surprise visit: Antonio Cassano, "the talent of old Bari", accompanied by his wife Carolina Marcialis and his two sons Christopher and Lionel, treated themselves to a day of relaxation and taste.
Welcoming them at Borgo Alessandra, the cook of Locanda del Mulino, who prepared a tasty lunch for them: an appetizer of mountain cured meats accompanied by Occelli butter made with fresh Italian centrifuged cream: “In my house, only Occelli butter has always been used” was Mrs. Marcialis' comment when the dishes arrived.
The lunch continued with the excellent grilled “Casutin” terrines, one of the Locanda’s signature dishes, to finish with a “royal plateau” of the best Occelli branded cheeses: from the creamy Tuma dla Paja, to Valcasotto “the King’s cheese” made with raw cow’s milk in the Alpeggio version made in the mountains above 1000 metres, to finish with the Gran Riserva Beppino Occelli: Occelli al Barolo, a great meditation cheese and Occelli in Chestnut leaves aged for over two years on wooden boards and hand-rolled with the leaves of the centuries-old chestnut trees of the Casotto Valley.
The day ended with an unmissable visit to the Antiche Stagionature where those present were able to observe up close the great cheeses produced by Beppino resting, cradled by time, the right humidity and the care of the master seasoners until their seasoning on strictly wooden boards comes to an end, making them unique both in taste and appearance. 
