A few days ago, Patrick, the owner of Hotel Morgana where we are staying, recommended we check out Grutli Pizzeria. Last night, we decided to take his advice and ended up enjoying the perfect slice (or two) of pizza under a moonlit sky.
Very close to our hotel is a small section of town that is made of narrow, cobblestone roads – the kind you see often in Europe where only one car can fit width-wise on the road at a time. Should two cars attempt to pass each other, then one driver will need to pull over in order to make room for the other car to get by, or reverse back far enough to let the other car pass.
Along these streets are shops and small restaurants, including Grutli.
We headed out pretty late and so all that remained open were a couple of restaurants; some empty, and others packed with friends looking to share a late night meal and a few drinks. I think that the walk was half the fun. There is something so magical about walking down a street like this, in a new country, and just taking it all in: the sights, the sounds, the smells (mostly the scent of freshly baked bread, mixed with a flower, whose name I don’t know).
Once we got to Grutli, we decided to sit outside and enjoy the weather which was cool, but not too cold.
We ordered the quattro formaggio (four cheese), which was out of this world delicious; baked to perfection and dripping with mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, and gorganzola!
Fresh olive oil with herbs was served for dipping the crust in – something I think every pizza place should take note of and follow suit!
Our server was friendly and spoke to us in a thick, Italian accent (even though we are in Switzerland, we are in an area that is mainly Italian speaking), telling us a little about his home life and recommending places to visit in the area.
Between the two of us, JC and I finished the whole pizza. We left Grutli with our bellies full and our eyelids heavy, ready to call it a night. I have a feeling we will be making a few more walks like this during our stay in Mendrisio.
