Casalbeltrame is a comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

(municipality) in the Province of Novara

Province of Novara

Novara is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara.It has an area of 1,339 km², and a total population of 365.156 . There are 88 communes in the province.-External links:*...

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region Piedmont

Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...

, located about 70 km northeast of Turin

Turin

Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...

 and about 12 km west of Novara

Novara

Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 883 and an area of 15.9 km².

The rice paddies of Casalbeltrame are known for the production of riso venere, an unusual black rice of Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 origins. Venere refers to Venus

Venus (mythology)

Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...

, the goddess of love, and to the aphrodisiac

Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...

 properties claimed for the rice. The variety is included in the Slow Food

Slow Food

Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...

 Atlas.

Neighbouring comuni

Casalbeltrame borders the following municipalities: Biandrate

Biandrate

Biandrate is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km northeast of Turin and about 12 km west of Novara.-History:...

, Casalino

Casalino

Casalino is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km northeast of Turin and about 11 km southwest of Novara...

, Casalvolone

Casalvolone

Casalvolone is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km northeast of Turin and about 13 km southwest of Novara...

, and San Nazzaro Sesia

San Nazzaro Sesia

San Nazzaro Sesia is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km northeast of Turin and about 15 km west of Novara....

.