makin' groceries on a Sunday

Yesterday we needed to get a few things from the grocery store.

And, yes, quite unbelievably, there is a fabulous grocery store open on Sunday morning in these parts.

This is our ride back from the store, which is about 8 km away, taken mostly while in motion with my iPhone, of course. We bought prosciutto crudo di San Daniele, melon, Saturn peaches, goat cheese, and cucumbers. (Because I thought you needed to know. Our urgent need to visit the store was for lunch, specifically for the prosciutto and melone.)

I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did. Making a run to the grocery store, even on Sunday, ain't so bad, is it? 

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Have a great week! We have officially started the countdown to the end of the school year: two weeks!

For the Love of Cherries

This is the time of year: many of the villages in the area host festivals, usually to celebrate a local harvest (but not always!) Our village wrapped up its "Sagra dei Bisi" last weekend, and now we turn to the two neighboring villages for their sagre, though we know nothing can top the pea festival.

Yes. I can't believe I said that either. Just trust me that you have to taste the peas to understand. A friend told me her father took some of the seeds to his garden, about 20 km away, and the peas just weren't the same! I totally believe it.

The Italian cowboy DJ's are often part of the nightly entertainment, and they have kind of a cult-like following of country line dancers who follow them from sagra to sagra each weekend. I've been often enough that I recognize some of the followers.

It's interesting to watch this embracing of a part of American culture...even if it's not exactly the way it would be at home. I love it because it's so close and so very far simultaneously.

The cherry sagra has something a little different this year: the good folks of Castegnero have finally included cherries on the menu rather than solely for sale as whole, freshly-picked fruit.

We had cherry risotto, local cheeses with cherry jam, and cherry beer! My favorite was the cheese plate, with selections from a nearby organic goat farm. Hmmm....organic goats?! You know what I mean!

I posted a short video of the dancing on my Instagram feed. Check it out.  

Have a great weekend! I'm off to have a few of those freshly-picked cherries! The season is in full swing here and they are oh-so-good. I just might be obsessed. 

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I feel like I need to apologize for the crappy iPhone photos...it's just how life is running lately. The big camera gets left behind more and more. It makes me a bit sad, really.

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reluctant hikers

A couple of weeks ago they completed a 12K in Venice with very, very little complaint, so I thought an early morning 5K on a predominately flat trail in our nearby hills would be a welcome way to start Sunday. I mean, with the anticipated arrival of the cherry blossoms and the wildflowers covering the ground and the fresh air and the bees buzzing and the bright sun we've all been waiting to see ...

Boy, was I wrong.

With a combination of threats and bribes, we all made it through. To their credit, they did continue in a forward direction the entire time.

I have more big hiking plans for us this weekend, perhaps this "Sentiero Tra Gli Ulivi," a guided walk especially for children that ends with a visit to a nearby olive oil producer.

Shhh....don't tell them.  I still haven't fulfilled my promise of two scoops of gelato, the promise that got them through the final grueling kilometer through this paradise we call home so early last Sunday morning.

@ the seaside

We are at the seaside in northern Italy this week where the sky is bluer, the water is fresher, the breeze is cooler, the friends are happier, the Prosecco is bubblier, the sun is brighter ... I dare say the grass is greener. In love.

 

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cool, clean & free : water

Public water spigots can be found in most of Italy, though I don't think we have one in the paese. It sure was nice to find these, which are good for both a cool drink and a refreshing splash in the face, in Verona Friday.

venice and her pigeons

Many tourists likely don't realize this, but it is, in fact, illegal to feed those pesky pigeons in Venice's Piazza San Marco. (Just as it is illegal to purchase a bag from one those guys who lines his counterfeit Gucci and Prada bags on the sidewalk.)

There was a time that bird feeding was acceptable. I even remember there being licensed bird feed sellers placed strategically throughout the piazza. Those have been gone for quite some time, though. In short, there are too many birds that carry diseases and are destructive to nearby buildings.

 

Ahem...I wonder how frequently these unlicensed guys are allowed to sell feed from their vest pockets? This time it was they who were strategically placed throughout the piazza, asking for one Euro for each handful of corn.

I've never heard of fines being issued for bird feeding. (What do I know, though?) Conversely, I have read countless articles over the years of hefty fines being issued to tourists who buy the bags, fines greater than the cost of the authentic bag purchased in the company store.

I told the girls to look and chase as much as they liked...but please don't touch the birds. When I told them that the birds might poop on them, I got their attention and promise to heed my directions. As far as I'm concerned, a pigeon is not much more than a rat with wings. (Harsh...I know.)

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Here is link to a (dated: 2008) article in the NYT about the reason for the ban: "Venice Bans Pigeon Feeding in St. Mark's Square."

venice today

 

So, have you guessed the topic of the conversation yet? Keep guessing because so far no one has guessed correctly!  Richard and I visited Venice today to take in a Klimt exhibit at the Museo Correr, and while we were wandering around I found the perfect little prize for you! It's not a mask or a bead or a glass figurine or any other tacky souvenir made in China. And, yes, I am making a bigger deal out of this than necessary! I am not ashamed to own that. (Here's a HINT of the prize!)

The throngs of tourists have arrived and the season is in full swing. While out and about today I heard English, Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Chinese and a Slavic language that I couldn't recognize. Of all the tourists that I encounter across Italy, I usually find the American co-eds to be the most obnoxious. Of course, this is not true of every co-ed, every time ... but if one were to generalize ... They often lack a sense of decorum and feel a bit too free to "let it all hang out," for my taste.

Ahh ... to each his own, I suppose.

Another hint:  Natural disaster.

mooring poles in venice

A place like Venice overwhelms me with her imagery. With such an abundance of interesting sights, I easily get lost in the attempt to record them all and, then, come home with too many photos to be able to handle, to be able to find the meaning or the memory. Umm....that's no good.

This visit I focused on the mooring poles of Venice, at least as I selected and edited. Having this focus helps me tremendously in selecting treasures to keep and others to delete.

The variety in size, shape and color of mooring poles that rise from the waters of Venice is quite interesting and an important part of the visual and functional landscape of the place. In fact, the poles whether brightly painted or left natural, or whether made of resin or wood, all seem to indeed be in place for a purpose -- parking, Venetian style!

I like that, when function and aesthetic exist in harmony while defining a place or thing.

A quick Internet search reveals that colors of poles once represented or corresponded with important Venetian families of the aristocracy, with each family having clearly marked, private parking, in a sense.  It's unclear if this is still the case today. (I think I just might need to find a printed book on this subject to get valid, reliable information.)

I've written previously that I'm not a big fan of Venice.

I think that my attitude may have just recently shifted....maybe.

venezia

I spent the day in Venice recently with some visiting spring breakers, and since I didn't have a curious little person to carefully supervise along with me, I was able to take lots of photos and even do a bit of shopping.  I hope to share those results soon.  Until then, have a great weekend!

say cheese!

The Caseificio Sociale in Ponte di Barbarano, just a few miles north of our paese, recently opened its doors to the community for tours and tastings. Always ready to get to know our adopted home better, I insisted that we attend and then invited a couple of neighbor children to join us. The little people, having visited the popular cheese shop before, were not very enthusiastic about the invite to explore inside the factory; the sense of smell is a powerful thing.

Aged Over 20 Months

Grana Padano is this region's equivalent to Parmigiano Reggiano. Of course, some say it doesn't compare while others think it superior. It's not the same thing, nor is it intended to be so. It's a matter of taste ... or likely birthplace. A certain exaggerated loyalty to home exists here. I can't relate to that at all. (winkwink)  You can read more about this history of this cheese here.

Created October 28, 2011

I wish I could offer a great explanation with these pictures. The tour was in Italian and the factory was a surprisingly noisy place. Background noise significantly lowers my comprehension level. I did get the gist of it at times; essentially, it's a lot of work with many quality control checks. And wouldn't you know it, I found a website that explains the entire process.

We saw two warehouses, each with row upon row of cheese wheels. What we did not see are the cows!  This is a cooperative, so the milk comes from dairy farms throughout the area. I always thought that the smell that emanates from the popular cheese shop came from the cows out back. Not so.

Stinky, Stinky Cheese

All those lines and patterns are a photographer's dream, no?

At the conclusion of the tour we had a chance to taste the grana as well as other cheeses made in the factory. These cyclists are pretty typical of our area, too! Loads of spandex in the Colli Berici. Loads.

The cheese shop is very popular among the locals and is generally very, very busy, especially around the holiday time when the demand for cheese increases, I suppose. The caseificio also creates a selection of other cheeses from ricotta to marscapone to stracchino to Asiago. All good.

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Caseificio Sociale Ponte di Barbarano

 8-12:30 and 14:30 to 19.
Monday - Saturday (Closed Wednesday afternoon)
Just follow Riviera Berica until you reach Ponte di Barbarano; you can't miss the giant cheese wheel.