Saturday errands

 

A quick stop at nearby Ca'Basso to stock up on a bit of everyday table wine, quickly changed to . . . "So tell me again just how I can bottle your wine and make my own Prosecco." And if we can find the time, we intend to do just that. 

walk with me | Costozza

We spent a good part of Sunday exploring the nearby village of Costozza, again.
Man, do we live in a beautiful part of this country, this region, this province.

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The word "Costozza" is derived from the Latin "custos / custodia," the same as the modern English word "custody" and essentially means "to keep, to protect." The village of Costozza is filled with secret caves and underground passageways, many man made, that have provided protection through the ages, from storage of the local wine to shelter from invading armies.

The Church of San Michele (400)

One of the Many Limestone Covoli or Caves of Costozza

A Few Women Out Doing the Weekly Wash

Villa Trento Carli (1645)

Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate

Beware! She has potions!

(She and the wash women were a part of the Spettacolo di Mistero.  Or were they? Things change rather slowly in Italy.)

fall & fog

Such is life in Veneto.

Hope you have a lovely week.
xoxo
Dana

corner view

corner view :: roadside

Roadside / January 2011

This twenty-four hour dairy vending machine is roadside in my corner of the world. It offers milk and a variety of yogurt as well as many other dairy products, including a great selection of cheese like grana padano, stracchino, and mozzarella! The best part? All of the products are made right here in our province.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us.

Sentiero 1

I've taken you on this path before, the one that starts at the cemetery in Lumignano and continues to Castegnero along the high ridge through groves of olive trees with sweeping views along the way; it includes the the opportunity to return to lower Lumignano through the fields of grape vines.  Cherry trees and pines dot the landscape, too.

But that was the early spring and this is mid summer! We so enjoy the opportunity to be spectators to this great free show put on by Mother Nature, without fail, year after year as the seasons change.

The most notable things in our landscape during mid summer are the lush vines fat with grapes on the cusp of harvest, the bone-dry rocky creek beds, and the varying hues of green that cover the panorama, green that will fade upon the arrival of fall and completely disappear until spring.

This is a beautiful place, indeed, this piece of Italy I call home.

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.

where we live: Sundays

Where we live bikes have baskets...

Where we live buildings tell stories...

Where we live faces appear in unexpected places...

Where we live a quick and light lunch for the family looks like this...

Where we live designated paths offer us a safe place to ride...

Where we live bike chains still fall off track...

A Sunday bike ride and stop for lunch in the paese
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There are a series of bike paths that run throughout the province of Vicenza; the one pictured goes from Vicenza to Toara (good wine there) and is nearly 28 kilometers of flat and easy riding. Nice, doncha think?

where i live: windows

I remember quite clearly the conversation with the "window maker" (What's the word for that profession in English?) who was contracted to supply the windows and doors for our house. He told me that he needed to visit the site to measure for our windows, precisely measure each and every opening (12 in our house), because evidently all windows are custom made in this country. What...no standard sizes? If you spend some time carefully observing, you will find his claim to be true, and, in my very humble opinion, that it's one of the things that creates the charm that helps us all fall in love with the aesthetics of Italy. (Of course, I might not be so enamored with it should I have a need to replace one of those custom windows!)

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So...the same company supplied all windows and doors (interior and exterior) as well as the lovely red shutters. Before moving to Italy, I had lived only in houses with shutters that were permanently mounted to the exterior walls, essentially for decoration. When a hurricane threatened, my parents would board those windows with plywood that was then stored in the garage until the next threat. The functional shutters were a novelty at first, but I eventually learned to use them to aid in the heating and cooling of the house throughout the year, either harnessing the warmth of the sun or blocking out it's stiffling August heat or adding another layer (before the double-paned windows) against the freezing air. I've learned that while the light from the windows is important,  it is secondary to the ability to control the temperature a bit by using the shutters. In a house without central AC, understanding this makes a world of a difference.

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For another look at windows in Italy, visit Francesca, who is hosting this "where i live" series.  My other "where i live" posts include rooftops and doors. 

where i live: doors

I've had a busy couple of weeks (and an absent, traveling spouse), so most of these images are pulled from my files and not exactly current. Although, the idea of currency is relative in this country, isn't it? Considering the house next door is three hundred years old, pictures from last summer seem quite current, don't they.  I did take note of many of the doors in the paese and concluded there this is much more variety than there is similarity... except for my big red door, which has an identical twin right next door. That's what duplex living is all about folks, even in the Bel Paese. I wonder what those big red doors will be in three hundred years?

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I'm participating in the lovely Francesca's "where i live" series. Click on over to see doors from another part of this country we call home.

where i live: rooftops

i live in the colli berici of the province of vicenza, italy

where i live the rooftops have a gentle slope

where i live every roof has a chimney or two

where i live electricity cables often overpower the beauty of the rooftops

where i live people still use television antennas

where i live more than one family usually lives under one roof

where i live most of roofs are made of terracotta tiles (but I've seen some plastic, too!)

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I'm joining Francesca today for a "where i live" series.