the prosecco road, film I. Conegliano

"…et però credo che molta felicità sia agli homini che nascono dove si trovano i vini buoni"

 leonardo da vinci

“but I believe that there is a lot of happiness for those who were born where good wines are”, says this leonardo's quote. do you agree?

i don't know if that's true, but i'm glad i was born in a land with a long wine tradition, longer that the recent rise of prosecco as a trend, that brought this sparkling nectar to be drunk all over italy and in the world. 
this was the first official wine road of the country.

 

i put into the map, as landmarks, some places outside the main prosecco road itinerary, that i mentioned here in the blog pages or that i'm going to mention soon.

i'd like to start from Conegliano, a place where art and wine belong.

the reinassance painter Giambattista Cima {1459-1519} was born and died here, and even if he lived and worked in Venice, the landscapes of his birthplace are recurrent in the background of his compositions: the gentle hills, the castle.. that gives us a pretty clear image of how Conegliano looked like ages ago.
both the castle and the hills are still there, though.

an art gem, located in Conegliano's heart via XX settembre, is the frescoed façade of the cathedral and the adjacent Sala dei Battuti. this last one is a stunning, large room, with the frescoes wrapped in mysticism of silence and shadows. the cathedral dates back to 1345. 
while we were taking pictures, there was the mass going on. i think that the sight of the young altar boys brings back memories of whispers, muffled chuckles and scent of incense to most of italian guys of my age and older.

via XX settembre, where the cathedral is located, is an avenue lined with elegant houses and porticoed buildings. this avenue and the square piazza cima are the right places to have a coffee, a glass of wine or a spritz {very popular wine-based aperitif}, in one of the little taverns and bars. 

however, the passion of conegliano for wine is not proved just by its many osterias or by the orderly vineyard rows. conegliano is the home of the first oenological school of italy, founded in 1876. 
marco has spent here his high school years, and he's still very fond of the place. the school also hosts a farm, a winery and an enoteca restaurant, for tasting the finest local products. 

a cottage in a messy garden near one of the classrooms building, is in my opinion the most charming corner of the school campus. it's the bottega del vino {wine shop}, built in 1927 on the occasion of the 50' anniversary of the school foundation, as a model for wine shops and osterias. it's still used by the school alumni and official dinners. 

{nikon em + ilford 125, except for the cathedral collage and next one, which are digital}

info and tips
Sala dei Battuti (at the Cathedral) - open on sundays
via XX Settembre 44, 31015 Conegliano

Oenological School G.B. Cerletti
via XXVIII Aprile 20, 31015 Conegliano

wine, local taste, relaxed atmosphere:
Osteria Cima
via XX Settembre 106, 30105 Conegliano

Osteria Due Spade
via Beato Marco Ongaro 69, 31015 Conegliano

all the venues mentioned on this blog are saved on "i diari della lambretta" foursquare list.