happy may day! do you celebrate the workers' day? may i ask you how?
in italy it is a national holiday, so marco and i took the opportunity to spend some time outdoor. we also had some garden work to do, so we stayed close to home, and took a short scenic road called Strada del Torchiato.
it's a 20 km loop of small rural villages {Fregona, Sarmede, Cappella Maggiore}, the itinerary delimits the production area of the straw wine called Torchiato di Fregòna.
it's an aromatic sweet wine, a niche product that deserves to be tasted. the legend says that it was discovered by accident: a farmer didn't want to waste his harvest, which had not rippened in the vineyard for bad weather. so, he hung the grapes to the beams of his barn. during winter, grapes dried and became sweet. the following spring he squeezed them with a press, and put the must to ferment in small barrels.
i don't know if the legend is true, but the wine is good, especially with the yummy local cheese like moesin di Fregona and drunken cheese {formajo imbriago}.
the Torchiato could be tasted during the annual fair held on the last week of april, in the Piera Dolza winery, where the grapes are dried and the wine is made by some local producers. of course, we went for a visit.
Fregòna is a small town on the slopes of mountains. its borders reach the top of the Pizzoc mountain and the amazing Cansiglio forest, but the town center lies on a hillside.
near to this town center, the main attraction is a fascinating complex of caves, called Grotte del Caglieròn. the caves date back to the 16th century, when they were a site for the sandstone's mining, used at that time to build doorposts. in veneto dialect, sandstone is called piera dolza, from which the winery i mentioned before took its name.
the caves are enchanting. the acquamarine water flows loudly, the light and shade are intriguing.
during winter, ice and stalactites make it even more beautiful. i took a lot of pictures, but still don't know the right way to shoot in a cave!
we followed the wooden bridge, while fat drops fell into our heads.
at the end of the path, there is a restaurant we love for its charming location but more for its food, alle Grotte {that means "the caves"}.
{nikon em + fuji superia 1600}
info and tips
Piera Dolza, Fregona producers winery
via castagnola, 50 - 31010 Fregona (TV)
Grotte del Caglieron
open everyday - free entry
Alle Grotte Ristorante
via Grotte del Caglieron, 33 - 31010 Fregona (TV)
in italy it is a national holiday, so marco and i took the opportunity to spend some time outdoor. we also had some garden work to do, so we stayed close to home, and took a short scenic road called Strada del Torchiato.
it's a 20 km loop of small rural villages {Fregona, Sarmede, Cappella Maggiore}, the itinerary delimits the production area of the straw wine called Torchiato di Fregòna.
it's an aromatic sweet wine, a niche product that deserves to be tasted. the legend says that it was discovered by accident: a farmer didn't want to waste his harvest, which had not rippened in the vineyard for bad weather. so, he hung the grapes to the beams of his barn. during winter, grapes dried and became sweet. the following spring he squeezed them with a press, and put the must to ferment in small barrels.
i don't know if the legend is true, but the wine is good, especially with the yummy local cheese like moesin di Fregona and drunken cheese {formajo imbriago}.
near to this town center, the main attraction is a fascinating complex of caves, called Grotte del Caglieròn. the caves date back to the 16th century, when they were a site for the sandstone's mining, used at that time to build doorposts. in veneto dialect, sandstone is called piera dolza, from which the winery i mentioned before took its name.
during winter, ice and stalactites make it even more beautiful. i took a lot of pictures, but still don't know the right way to shoot in a cave!
we followed the wooden bridge, while fat drops fell into our heads.
at the end of the path, there is a restaurant we love for its charming location but more for its food, alle Grotte {that means "the caves"}.
info and tips
Piera Dolza, Fregona producers winery
via castagnola, 50 - 31010 Fregona (TV)
Grotte del Caglieron
open everyday - free entry
Alle Grotte Ristorante
via Grotte del Caglieron, 33 - 31010 Fregona (TV)
I love everything about this post, Silvia! I can almost smell that sweet wine and taste the cheese just by looking at your photographs (I especially love the one with the flowers!); and those caves look incredible!
ReplyDeleteDid I ever tell you how much I like your Lambretta by the way? And I really love the little maps you draw at the beginning of your posts! :-)
P.S. the 1st of May is celebrated as a national holiday in Finland as well, the funny thing is that it is not the day of the workers, but the day of the students: everybody who's been to University wears a special white hat... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night
thank you polly you're so sweet!! ♥
Deletei didn't know anything about walpurgis night tradition, thank you for sharing, it's very interesting, and all the northen european countries have their peculiar way to celebrate it. there are even bonfires, like we do in january, here.
and i'd love to taste sima!
Workers day is celebrated here in Portugal,people come to the streets and talks about their rights,and lately of the lack of rights,because the crisis is so bad and we have the Greece situation ghost very close to us :/
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing these great places with us :D
yeah, we're on that path, too :/
Deletethese photos are beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteand yes, thank you! complete makeover this morning aha :-)
glad you like it!!
**
thank you ♥
Deletehope to hear about your trip soon!
Bellissima!
ReplyDeleteAnd the family hasn't planned an Italy trip this year...
I guess you fly to Treviso or Venezia?
grazie thomas!
Deleteboth treviso and venezia airports are fine. venezia is farther but well connected.
the closest train station to fregona are vittorio veneto (7km) and sacile (18km), but to move around in these kind of small towns unfortunately the best solution is to rent a car. (or a scooter!)