town festival

one of those small town sundays. with the fair, chestnuts and quirky characters.
it could be easily called Stars Hollow (minus the gazebo), but it's Cordignano instead. 

fall picnic. October, Saturday 13th

time to spend some outdoor hours, to enjoy chilly air and warm colors. time to read a book wrapped in a warm blanket, using a reddish leaf as bookmark. time to cook using the delicious gift of Autumn, pack everything up and take a path in the woods.

deciding what to put in my picnic basket, i was inspired by the Under the Tree project, that made some tempting fall-themed menus {you can find them here, but italian only!}. so, i tried two of their recipes: mushrooms & mozzarella panzerotti, and carrots purée with speck.

then, my autumnal trump card: pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. i haven't cooked it for months, they tasted so good.

the trail we choose is near home, known as Sentiero del Patriarca. i used to come here very often in the past, with the Scouts. at the very beginning of the path there is an abandoned house, i remember we called it Casa Bianca {white house} when we were kids but actually it's not white at all. anyway, it still has a beautiful painted sundial.

Let's talk about gelato. May, Sunday 27th

ihate the phrase “best kept secret”, that is sometimes used in guidebooks or articles. come on, secret places are not revealed like that. however, the place we want to share with you today would easily fall into this category: it is a small gelateria near home, in a tiny town called Cordignano.

i want to make things clear: i am a gelato lover, and a gelato expert. a kind of gelato sommelier. so, you can’t fool me saying things like “this is the best gelato of..”, cause i know. and i know this is the best gelato i have ever eaten.(please don't say the word "Grom". just don't.)

when i was a kid i didn’t like cakes, desserts, candies, or sweets in general (silly girl), but i grew up eating their wonderful lemon and chocolate and their closing period (november to march) means mourning and stocked refrigerator. 

the place’s name is Gelateria De Martin but is better known by the name of its founder Gasparetto. 

their specialty is cremacaffè, and you have to try it putting a ball into a cup of black coffee: heaven. my seasonal favorite flavors are kiwi and elderflower (i’m not sure about the translation). M. is all about crema catalana.  

yeah, gasparetto rules. 

we added a vintage basket to the lambretta. M. found it his grandma house. it is even more perfect because it was a wine basket from a winery in Negrar, near Verona and the Garda Lake, which was the destination of our very first long-trip by lambretta, last summer.

{pics taken with iPhone}

info
Gelateria De Martin
piazza Italia 23,
Cordignano (TV)