spring gathering

how much i love spring! scent of strawberries and flowers, outdoor dining, longer days.

have you ever tried flower tempura? 

happy to

some italian bloggers are writing posts about three daily things they are proud of.
i'm usually not into chain blog post at all, but the lovely Serena has nominated me, so i'd feel bad to ignore her call.

so, let's see.. what are the actions, rituals, good things that i am proud of doing in my everyday life? actually, i don't feel so special (plus, there are a million things i'm not proud of) so i'd rather tell you what are the few things i am happy to do because i think they're good not just for me, but for everyone.
{for each one daily action, there is a matching travel aspect}


i'm happy to #1 shop at the farmers market (when fruits and vegetables grown at home are not enough), eat my chickens eggs, buy milk at the vending machine of a dairy. in other words, i try to eat locally sourced food, as much as i can.
this means that when i travel, i'm happy to: eat locally, shop locally, sleep locally.

in the pic, some spring joy from the farmers market in Vittorio Veneto this morning

old family polaroid {lambretta is a family matter}

a treasure
my mum and her niece with my grandpa's lambretta.  february 1973.

Feltre. November, Friday 1st

piazza maggiore, with San Rocco and San Sebastiano church, and the Castle of Alboin

november 1st is all saints' day, a national holiday in Italy. the tradition is to visit the graves of deceades relatives, pray and light candles. this holiday is not what i would call merry, but it's not a mouring day either. i love to see it as a time to celebrate family and roots. that's why marco and i decided to go to Feltre, the town where my grandma comes from.

the weather is still surprisingly warm, so we went by lambretta! i'm happy the scooter season is so long this year. Feltre is a town located in an alpine area in the middle of a wide valley, bordered to the north by the Dolomites, the Feltre peaks {vette feltrine} and the Piave river.

piazza Maggiore

a walk in Feltre's old town is a journey into renaissance elegance, the autumn colors of the trees match the beautifully frescoed walls of the houses, there are cozy cafès and hosterias, stylish clothes shops, delicatessens stores. it culminates in the wide piazza maggiore, a large square dominated by San Rocco and San Sebastiano church {1576 - 1632}. old gates and the Castle of Alboin, which can be seen near the church, are the witnesses of the ancient roman defensive structure.

contrade: duomo, santo stefano, castello, portoria

on the square's pavement, four emblems are painted in bright colors: they are the symbols of contrade, districts in which the town is divided. the contrade face each other every year, in an historical competition called Palio. the Palio di Feltre is held at the end of july, and includes horse race, tug of war, archery and relay race. it seems that the Palio's origins date back to the 14th century.

a gourmet tip: take a break at the best bakery in town, pasticceria Garbujo {via Tezze 16}. my grandma told me that when she was a schoolgirl, during war time, sometimes she pampered herself with Garbujo's raisin bread or gelato. nowadays the speciality is strudel, but all the pastries are delicious. they also sells fine chocolate.

wandering in the streets

arcade in via mezzaterra | a gourmet shop

one of the many cafes

a painted wall

the next stop of our visit was just outside the city center, where in a mountain rocky spur lies a charming shrine devoted to Saints Victor and Corona. the grey sky gives to the place a gloomy look, and the surrounding forest was a haven of peace and quiet.

shrine of the saints victor and corona

before leaving Feltre, i wanted to show marco my grandma's birthplace, in a hamlet called Villapaiera. her parents house is still there, with a wide courtyard and garden. i remembered a big nut-tree, and i wanted to harvest some walnuts. unfortunately, the tree was there but there were no walnuts. the neighbors told us it has been a bad year for the harvest. so we just took a picture.

Villapaiera's church

in the courtyard of my grandma's parents house.

strawberry tree forever

"o verde albero italico, il tuo maggio

è nella bruma: s'anche tutto muora,

tu il giovanile gonfalon selvaggio

spieghi alla bora" 

Giovanni Pascoli

strawberry tree, arbutus unedo, corbezzolo. this tree colors the autumn with its bright red berries. as the Pascoli's poem i quoted says, its May is in the mist. 

we greeted November harvesting juicy sweetness. we have a big strawberry tree in the garden, now dotted in red. my grandma says it is a symbol of warm welcoming, and that's why it has been planted near the entrance gate.

have a lovely weekend ♥
{nikon em + fuji superia 200}

romantic walk in Mezzano. August, Sunday 11th

another day in Trentino: a lovely sunday spent with my family wandering around the stunning Primiero Valley. anna, giovanni, marco and i took a morning walk surrounded by sunny Dolomites.

then, our afternoon gently passed in the exploration of Mezzano, a tiny village wonderfully still devoted to agriculture and handicraft work rather than tourism. 

Mezzano is quiet, beautiful. its people have experienced joy, love, pain, hard work, loss, hunger, as you can read by the old stone walls. not just metaphorically speaking. there are many stories and facts well narrated on small boards hung on the outer walls of houses. it's as if the village is directly speaking to its guests.

a path called Mezzano romantica {romantic Mezzano} follows the most peculiar and beautiful rural signs to
a deeper understanding of the territory, showing and explaining buildings, old water harvesting system, traditions and daily life.

woodpiles are the most distinctive features of the village.
the long winters have always forced the Dolomiti inhabitants to make copious stock of firewood to heat their homes. so, neat and towering woodpiles are everywhere. in the local language they are called canzèi, and every canzèl is a small masterpiece of care, skill and parsimony, that also colors the streets of a vivid palette of warm shades.

in addition to that,a group of artists has been asked to reinterpret the woodpiles concept to create artworks, so now you can find some beautiful and weird canzèi near to the ordinary ones.

 ,,

p.s. my sister and i are cat people. always been, always will. but we love dogs, too. and now we have a dog! you can take a peek at him in some pictures. his name is oreste.

{nikon f-801 + fujicolor 200}

elderflower syrup, pt.II

summer is here. golden light in the dusk, smell of hay, cold drinks in the porch, flower's brightest colors, reading books outdoors, long walks with the wagging dog.

the sweetest image of my summer so far

in case you're wondering how i use the elderflower syrup i've made with grandma (elderflower syrup, pt.I here), you should know that it is a perfect refreshment for these hot & wet days.

we carefully filtered and bottled the syrup, (in the end we had 16 liters!) and then stocked it in our cellar.

now it's time to drink it! how?
there is the classic way, diluted in cool water. we prepare a couple of bottle to keep in the fridge, to refresh our afternoons. i love to drink it while eating cherries. (tons of cherries)

then, there is the relaxing way: just perfect for a sunset drink after work, before lunch on sunday, or at the end of a long lambretta ride!
it's called hugo, a cocktail invented in Trentino Alto Adige region and made with elderflower syrup, prosecco, mint leaves and seltz or sparkling water (that i usually do not use).

if you use eledrflower syrup in another way, please tell us! i'd love to give it a try.

elderflower syrup, pt. I

i am really happy to share this with you! when may approached, my whole family was thrilled at the idea that the elder trees were about to bloom. but let's take a step back.
elder {sambucus nigra} is very common in italy, it especially grows along railway lines, in damp woods and banks of rivers.

last year during this season i told my grandmother that i had tasted an elderflower fresh beverage and really liked it.  we used to make it too, don't you remember?, she cried. i didn't. so, as far as i'm concerned, last year was the first time we made elderflower syrup in my family. it was a test, so we made just a few litres, to see if we liked and if we actually drank it all.
we become sort of addicted, and when we finished it last summer we decided we'd make a larger quantity this year. so, it's a fresh family tradition!

the elder blooms in may, and we waited for the perfect day for the harvest: it has to be warm, no rain from a couple of days, with the flowers fully open and dry.
i wandered with marco on the countryside near home, to find trees not too close to the streets or to the vineyards {for pesticides}, and harvested about 100 flowers.

we (and the camera, too!) were covered in pollen.
at home, my grandma and i carefully washed the flowers, and put them in two little carboys with water, squeezed and cutted lemons. 
there was a sweet delicate scent all over our working table! anyway, isn't my grandmother pretty?

we had to wait for 24 hours, before filtering with a towel and adding sugar and citric acid {needed for storage. without it, it won't last}.
then, it was ready to be bottled and drunk, but i'll tell you about it next time.
the recipe it's below ♥

grandma's hands ♥

{nikon em + fujicolor 200}

March. 2013 first ride and other spring-y happy things

these days are full of the small joys that accompany the change of season.
it was finally time for the first ride of this year with our Lambretta, which was as good as always.

then.. the first outdoor barbecue, seeing the baby donkey just born in the neighborhood, collecting wild chicory in the fields with grandma, having coffee with gelato in the porch.
goodbye winter. 

{olympus om10 + fuji superia 200}

no weather for lambrettas. November.

Novembrrrrrrr
Lots of work, lots of rain. Lately, we haven't had the chance to ride our Lambretta around. It was better to stay indoors, where it's warm and cozy. We had a couple of lovely cooking night in with Ani and Giovi, like gnocchi night.