June, glimpses of Bordeaux

in june I had the chance to see Bordeaux and the surroundings during a business trip.
here I'm sharing with you some of the (very few) moments I had to play the tourist.
{all pics are taken with my phone and processed with vscocam}

candles, lanterns and moon light in Possagno

imagine a road in the hills. the air is chilly because is sunset and you're running across the woods. at some point, nestled between the hills like a white stone, without any connection with the surrounding landscape, a neoclassical temple.
it's the Possagno church, designed for his hometown by the artist Antonio Canova, one of the most brilliant italian sculptors, epitome of neoclassical style.

from the temple, at the end of the street you can see the entrance to the Canova Plaster Cast Gallery and Museum {Museo e Gipsoteca Canoviana}, in my opinion the most beautiful museum in Treviso province.
Marco and i had been there before, but this time it was a special occasion.

Montelvini winery choose the Gipsoteca Canoviana as the location for a dinner and wine tasting, to launch their elegant passito wine, which has the evocative name of Luna Storta, twisted moon.

the Canova Museum is located in the artist's former family house. entering the front door, you walk in a beautiful garden, where maybe Canova used to welcome and entertain his guests, too. it was all set to recreate the atmosphere. in his birthplace, he often found himself the right environment to rest from the work he was doing in Rome. when he came back from his travels in Vienna, Paris and Rome, the Possagno inhabitants used to welcome him with parties and fairy lights. nowadays, hundreds of plaster casts are kept in the museum: witness of the artist's hard work. Canova didn't sculpted marble directly. artworks came from a methodical work of drawing, modeling clay, then plaster and finally marble. so, the plaster casts here are the original models of his most famous artworks that you can see in the best museums, like Musée du Louvre, the Ermitage of S. Petersburg, the Victoria and Albert Museum of London etc. 

i said i had seen the plaster cast gallery before, and i already thought it was an incredible place, but this time it was, well, another kind of experience. usually, the first impression you have, walking into the museum, is to be dazzled by a bright white. this time, we were embraced by a velvet darkness.

do you know how Canova used to show the plaster cast collection to his friends? he used the lanterns dim light. i don't know if it was just a practical issue {no electricity in the nineteenth century}, but i think he was well aware of the magical, soft effect that candle light has on the sculptures.

seen like that, the Gispoteca visit is a moving experience. the Museum organizes this kind of evening from time to time, or for groups, so if you are planning to visit check their website or contact them, it is totally worth it.

photo © Canova Museum

after the visit, we tasted the Luna Storta under the moonlight, with some moon-shaped butter cookies, chattering and enjoying that perfect summer night. 

colli Berici. May, Saturday 25th

in the first part of our trip in Vicenza province, we breathed the mountain peace of the Altopiano di Asiago. then, with the Vicenza's historic center behind us, our eyes got the power of wander on the lavishly green hills surrounding us. we were ready for the last part, an exploration of the Colli Berici, gentle hills south of Vicenza.

Berici hills map and local products

a roadtrip on the Berici hills {colli Berici} is a journey through the local taste and products. in my mind, now that i'm recollecting those memories, voices and flavours cross each other, to tell the same story, of simplicity and care.
we visited some organic farms, slept in agriturismi with homely atmosphere, drove up and down the narrow streets, looking at the little towns life through the car windows.

i've selected three particular memories, to summarize my experience in the Berici hills. 
the first image that impressed me was the gray sight of the incompiuta, in Brendola. incompiuta means unfinished, and this church is the proof that the crisis was a matter in the past centuries, too: the client did not finish paying for it, and when he died, the work was suspended and never started again. so, the unfinished church still lies there, grim and fascinating, home for crows.

incompiuta di Brendola

the second memory is a feeling. you've seen the map above, where i draw all the local products that are made in the Berici; among those, there are two i like the most: sopressa {aged salami made with the best pig cuts}, and grappa {alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy}. the two rooms, in two different places, where i've seen the sopressa aging, and the distillery equipment, gave me the same feeling. the light and the smell were different, of course, but they were both dark and muffled, chilly and aromatic. and, first of all, the two rooms have the same atmosphere, the one you can feel in places that are rich in traditions handed down from father to son, manual labor, trade secrets. i love this kind of places.

the salami aging room in Agriturismo Monterosso - the Brunello distillery

the third and last memory is a gesture. at the olive oil tasting, and while Marianna was making the goat cheese, the starting gesture was the same: they draw a cross. with the spoon on the cheese, with the oil on the salad. a gesure of blessing.


info
Brunello distillery
via G.Roi, 51 - Montegalda (VI)
@grappabrunello

Agriturismo Monterosso
Via Monte Rosso, 18 - Brendola (VI)

Fregona. May, Wednesday 1st

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)

the prosecco road, film III. from Feletto to Refrontolo

one last glimpse to the pieve, and we are on the road again, heading to Refrontolo. but the monumental church keeps watching us running, from its dominant position on the hill behind our backs.

this is my favorite part of the prosecco road, and spring is the perfect season to appreciate it at its best, with all the wild flowers in bloom.

Refrontolo is locally famous for a straw wine called Marzemino, or Refrontolo passito, and for a charming water mill, hidden in the trees, at the foot of one hill. this is the Molinetto della Croda, a rare example of rural architecture, built on the sixteenth century. 

it was active until 1953, and the millstone is still working.  it's now used for local fairs, like the celebration of harvest in october, aiming to keep the old milling tradition alive.

the music of water, the enchanted, timeless atmosphere.. the place has a fairytale charm, don't you think? 

 {olympus om10 + fujicolor 200}

info and opening hours
molinetto della croda website

the prosecco road, film II. from Conegliano to Feletto

our journey on the prosecco road continued heading to San Pietro di Feletto.
from the quite elegant town center of Conegliano, we moved into a quiet rural area. this itinerary is loved by cyclist and cycling tourists, too. 

the road goes up to the hills, the landscape is a color palette of greens, dotted with farmhouses and agriturismi. the small church steeples stand out against the sky, as landmarks. 

arrived in San Pietro di Feletto, the best stop you can make is the Pieve.  in the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.

this is a perfect place to admire the scenic lookout, you almost have a 360' view over the hills.
the Feletto's Pieve dates back to the VIII century, and it probably was a pagan roman altar before that.

{nikon em + ilford 125}

info
Pieve di San Pietro di Feletto - opening hours
sat 9.00-10.00/ 15.00-20.00
sun 9.00-11.30/ 14.30-19.00

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. 

polaroids from vinitaly. April, Tuesday 9th

do you remember the street food recipe i did for Quota 101? 
they decided print a small cookbook, with it and other 17 recipes invented by very talented food bloggers. the book was presented during Vinitaly, the biggest italian wine fair, held in Verona. 

for the occasion, i visited the fair with Marco, and a polaroid 600 extreme. i thought it would be plenty of professional cameras to properly capture bottles and labels, so why do not bring some instant fun?
it really was fun, my first time with an instant camera. you can see i'm a newbie!

we toasted at the Quota 101 stand, tasting the street food that won the contest: Neroncini by Briciole in Cucina.
then my uncle Paolo (grazie ♥!), who works in wine sector, show us the fair, so we had the chance to visit the stands of some heavenly good wineries.

we started at Cantina Villa, which produces some divine Franciacorta we learned to know through time. we tasted Satèn, Emozione, Solomille, and the sublime Selezione 2004 Brut.
luckily, there were two special cheeses {slow food ark of taste products} to taste with the wines:  a 25 months old Bagòss, and Fatulì, made in Val Camonica with goat milk, smoked with juniper.

Marco fell in love with the Mason Pinot Nero from Manincor, a biodynamic winery in  Alto Adige, a couple of years ago. so, we said hello to them, too, and tasted their Moscato Giallo and Sauvignon. we'd love to have the chance to visit their wonderful organic wine estate, someday.

then, it was the time of Sicilia, another italian region that i particulary love, for some sweet memories. the Destro winery has its vineyards on Mount Etna, an active volcano. their red Sciarakè has a lava flow drawn on the label. the white Nausìca, so rich of scents, and the sweet Anuar were my favourite Destro wines.

from the very south, back to the north: Trentino Alto Adige, again. D'Isera winery's Trentodoc was already a friend of mine, i have a soft spot for its bubbles. i was very happy to visit the D'Isera stand, and to get the chance to try another of their wines: the aromatic Müller Thurgau.

Toscana is the most famous italian wine region, i suppose. we saved a classic for the finale: Chianti! we tasted three of Dievole's red Chianti, a winery near Siena. too bad we didn't have a steak to eat with them.

{polaroid 600 extreme + px 680 color protection}
for more detailed pics of the wines, visit my twitter profile.


all the details about these special wineries:

Villa Franciacorta
25040 Motnicelli Brusati (BS)
www.villafranciacorta.it @cantinavilla

Manincor
39052 Kaltern | Caldaro
St Josef am See 4
www.manincor.com

Destro - Azienda Vitivinicola
Montelaguardia - Randazzo (CT)
www.destrovini.com

D'Isera
via al Ponte, 1 3860 Isera (Trento)
www.cantinaisera.it

Dievole
Loc. Vagliagli
53019 Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena)
www.dievole.it

Quota 101
via Malterreno 12 Torreglia (PD)
www.quota101.com