A Voyage into the Veneto

Just to let everyone know that we weren't abducted by aliens. Nor did Jay crash our car into an Italian ravine. On the other hand, Internet access even at the hotel was a bit iffy for the better part of a week, at the little country inn where we spent the weekend almost impossible.

Then, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Jay and I took off by car to visit some smaller cities that are difficult or impossible to reach by train. Given some recommendations by my colleague, Angela Dalle Vacche who grew up in Venice, we took off on Friday morning, with plans to visit Asolo, Brassano del Grappa, and Treviso. Furthermore, the concierge at the hotel where the program is based gave us a recommendation for a charming farmhouse that had been converted into a small inn. Not only do the owners have vineyards and an organic vegetable garden, but they make their own very good red wine.

Here's the outside.

The family lives in the right side of the house while the six bedrooms in the inn are in the former stable and hayloft. Dedicated to authentic detail, the young woman owner and her parents had sought out original doors and furniture as well as wonderful embroidered linens. Just about everything worked but the Internet. And given the surroundings, who really cared about the Internet?

Here's the dining room.

You can see above some of the attention to detail. In addition, the owners prepared a delightful breakfast both mornings: home made bread and preserves, wonderful coffee, and yogurt. On the first morning, we were able to eat outside on the patio. Unfortunately, on the second, it was raining cats and dogs. At least we were able to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere.

Although we managed to do all that had been recommended, we discovered some other activities, primarily automotive and went on to Asiago (from which the cheese originated). It was an extremely pleasant visit--even though rain on Saturday afternoon and much of Sunday did manage to dampen some of our enthusiasm.

Asolo is a charming little city in the mountains, and the lovely mural below appears on the facade of the cathedral there.

In addition to the beautiful church, we wandered through the cobblestone streets and discovered another of the winged lions, which colleague Bob Wood had trained me to look for.










From Asolo we drove to Brassano del Grappa, where we had a delightful pizza luncheon at an little outdoor cafe--as you can see from my very pleased face at the opening of today's blog.

After our lunch, we visited a grappa museum and learned about how the development of grappa originated in alchemy. The final step at the museum was to taste various types of grappa, and we finally purchased a small bottle of the traditional version.

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Here's a picture of an earlier grappa still.







On the way back to Gorizia, we stopped by the city of Treviso, where Benneton is headquartered. Another charming city on canals complete with ducks and a working waterwheel. However, discouraged by the steady rain, we cut our visit short and hopped in the car to return to Gorizia. On our way back, we hoped to find another delightful little cafe, but it was a Sunday afternoon, and in Italy--unlike the United States where one can dine 24 hours a day--it's difficult to find anything open. So, thought I'm ashamed to admit it...