Monday October 3
Well it wasn’t our fullest day yet. Which must mean that it was raining. We got up and got Bassano in before the rain got to heavy. We went into the Poli Grappa Museum on our way out of the city, just hoping to get a few good shots. Our friend Dimitri from Villa Rubini told us that we had to try the Poli Grappa when we were in Bassano. The lady there sent us 10km away to the actual distillery. We weren’t going to go because we had so much to do, but it started raining se we figured we’d film inside for a while. When we got there the nice woman in the store called to the distillery and then told us to wait. We waited for about 10 minutes, and I was contemplating moving on. I’m so glad we didn’t though. Another lady came in and led us to a different building, we waited there for a couple of minutes, then out came Jacopo Poli. I recognized him from the pictures in the first building, but didn’t assume he was there for us. Then he walked up and introduced himself. I told him what we were doing and asked if we could take a little tour. He was awesome, obviously he knows as much as there is to know about Grappa, but the history of his family and Grappa together was very interesting. He took us through the process, and even let us empty one of the vats, he offered me a job on the spot but I can’t say I’d survive around all that Grappa everyday. We went down to the subterranean level and wouldn’t you know it... Grappa tasting! So we tried Moscato, Miele, Tagliatella, and the “reserve” from 1993. We were sitting there with the head of one of the oldest Grappa families in Italy sniffing the different aromas, and rolling it around on our tongues to pick out flavors. It was really incredible. I don’t think I would reach for a bottle of Grappa after every dinner, but the difference between my very first sip 2 weeks ago, and today is crazy. If we keep going like this I might actually like it by the end of this trip. At the end we tried a “caffe risantine” which I’m sure I spelled wrong, after you drink your espresso you put a few drops of Grappa in the cup and swirl it around. It picks up what is left of the coffee and the sugar at the bottom, and mixes to a very interesting taste. We wanted a picture with Jacopo, and the funny thing was he brought out his camera to get a shot for himself. Straw hats play a part in the family history, we won’t get into that, but there were two hats prominently displayed in the distilling area. One of his father, and one of his grandfather. For the picture he handed Seth one and me the other. I could see that he gave it some consideration before he handed over his grandfather’s, so I feel really privileged that he wanted us to wear them. It might not seem like much, but it was a special moment to me. They were unbelievably gracious hosts, so please check them out at www.poligrappa.com
We returned to have lunch with Claudio, as he had offered earlier. He prepared some of the typical local contorni which was very tasty, and a pasta dish that was heavily flavored with a smoked cheese. Afterwards he showed us around his “emporium” and we admired some of his pieces including a scale model of the famous bridge in Bassano that was made in 1902. As a send off he taught us a very old drinking game that comes from the people who lived up in the Alps. You have to drive a nail into a gigantic log using a sort of hammer that has a hollow head. You can’t aim by setting it on the nail first, and you can’t swing from higher than 4 fingers above it. Whoever nails it all the way down first wins, and the last person buys the round. It was more difficult than it sounds, and very fun, we’ll be trying it at our next get together. Sort of strange to be sipping 120 proof alcohol and playing drinking games at 1:00 in the afternoon.
The rain still hadn’t let up, so we just set out for our next night’s lodging which was a few hours away. On our way out of town we ran into Marostica real quick. The second weekend in September on even years they hold a chess game here where people serve as the chess pieces. They are all dressed in period costume, the Piazza is surrounded by grandstands, and it is all lit with torches. It looks really great, but this being an odd year all we could see was the checker board pavement, and some pictures. A couple of the places we missed today were supposed to be really great, so I’m trying to figure out how we can get back to them before we leave Italy, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen.
The trip to the agriturismo was a long one, and I won’t lie to you, at least at night this place seems to be out in the middle of nowhere. But it’s nice and big. We have a 2 bedroom apartment with a nice big sitting room and kitchenette. It looks like there is a lot going on with the property, but we’ll have to check that out in the morning.