Saturday October 1
Gelindo invited us out last night, so we went to a little hang out the next town over and met his girlfriend and a few of his friends. The atmosphere was very laid back, and everyone just sort of sat around sipping their drinks and chatting. Normally they hang out like that until about 1:30 and then head to the disco, but on this night the disco was closed, so at around 2 we headed home.
We were supposed to meet at 9am for a tour of the property. Gelindo arrived and we hurriedly saw the property, then he took us to another agri that they have, then to an old venetian villa where they rent rooms as well. From there we went to the winery of his friend Francesco, then to the school where they teach the art of mosaics. When we first heard of the school it was the only one in the world, then it was one of 2 in Italy, and the last account we got was that it was one of 3 in Italy. So who knows, but it was interesting just the same. Just up the road from the school was a hoppin’ little bar, and though it was only 12:45 we stopped in for a drink. Apparently in this town it is a tradition to spend you Saturday afternoons here with friends. So we all downed a glass of white wine, and were on our way again. The last stop was the oldest Grappa distillery in Friuli Venzia Giulia. By this point Gelindo had been with us for 4 hours, so he bid us adieu, but we can’t thank him enough for the experience. The Distilleria Pagura www.distelleriapagura.com had just finished up for the weekend, so we couldn’t see the actual production of the Grappa, but they walked us through the process, and then we sampled a blueberry Grappa. A little more flavor than the regular stuff, which was nice, but it still kicked me in the head as it went down. If you are in the area, it’s a great place to learn a thing or two and to try some new Grappas.
This impromptu tour put us behind schedule, but we’re okay with that. If we didn’t see anymore towns, but kept meeting people like this it would be perfect.
Down the road is the Villa Manin which is considered one of the most significant artistic monuments in the region. It was very big, and equally bold with it’s statuary. I would have enjoyed strolling the grounds, but on this day there was an plant exhibition on the front lawn, and a strange art exhibition in the back gardens. Maybe next time.
Palmanova is a town in the shape of a 9 pointed star. It was once the strongest fortress in all of Europe. The streets all open up into a hexagonal square, that today was sporting a carnival. We wandered through it for a while, then took to the streets. The problem being that Palmanova’s true appeal is only seen from above. The outlying area is about as flat as could be, so the only choice is to rent a helicopter mayber. The Vespa wasn’t sprouting wings so we decided to head out. But if you ever see an aerial photograph of Palmanova you’ll see what I mean.
Treviso was to be tonight’s destination so we struck out for it. Aganoor B&B is actually in Basalghelle di Mansue, a little outside of Treviso. It’s a B&B, but since it is surrounded by fields, and houses horses, goats, chickens, ducks, etc. it might as well be an agriturismo. www.aganoor.it The really great part about this place is that it is a family effort in a really interesting way. There are 2 brothers, 1 sister, and the parents. They all have a job outside the house, some more than 1, and then at the end of the day they come back and take care of the house and the horses. They do it because they love it, and they love being together as a family. It is really really nice.