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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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Today, after class, we departed for yet another field trip.
Since we were going to be gone all afternoon and not back until at least 10, some of our friends opted not to go.
The forecast was for rain, and as we sat on the bus for the 2 hour ride, we questioned our choice to go as well!
But, we ended up being SO happy that we went!
The trip was incredible:
We arrived (finally) in the small town of Bassano del Grappa, at the foot of Mount Grappa, which was adorable.
Our first stop was at an old (and world famous) Grappa distillery - the Nardini Grappa distillery.
Their building was very cool - it was like a giant spaceship, and was totally state of the art inside.
We sat in a beautiful theater and watched a movie all about the production of Grappa and the history of the Nardini family - they have been making Grappa hundreds of years.
We learned that Grappa is a liquor enjoyed after a meal, made only in Italy, from the old skins of grapes used for wine.
We also learned about all the famous people that love Nardini grappa.
After the movie, the current owner of the distillery - the heir to the Nardini fortune - talked to us about their product and answered questions.
He was a beautiful man (the picture we have doesn't do him justice) in the most fabulous italian suit - our friend Kelly was dying over him.
We learned the following:
The American market for Nardini Grappa skyrocketed after Tony drank it on the Sopranos;
Grappa is really good if mixed with the sugar and foam left over after a cappuchino;
Grappa helps you digest food so it should be dranken after each meal (we liked this one);
The Nardini grappa heir (in the incredible italian suit) is still single;
and
Grappa can be flavored, and is best with almond, lemon, or licorice flavors.
After the question-and-answer, we headed up to a bar area, where every flavor and type of Grappa made by Nardini was on display for our tasting.
They insisted that we try them all...
So, we did!
We both had a taste (which was actually more of a shot) of each flavor of the Grappa.
Abbey's favorite was the lemon which almost tasted like candy, while Jen loved the cherry (as well as the reserve).
The free grappa was smart of Nardini because after the Grappa set in they took us to their gift shop!
The Grappa was actually very inexpensive, and was the perfect souvinier, so we both made sure to get some.
On the bus, driving away, we were wishing we had gotten some more to take with us!
We then headed to downtown Bassano del Grappa.
The town is named for the mountain, and not the drink, even though the drink is mainly produced here -- they are both named after "bunch of grapes."
The centerpiece of the city is the old bridge, called "Ponte Vecchio," which we walked across.
We got beautiful views of the city, the river it is built on and the beautiful Mt. Grappa in the background.
At the foot of the bridge is the famous Distelleria di Aquavite, which serves only Nardini grappa (from the same distillery we visited).
Famous patrons have included Hemmingway and Queen Elizabeth (as well as others that we don't remember -- we were a few shots of Grappa deep at this point).
We had a shot with our friend Elizabeth, who goes to Rutgers law school and is in our program as well, and then headed to the center of town.
There was an adorable bakery, and we all stopped in for some snacks.
Jen got a pasty, and Abbey tried the "delicious apple" that our tour guide, Jennifer (more on her later) suggested.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE!
The apple was de-cored, and then the center was filled with custard; the entire thing was fried and covered in brown sugar (hey, no one said it was healthy) and then heated -- it was really sooooooooo good.
We had an hour before the entire group was set to meet for dinner, and it had started to rain.
We decided to take cover in the great Italian shops all along the town's main street!
We were really good, and barely bought anything (though Abbey did cave and buy a cute colored dress - still inexpensive, and necessary since everyhing she bought from home was black and white!)
We met everyone back at the center of town and headed for dinner - which we loved, because the school paid for it!
We sat with our new best friend - the tour guide Jennifer.
Originally born in Australia, Jennifer moved to Venice and married an heir to the Colt gun fortune whose family set up in Venice in the 1950's.
His family was the first to support artists, authors and poets who came to Venice for inspiration.
He tragically died a few years ago, and she had dozens of stories about her aristocratic mother-in-law, her adventures in Venice, her funny daughter and her fascinating life.
And, the best part - she loved us!
She thought we were beautiful and intelligent and fun (which, lets be serious, she was right)
We loved the constant compliments and jokes.
She also taught us how to sound Italian - we now know how to say:
"Excuse me" to pass through giant crowds of tourists;
"I would like" to a vendor or restaurant so we don't just have to point;
and
"Please" so we don't sound like rude American tourists.
She also told us about all of her favorite restaurants in Venice, which are all really close to our apartment, and her favorite gelato as well -- which you BET we will be visiting soon!
She insisted on taking one more shot of Lemoncello with us before we left the restaurant, and they gave it to us on the house!
Following suit, many of the guys from school decided to get a bottle to go from the restaurant to make the bus ride more exciting -- law school guys are sooooo cool.
We were tired, so we took a quieter route on the way home, and chatted with Jennifer (our new best friend) and other students in our program.
Jennifer was so fun, that we have plans to meet up with her for dinner next week - she is going to bring her local friends to meet her "cute new American friends" - we can't wait.
After the bus ride and vaporetto, we didn't get back to our apartment until after midnight - but it was all worth it!
We had a fantastic time.
previous travel blog entry
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