Local Headlines

Sacchi di pane fresco gettati nell'immodizia

Bags of fresh bread thrown in the trash

Leggo, giovedì 2 settembre, p. 20

The city was up in arms about the wasteful gesture on the part of the supermarket on via Gattamelata, Eurospar. Last Wednesday afternoon, they threw away kilos of fresh bread. This was probably because they did not sell everything that was baked in the morning and all food stores are closed on Wednesday afternoons. The local poor and homeless steadily arrived at the public trash container in question and took advantage of the boon.

I have seen homeless pilfering from that exact trash spot for years. There are two men in particular that gather their fruits and vegetables there just about everyday. There must have been more poor coming by that particular day, with the overflowing bread. In general, I have never seen anyone upset by these people going through the trash. The sight is an affirmation that poverty exists and that we are a wasteful society nowadays, throwing away things that are still usable and edible. It's an old and sad story...

In Italy, tons of unused bread ends up as rubbish from bakeries, food markets and individual houses. In January, the Corriere della Sera reported that Italy averages 24,230 tons of bread ending up in the waste bin a month. Not everybody uses their day-old bread. We can buy pane gratttugiato (bread crumbs) for very cheap, and even if Italian grate up the old crusty bread, there is only so much they can use of it at once. It's an interesting dilemna. Fresh is great but can be wasteful. Long-lasting is convenient but can be terrible as far as taste and health is concerned. We already consume enough preservatives in other food stuffs, right?

Veneto bread does not last as long as some other varieties on the penisola. I remember the bread I ate in Tuscany and other more southern areas of Italy would last up to a week. You just cut off slices as you go. The crust is thicker and must protect the bread from the air better. Here the bread shapes are all rather small and have thin crusts. Most of the bread is sandwich size: mantovani, zoccoletti, francesini, ecc.

F is buying some as I write. We just better make sure we finish off what we buy today. Panini are in order for lunch.

After the Holidays

The city streets are crowded again with cars, motorcycles and mopeds. Just about everyone has come back from their summer holidays.

The kids have to start thinking about school which will open in my area on September 13th. There are tests to take in "deficient" subjects to make sure they can continue into their next year.

All the shops are open again. No more surprises of showing up somewhere to find the serranda down and a little sign with Ferie (Vacation) written in marker.

People of all ages are extremely brown after a month of serious tanning. Hair is blonder than usual from the great bleacher: the sun.

Italians have forgotten how to work. They can't remember their work passwords and details of office life. They are glowing when they talk about their vacations. There is a bit of a contest of who had the best one. Is it better to have been on the beach, relaxing in the mountains or travelling around the world?

Padua's relentless heat and humidity have subsided. We can breathe again. It's actually fun to be outside and in the sun. We even put on jackets in the evening, something we haven't done here for over 2 months.

Bentornati (Welcome back) Padovani!

Lick Your Lips in New York

What should be the absolute best place to find fine Italian food products is opening today!

It's called Eataly,part of a chain that first opened in Turin, expanded to Tokyo and now is opening its doors in the Big Apple. Visit it at 200 5th Avenue, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway.

You'll be able to eat in one of 8 ristoranti, choose from a coffee in the Grande Caffè Lavazza, a delicious scoop or two at the agrigelateria, chew on a quick sandwich at the paninoteca or go for the rosticceria and/or pizzeria sections of the 7000 square meter extravaganza.

The signage will all be bilingual, with explanations about all products in English and italiano. The founders believe in the Slow Food approach which will be appreciated in the fast pace of Manhattan, I hope.

The owner, Oscar Farinetti, boasts that this location will be the Harrods of Italian food in NY. Go and see for yourself. Let me know how the mozzarella tastes: with American milk and Italian savior-faire.

For the video preview of Eataly presented by the news journal La Stampa and dated 28 June, click here. Language: Italian.

From Benetton to Wines and Olive Oil

Only in Italy do you become famous, get rich and then create your own line of wines and olive oil. Oliviero Toscani has done just that.

He is best known for his controversial work for Benetton, a Veneto company from the Treviso area near Padua, including over 20 years of photos as part of the clothing manufacturer's advertising campaign. Some particularly memorable images for me growing up were a nun kissing a priest and close-ups of bloody death and slimy birth, featuring a newborn still attached to the umbilical cord. The billboards, magazine ads and COLORS magazine, which develops a journalistic aspect to the research, all ruffled many feathers and got millions of people talking about society's contemporary issues and problems.

Toscani was even responsible for founding Benetton's creative think-tank of young designers and artists from around the world who win residencies to work on-site at the company's compound space called Fabrica. The work produced there receives accolades across the art and design spheres as well as helping continue making innovative shop displays and ad campaigns for the mother company, United Colors of Benetton.

In recent years, Toscani has slowed down on his direct contributions to all-things Benetton. He's got a new project: he has chosen to produce and promote his own wine and olive oil collections named OT. As for the wine, it is colorfully labeled in separately yellow, cyan and magenta. By the way, those are the three colors used to create all printed material, of course with the addition of a fourth component, black. He may be making wine, but he's still a graphic designer and photographer at heart! And in fact, he is still doing his trade, but not with the big B. Go to La Sterpaia for that.

Another noted (clothing) designer who has a winery is Diesel brand apparel's founder Renzo Rosso. For my post about those wine and olive oil lines, click here. But that stuff's got the company's brand name on the label.

I have to admit I have never casually found either of these wines or olive oils in my giri around town, the region or Italy, but maybe one day I will actually get to taste them and see how they stack up to their founders' reputations. If you do first, let me know what you think. Grazie.

Local Headlines

Marijuana nell'orto della scuola
Marijuana in the school garden

Saturday August 21, 2010 Il Gazzettino, Belluno edition, p. 9

A dozen marijuana plants of various sizes were found in the little botantical garden at the "Anna Frank" elementary school in Spinea (Venice). The school's director spotted the "Cannabis sativa" and promptly called police.

The plants were dispersed among the many others being used for educational purposes by the students, faculty and parents.



___________
So how is the next Parents' Board meeting going to go at that school, might I ask?

A Special Birthday Gift

I wish I had a birthday gift like hers when I was her age. I am talking about a 13-year-old whose father finances a trip to any country in the world for each of his children on that special birthday.

I met this father-daughter duo from North Carolina at the Rifugio Città di Fiume on Mount Pelmo last week.

I rarely hear American accents while hiking in the Dolomites, so I usually introduce myself out of curiosity. In this manner, I was told the reason for this American couple's visit to Italy. The father's pact is on condition that there is some sort of "adventure" involved in the trip to the child's country of choice. The young blond teenager chose Italy and I was meeting them on the adventure leg of the journey. They had started in Venice for 3 days, followed by 6 days of continuous hiking in alta quota and would finish with 5 days in Rome, possibly hitting Pompei before returning back to the US.

I was amazed at the magnitude of this amazing birthday present. Of course, the father got some fun out of the deal, too.

I remember that I was thrilled to get to go to the Rockies for a week, compliments of my Girl Scout troop when I was that age. My leader promised her girls a trip to anywhere (in the US) if they stayed in Girl Scouts beyond the age of 13. (At that point in teenage life, it becomes quite unpopular to be a Girl Scout.) Her family's company donated to help pay for the trip. We all thought we were the luckiest East Coast girls to see the mountains out West! But that must have been how things were 20 years ago in the US. Now it's Europe on the youngster's minds!

Day Trip to Bassano del Grappa

This town provides a wonderful day-trip solution from Padua or Venice. Located 70 km from Padua, Bassano del Grappa is most famous for its grappa production, ceramic traditions and wooden bridge over the River Brenta.

Currently the cultural life in Bassano del Grappa is percolating with the programming for Opera Estate 2010. From the end of June to early September, a series of international dance companies, theatre groups, readings and opera will be performed in the area. For more information, click here.

Take a walk through the town and visit the many museums, dedicated to ceramics, the artist Jacopo Bassano, the tower and the civic museum. Visit the tourist information point near the old city walls by the train station for more information about all of them and a map of the city.



Around the old bridge, several shops sell Bassano's famous ceramics and stoneware. They feature painted plates and bowls, elaborate white stoneware and delicate ceramic fruit compositions.












Piazza del Libertà during a summer shower



A café in Piazza Garibaldi with ceramic art on the outside walls

The lion with wings that marks all the towns that were once dominated by the Serenissima (Venetian Republic). After it's protection for a while in the 13th century by a Paduan, Ezzelino II, the Ventians took hold in the 15th century, followed by Napolean's reign. Eventually Bassano became officially part of the province of Vicenza, which it still maintains today.

The oldest building in town, built in the 13th century
A clock tower, the Torre Civica
Another clock (building)

Local specialties on display in the historic bread shop, here featuring ciamballone.
An antique shop in the city center
The large wooden bridge has many names: Ponte di Legno, Ponte degli Alpini (in honor of those who last rebuilt it) and Ponte Vecchio. Even Andrea Palladio was involved in designing and building this large bridge which crosses a rough river, the Brenta. A wood structure was thought to be able to withstand the river's force. Unfortunately that wasn't always true. The bridge has crumbled many times over the centuries, although the last demise came at the hands of the Nazi Germans. The bridge was bombarded during WWII. What you see now is the 1947 reconstruction, based on Palladio's original plans from 1569.

Ponte degli Alpini





A plaque on the bridge in honor of the fallen during WWII.


The most elegant outdoor ash tray I've ever seen.


When visiting the town, don't miss a trip to the bar Distilleria Nardini at the end of the Ponte degli Alpini. Have a shot of Italy's strongest spirit, grappa, and take home a bottle. I prefer the Acquavite stagionato (aged grappa) with its golden coloring. But beware, it is quite strong at 50% alcohol content. Drinking a shot in the old bar proves special since the decor envelopes you in heavy dark wood impregnated with the acquavite scent.

At the very least, Bassano del Grappa is a pleasant afternoon stroll with characteristic architecture and little local delicacies as wells as souvenirs to satisfy most touristy souls. Enjoy a day at the edge between the northern Italian plains and mountains. Witness how people can restore their splendor after the devastation of war. Make a jaunt to Bassano.

To get to Bassano, you can take the regional train or buses (SITA or FTV) from Padua. The trip takes about an hour. Or you can make Bassano your homebase by staying a couple of nights and exploring the nearby mountains and Padana plains. Bassano is strategic since it sits at the foot of the Prealpi (Pre-alps) of Vicenza.

Photo sources:
Overall bridge view: fulviatour.com
Ceramics store: Cippetta-Vicenza @ flickr.com