Sunday lunch at casa Rizzardo in Crespano
When we were in London, we met with our cousin Anna Rizzardo and her fiancee Eduardo. That had been the plan until Anna's parents Franco and Mara surprised everyone except Eduardo with a visit to London while we were there (and their friends Loris and Fiore).
When we spent the day together in London, we made plans to meet again in Italy at the Rizzardo house. The day finally arrived. Franco (his full name is Gianfranco Rizzardo - his grandfather and my grandfather were brothers) drove down to B&B Luisa to meet us and help drive us back to his house since it is a little hard to find. He arrived as promised at 11am with a cousin - 13 year old Marta Rizzardo (his niece). Marta and Alyssa were exactly the same height.
Franco and Luisa had a nice conversation, a business card was exchanged because Franco was interested in coming for a Saturday dinner (I don't blame him), and then off we drove, me following to Crespano del Grappa a few miles away and zoom zoom zoom up the hill, under some bushes, over a hill, down a path and finally to the street that the Rizzardo family lives on. What a beautiful place.
Mara was waiting of course and as promised in London, Loris was cooking various meats on a rotisserie oven out in the garden. Marta took Alyssa and Maria and they bonded over games on iPhones and tablets. We gave Marta some Ghiradelli chocolates and she said she'd take them all and not show her older brother because he would eat it all in a minute.
We came bearing gifts - a bottle of Prosecco from San Gregoria in Valdobaddiene which we had purchased the day before, a bottle of calvados from Normandy, and because Franco is a fellow Milanista (I had learned in London) we brought him a hat from Casa Milan and a Milan scarf. Mara had told me she was a Juvenista (a fan of Juventus, the current champion of Italy and runner up in the Champions League final) so I had purchased her a Juve scarf as well. Franco and Loris both loved the Milan stuff and we took many photos to celebrate the team we love, even if they are bad right now.
Also arriving for lunch was a lot of family. Franco's mother came which was very nice. Franco's sister and her husband Stefano Dal Bon (I missed the sister's name) and their son Federico who is studying economics at the University in Padova (he commutes from Crespano to Padova on the train as this is cheaper for him than the cost of living in Padova, plus he says that Padova has a lot of crime). Federico spoke excellent English and was very interested in how the economics of California is tied to our water, so we had a lot to talk about.
Sporting his cowboy had, apron, and a white t-shirt, Loris was rotisserie grill master - using a similar heating technique as the Ceccato family. He'd pull warm coals under the rotisserie while keeping the main fire going. I am going to build one of these for the back yard.
Meanwhile a quick whistle from Franco got our attention and he proudly showed us his latest gadget - a pizza oven for the outdoors. This was a small oven which could hold 3 racks - and it is heated by a drawer under the oven where you put wood or coals to burn. A fan can be used to circulate the heat - vent on the top allows the smoke to escape. Mara had made three little pizze Margherita (cheese pizza) for an appertivi while we waited for the main dish to cook.
Just before the pizze were done we were told to grab a plate and were sent over to another table FULL of all kinds of food. There was salad, grilled vegetables, marinated mushrooms Franco had hunted up the hill, something like a quiche, a cheese and spinach bread (oh my was that good), and a cold rice dish that was amazing. Nothing was greasy, too filling, everything was fresh and perfect. It is so hard to pace yourself when everything is so fresh and good. Of course this all comes accompanied by the perfect wine to match the course.
Loris hopped up at one point and got excited and spoke loudly to himself which I think meant that the meat was done - and next thing you know, we were seated again and large dishes of chicken and rabbit and pork and it was hard to tell which was which - but I ended up with chicken which was fine by me and delicious. Loris had good reason to get excited and jump around. He knew it was time to mangia forte!
More wine, more food, more conversation - the girls ate inside with Marta and went from pizza Margherita to pizza Nutella. Yes, Mara had the girls each make their own pizza down, roll it out, bake it in the pizza oven, and then cover it in Nutella. They were all quite happy, talked about how yummy it was, and then went back to playing games. Whatever bonds little girls is fine by me. We did get Marta's email address so Alyssa and Maria can keep in contact.
Photos of relatives were passed around - Franco had very old photos of the family from when my grandfather was in his 20s and they included pictures of my great great grandfather and great great grandmother. Federico got a quick lesson from me on the population centers of California, the types of industries in the state and where they are located, and where the mountains and snow and water and deserts and ... it was fun. I think he is interested in coming to California at least for a visit, but the jobs pay so little here in Italy and the taxes so high that he said for the young people in Italy, it is hard to make a living. The economics of Italy and the rest of Europe are pretty screwed up. Germany and France especially are doing fine - Greece is the worst and Italy not far behind in terms of economic struggles. But that is a different discussion.
The dolce arrived - a wonderful chocolate cake and fresh fruit. Oh I was so excited about the fruit. My cold had turned to a fever and I was trying very hard to stay awake, not be rude, not drink too much wine (they think wine or even better grappa is what cures all). But I was using all my energy to make it through lunch...which goes 4-5 hours by the way.
My dad was meeting family and learning more about his aunts and uncles that he never knew or heard about. Franco and Mara kept telling us how much this has meant to them to meet us - the miracle of meeting Anna (their daughter) over facebook which lead to all of this. I wish I had felt better. But I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
I have to mention the view from Franco's place. He sits high enough on the hill above Crespano that he has a wonderful view of the entire valley down to Venice. You could make out the buildings of Venice on the horizon and all over the coastal plain leading up the the hills around Bassano, Crespano, Liedolo, Cavaso, etc. It was a tremendous view and gave me an excuse to get up once in a while to get some fresh air to help stay alert enough to make it through the next round or two of food.
During one of my trips to take in air and a view, I noticed a tail moving through the tall grass - which I figured was a cat. Suddenly the tail stopped, it flapped around excitedly, and then a small black cat pounced out of the grass and back down...followed by a big scurry, a head popped up, dove back down, scurrying, pouncing, over and over - and then finally the cat popped its head back up above the grass in a look of defeat. Whatever it was after had won - escaping the death the cat was to deliver. At this point the cat noticed me watching, gave me an odd look, did an acrobatic mid-air flip and ran back to the woodshed it must call home. The caper of the cat. I wonder how often that cat succeeds.
Despite how horrible I felt inside, it was a great feeling otherwise to get to know family, to see how they cook, how they prepare for guests, how happy they are with family and friends and fresh fruit. It may be hard to explain to folks why I say I could live here - I realize the grass is greener - but there is something to be said about the lifestyle here, the quietness of the small town, knowing which town on what day has the market. From B&B Luisa, we can walk to all we need for the week - church, the small grocery store, the bar and pizzeria for a meal out. A short car drive will get you to San Zenone and even more options for larger markets, banks, postal needs, services like auto mechanics, etc. What you need is here - what you want may not be. But then again your house won't be big enough to fit all that you want - it is sized for what you need.
Franco has a nice business - he continues the work of his father - building stoves, ovens, pizza ovens, fireplaces - all for both heating and cooking. It is a very popular business around here - most everyone has some type of wood burning oven (forno) and with weather typically very nice, outdoor kitchens are very popular and used (much like California). Mara is a photographer and focuses on family photos, baby photos, etc. She does not do weddings - too hard and too much trouble.
Today is Monday as I write this. Tomorrow we leave Veneto and Italy to head back to Dublin for a day and then back home. I am sure Dublin is nice. I am sure there is an element to Ireland that I will not experience that would rival what I feel here in Liedolo and Cavaso and all the towns in between. But it doesn't matter. This week will be the highlight of our trip. Of course I knew that before I left. Now it is just a matter of how long before we come back. I hope within 5 years.
Today has been nice and quiet. I was supposed to take my mom to see Ripafratta and Pisa, but I had no energy to do so and we had a nice talk about it yesterday. I needed the rest. Instead we've had a quiet morning, mailed some packages, and will see a few family members and otherwise have a quiet day. Oh, that's good for vacation too.
When we spent the day together in London, we made plans to meet again in Italy at the Rizzardo house. The day finally arrived. Franco (his full name is Gianfranco Rizzardo - his grandfather and my grandfather were brothers) drove down to B&B Luisa to meet us and help drive us back to his house since it is a little hard to find. He arrived as promised at 11am with a cousin - 13 year old Marta Rizzardo (his niece). Marta and Alyssa were exactly the same height.
Franco and Luisa had a nice conversation, a business card was exchanged because Franco was interested in coming for a Saturday dinner (I don't blame him), and then off we drove, me following to Crespano del Grappa a few miles away and zoom zoom zoom up the hill, under some bushes, over a hill, down a path and finally to the street that the Rizzardo family lives on. What a beautiful place.
Mara was waiting of course and as promised in London, Loris was cooking various meats on a rotisserie oven out in the garden. Marta took Alyssa and Maria and they bonded over games on iPhones and tablets. We gave Marta some Ghiradelli chocolates and she said she'd take them all and not show her older brother because he would eat it all in a minute.
We came bearing gifts - a bottle of Prosecco from San Gregoria in Valdobaddiene which we had purchased the day before, a bottle of calvados from Normandy, and because Franco is a fellow Milanista (I had learned in London) we brought him a hat from Casa Milan and a Milan scarf. Mara had told me she was a Juvenista (a fan of Juventus, the current champion of Italy and runner up in the Champions League final) so I had purchased her a Juve scarf as well. Franco and Loris both loved the Milan stuff and we took many photos to celebrate the team we love, even if they are bad right now.
Also arriving for lunch was a lot of family. Franco's mother came which was very nice. Franco's sister and her husband Stefano Dal Bon (I missed the sister's name) and their son Federico who is studying economics at the University in Padova (he commutes from Crespano to Padova on the train as this is cheaper for him than the cost of living in Padova, plus he says that Padova has a lot of crime). Federico spoke excellent English and was very interested in how the economics of California is tied to our water, so we had a lot to talk about.
Sporting his cowboy had, apron, and a white t-shirt, Loris was rotisserie grill master - using a similar heating technique as the Ceccato family. He'd pull warm coals under the rotisserie while keeping the main fire going. I am going to build one of these for the back yard.
Meanwhile a quick whistle from Franco got our attention and he proudly showed us his latest gadget - a pizza oven for the outdoors. This was a small oven which could hold 3 racks - and it is heated by a drawer under the oven where you put wood or coals to burn. A fan can be used to circulate the heat - vent on the top allows the smoke to escape. Mara had made three little pizze Margherita (cheese pizza) for an appertivi while we waited for the main dish to cook.
Just before the pizze were done we were told to grab a plate and were sent over to another table FULL of all kinds of food. There was salad, grilled vegetables, marinated mushrooms Franco had hunted up the hill, something like a quiche, a cheese and spinach bread (oh my was that good), and a cold rice dish that was amazing. Nothing was greasy, too filling, everything was fresh and perfect. It is so hard to pace yourself when everything is so fresh and good. Of course this all comes accompanied by the perfect wine to match the course.
Loris hopped up at one point and got excited and spoke loudly to himself which I think meant that the meat was done - and next thing you know, we were seated again and large dishes of chicken and rabbit and pork and it was hard to tell which was which - but I ended up with chicken which was fine by me and delicious. Loris had good reason to get excited and jump around. He knew it was time to mangia forte!
More wine, more food, more conversation - the girls ate inside with Marta and went from pizza Margherita to pizza Nutella. Yes, Mara had the girls each make their own pizza down, roll it out, bake it in the pizza oven, and then cover it in Nutella. They were all quite happy, talked about how yummy it was, and then went back to playing games. Whatever bonds little girls is fine by me. We did get Marta's email address so Alyssa and Maria can keep in contact.
Photos of relatives were passed around - Franco had very old photos of the family from when my grandfather was in his 20s and they included pictures of my great great grandfather and great great grandmother. Federico got a quick lesson from me on the population centers of California, the types of industries in the state and where they are located, and where the mountains and snow and water and deserts and ... it was fun. I think he is interested in coming to California at least for a visit, but the jobs pay so little here in Italy and the taxes so high that he said for the young people in Italy, it is hard to make a living. The economics of Italy and the rest of Europe are pretty screwed up. Germany and France especially are doing fine - Greece is the worst and Italy not far behind in terms of economic struggles. But that is a different discussion.
The dolce arrived - a wonderful chocolate cake and fresh fruit. Oh I was so excited about the fruit. My cold had turned to a fever and I was trying very hard to stay awake, not be rude, not drink too much wine (they think wine or even better grappa is what cures all). But I was using all my energy to make it through lunch...which goes 4-5 hours by the way.
My dad was meeting family and learning more about his aunts and uncles that he never knew or heard about. Franco and Mara kept telling us how much this has meant to them to meet us - the miracle of meeting Anna (their daughter) over facebook which lead to all of this. I wish I had felt better. But I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
I have to mention the view from Franco's place. He sits high enough on the hill above Crespano that he has a wonderful view of the entire valley down to Venice. You could make out the buildings of Venice on the horizon and all over the coastal plain leading up the the hills around Bassano, Crespano, Liedolo, Cavaso, etc. It was a tremendous view and gave me an excuse to get up once in a while to get some fresh air to help stay alert enough to make it through the next round or two of food.
During one of my trips to take in air and a view, I noticed a tail moving through the tall grass - which I figured was a cat. Suddenly the tail stopped, it flapped around excitedly, and then a small black cat pounced out of the grass and back down...followed by a big scurry, a head popped up, dove back down, scurrying, pouncing, over and over - and then finally the cat popped its head back up above the grass in a look of defeat. Whatever it was after had won - escaping the death the cat was to deliver. At this point the cat noticed me watching, gave me an odd look, did an acrobatic mid-air flip and ran back to the woodshed it must call home. The caper of the cat. I wonder how often that cat succeeds.
Despite how horrible I felt inside, it was a great feeling otherwise to get to know family, to see how they cook, how they prepare for guests, how happy they are with family and friends and fresh fruit. It may be hard to explain to folks why I say I could live here - I realize the grass is greener - but there is something to be said about the lifestyle here, the quietness of the small town, knowing which town on what day has the market. From B&B Luisa, we can walk to all we need for the week - church, the small grocery store, the bar and pizzeria for a meal out. A short car drive will get you to San Zenone and even more options for larger markets, banks, postal needs, services like auto mechanics, etc. What you need is here - what you want may not be. But then again your house won't be big enough to fit all that you want - it is sized for what you need.
Franco has a nice business - he continues the work of his father - building stoves, ovens, pizza ovens, fireplaces - all for both heating and cooking. It is a very popular business around here - most everyone has some type of wood burning oven (forno) and with weather typically very nice, outdoor kitchens are very popular and used (much like California). Mara is a photographer and focuses on family photos, baby photos, etc. She does not do weddings - too hard and too much trouble.
Today is Monday as I write this. Tomorrow we leave Veneto and Italy to head back to Dublin for a day and then back home. I am sure Dublin is nice. I am sure there is an element to Ireland that I will not experience that would rival what I feel here in Liedolo and Cavaso and all the towns in between. But it doesn't matter. This week will be the highlight of our trip. Of course I knew that before I left. Now it is just a matter of how long before we come back. I hope within 5 years.
Today has been nice and quiet. I was supposed to take my mom to see Ripafratta and Pisa, but I had no energy to do so and we had a nice talk about it yesterday. I needed the rest. Instead we've had a quiet morning, mailed some packages, and will see a few family members and otherwise have a quiet day. Oh, that's good for vacation too.
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