17-22 April 2024

We headed north out of Venice to stay in Oderzo with Miryam (Marchesin) and her husband Alessandro Piva along with Michele, their nineteen-year-old basketball-champ son. Michele finishes liceo (high school) this year and plans to study economics, leading to finance. He is applying to several universities, with Padua at the top of his list. Leonardo, the eldest son, is studying for exams at a university in Milan where he majors in mechanical engineering.

At Miryam’s urging, we also stayed with them in 2019, so we are well acquainted with the neighborhood and their dog Nocciola (hazelnut). This is prosecco country. This area of the Veneto region is dotted with small, prosperous towns and light industry like furniture, eye glasses, and ski wear production, all floating in miles of vineyards. The Dolomite mountains hover in the background.

(KITTY: As you recall from prior posts, Miryam is the daughter of Giuseppe and Angelina Marchesin. Giuseppe’s father Costante was first cousin to Robert’s mother Emma. So Miryam is Robert’s second cousin once removed. But we feel a lot closer than that.)

Robert’s mother Emma stayed in close touch with her Marchesin relatives in the Veneto, and Robert’s Uncle Rico married Angela Zanette, a woman he met on a trip to Italy to visit them. Because there are at least ten households in this area that Robert keeps in touch with, we booked a series of meals with Marchesin cousins as well family related to Zia Angela.

Between meals with the families, we managed a few day trips to see some sights.

On Our Way

Before heading to Oderzo, Robert needed to visit one of the few Apple stores in Italy to pick up replacement tips for his Apple Pencil. He ordered them on the phone the day before and they were ready when he arrived. The store is in a large shopping center in Mestre, only a fifteen-minute drive, but a world away, from Venice. With new tips, he’s ready for more sketching.

Near Oderzo Bonnie located a great local place in the countryside to eat. We arrived a bit late as the place emptied around 2:00 pm. The waitress told us the menu, in Italian, of course.

Miryam, Alessandro, e Michele

We kicked off the visit with a meal of seppie (cuttlefish) prepared by Alessandro, who makes terrific family dinners. The after–dinner conversation at the kitchen table focused on taxes and the economies of Italy, Europe, and the US. In this household the parents consistently carry on high-level after-dinner conversations with the boys. Solid evidence required! No speculation allowed. Because the back and forth was in Italian, we followed only about eighty percent! This was a teaching moment for all of us.

We are impressed with the high level of high school education here. When we asked Michelle about a historic place or a specific work of art, he went to his room and dug out his current and past school books on Italian culture and art. Very detailed. Very well illustrated. Would make great guide books if they did not weigh several pounds.

Colazione

In and About Oderzo

Robert’s Grandfather’s Home

Robert’s grandfather Costantino (his mom’s father) lived in some version of this house in Pianzano before he went to America to earn a living for the family. It was either he or his brother who would go and because his brother was married and his wife Caterina was pregnant, their father sent the unmarried brother. Although Robert’s grandfather knew Robert’s grandmother Maria Luigia in Pianzano, she had already gone to San Mateo, working in her brother’s boarding house. She insisted that if Costantino was serious about proposing, he had to come to San Mateo to propose in person before she agreed to marry him. This may have been around 1912-1914. Giuseppe Marchesin believes the house is still occupied by a Marchesin (Giovanni). We will knock on the door next time!

You Say Prosciutto. I say San Daniele.

San Daniele del Friuli is best known for prosciutto—sweet and melts in the mouth. If you own a restaurant in San Daniele, you better have prosciutto in your name or at least in your subtitle! The town is only about 8,000, but it is filled with good restaurants. Set on a hill, it overlooks the surrounding countryside, but most views are blocked by the irregular patterns of its historic buildings.

Our San Francisco neighbor Mattia comes from San Daniele. We sent him a photo while we were there and he told us to meet his mom and aunt! But we had already returned to Oderzo.

Porta Gemona—On Bonnie’s list of Andrea Palladio’s projects (1579). This is a small design intervention, below, on a tower of an old medieval castle. Palladio’s refined design discreetly layers onto the tower, rather than copying or overpowering the tower’s rustic aesthetic.

The “Sistine Chapel” of Friuli—Church of Sant’Antonio Abate. The interior of the small church startled us when we walked in. The frescos date to 1469. The town now uses the building for city council meetings.

Driving to and from San Daniele

Although San Daniele is only thirty-five miles from Oderzo, it takes more than an hour for the trip because of the many two-lane roads that zigzag through the agricultural landscape. There are many roundabouts, and we often heard Waze say At the roundabout, take the second exit, meaning head straight. The region recently had rain, and this translated into a new blanket of snow on the mountains. Austria lies just north—a two-hour drive through the mountains to the border).

A Visit from Susan and Family

KITTY: Susan is Miryam’s sister. Lives nearby.

On the way to Villa Barbaro a Maser with lunch in Montebelluna

Palladio—Villa Barbaro a Maser

We discovered a Palladio villa near the town of Maser, less than an hour from our home base at Miryam’s. A villa in good repair and open to the public. Bonnie couldn’t wait to go.

Six rooms in the main block are open to the public. You climb the exterior stairs, then put on felt slippers over your shoes to protect the terrazzo floor. The central space is airy and filled with light from four directions. The view out the back is of a pool and fountain wall set at the foot of a hilly, wooded parkland. In each corner is a rectangular room with fireplace. The space feels just like the interior of the Villa Rotunda in Vicenza that we visited on our last trip to Italy. These villas were used in the summer and meant for entertaining.

Every wall and ceiling surface is covered with animated painting by Veronese. Architecture, family portraits, mythological figures, family pets, landscape scenes. Veronese was known for bright color, and although the walls have faded a bit, they are still exuberant. In some ways the elaborate images seem out of sync with the simplicity of Palladio’s architecture. But the painting was done immediately after construction for the same patron and became an example for other villas of that era.

Ha-tu magnà che?

Trevigiani dialect for What have you eaten? Robert had to find a place in the post for this phrase. In this case, the answer is fish! Vittorio Zanette made the reservation. (KITTY: He is a nephew of Robert’s Uncle Rico and his wife Angelina.) In addition to us, the photo includes Daniela (Vittorio’s wife), Francesco (his brother), and Marisa (Vittorio and Francesco’s mother). The restaurant served about ten different types of fish as the appetizer before we had the main course. We skipped pasta. Dessert was whipped lemon sorbet spiked with vodka/prosecco, and egg whites—sgroppino. (Robert needs to learn to make this.) The food came to the table with such velocity that Robert did not have time to photograph it.

VIRGINA: Vittorio asked if you were still alive.

Al Cason

Miryam took us to see one of the few remaining casone in the region, only a few minutes from Oderzo’s city center. A cason is a small dwelling built by sharecroppers. This one is 300 years old and is preserved for historic interest. The land for the building was given to them by the landowner for whom they work. The materials—clay, reeds, and small pieces of wood—reflect the characteristically poor economic means of its inhabitants.

Prosecco

These are not necessarily prosecco grapes, but this is a good place to correct a post from a prior trip. To be called prosecco, beyond the method of making the wine, it must be at least eighty-five percent glera grapes, the name designated for this grape in 2009. If the sugar levels are not sufficient, wine makers may add other grapes from an approved list. The production of prosecco is controlled by an association that limits the amount produced each year to control quality and price.

Pizza with the Cousins

Miryam wrangled the cousins for a Saturday night pizza dinner in Conegliano—twelve cousins in all. Less than last time but still a lively group. (Susan and her family were in Croatia for their son’s handball match, Fabio’s wife and daughter, Chiara and Marta, were tied up with a volleyball match, Andrea and Sandra’s son was doing teenage things, Leonardo was studying for exams, and Riccardo and his fidanzata were in Milan.)

We had a great time answering questions about our trip and, of course, about American politics and the economy—Who do expect to win the presidency? Biden or Trump? No, I do not think he will be sent to jail. America’s economy is very strong but there is still the problem of inflation. Do you agree? Questions we all think about no matter our native language. Many thanks to Miryam for organizing the gathering of the cugini!!!!

Fabio e Alessandra e Lo Spiedo

Fabio Fattorel and his wife Alessandra Zanette invited us for Sunday lunch at their home on a hill between Conegliano and Vittorio Veneto. Spectacular views! We were joined by Alessandra’s sister Franca and her husband. Plus two teenage kids per family. We sat outdoors to take advantage of the views but the cold weather eventually persuaded us to move indoors for coffee, grappa, and dessert. Fabio cooked chicken, pork, and spare ribs on the spiedo—a traditional rotisserie method in this area. He got up at six to start the fire. The meat, separated by lardo and sage, was on the spits about five hours. Delicious!!!

After lunch, Robert, Fabio, and Alessandra went for a drive while Bonnie took a nap. We ended up in Formeniga across the valley from their home. Also on a hill, it has spectacular views. Their friends Jefferson and his wife, both from Brazil, live there. They relocated to Italy because of the economic opportunities here that Brazil now is unable to offer. We had a caffe at their house and then walked down the hill to tour the cheese-making and salumi-curing laboratories, as they call them.

One person there teaches a five-day course in cheese making that he also does around the world. https://www.accademiacasearia.com/academy/?lang=en The meat curing section also has a teaching component. They refer to vacuum packing as sotto vuoto (under nothing). Robert was a bit envious of the setup. Alas, no room at home in San Francisco!

Cheese and Salumi!!

More Meat!!!

Did we tell you that Alessandro (Miryam’s husband) loves to cook?! He baked a perfect ricotta almond cake on Sunday morning (recipe included) and then grilled spare ribs, chicken, and pork along with polenta for our last dinner with the family. The grill is downstairs in their house. Quite a setup. Robert is jealous!

Next Post—Pianzano a 1962, Come Era Una Volta
Next Stop—Siena!