Countryside Adventures

I'm going to zip through telling you all about the next few days of Ashley's trip so that I can get to my FAVORITE day.  (Plus, I don't have pictures from Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.) 

On Monday, Ashley ventured to Verona with the downstairs neighbor's family.  It worked out perfectly for them to all catch a train on Monday morning, and they were back a little after I got home from work.  We decided to treat ourselves to dinner, so we headed to the top of Monte Berrico to a place called Sette Santi.  It's really beautiful at sunset because it overlooks downtown Vicenza and the hills and mountains around us...and the food is delicious!  We were even entertained with a lightning show, compliments of the dark clouds that rolled over the mountains right after the sun went down. 

By Tuesday we were both a little worn out so we had a nice night at home eating leftovers and planning the rest of our week.  Wednesday we headed out in search of a leather purse factory.  Like we need more of those, right?  After finding it (a little tricky because it was in the middle of a neighborhood) we were pleased to learn that ALL of the purses were under 50 euro!  We both left with a new purse and a free keychain thrown in. 

Next comes Thursday, my favorite day!  Every Thursday morning there is a huge market in downtown Vicenza.  I wish I could go every week, but, you know...work.  Anyway, I always tell people they have to go.  You can get anything there.  Seriously, anything.  Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, honey, clothes, towels, plants, underwear.  I'm not kidding.  It's like a open air Super Wal-Mart, but WAY better.  Ashley purused the market and got us a great spread to enjoy for dinner.  Ham, melon, cheese, shrimp pasta salad, some other little pasta...all of it was delicious. 

Once I got home from work, we hopped in the car and set off to find a winery.  It was about a 45 minute drive through the most beautiful countryside.  There were hills all around of grapes and olive trees and the weather was so perfect.  Just the drive alone made the trip totally worth it. 

The winery was beautiful and the people working there were so friendly.  We went right in, did a quick walk through, and got to tasting!  The lady who helped us was so patient and let us try so many different things.  I guess that is her job, but we kept asking for opinions and different kinds of wine, and then we would rate them all on our little piece of paper. 

*Side note- I only tasted a tiny little bit of each wine.  Like a half of a half of a sip.  And we were there for quite a while.  Don't get all crazy and think I was boozing and driving.*

We ended up getting 11 (yes, eleven) bottles of wine.  Both of us also purchased a chicken pitcher, which you see a lot of in Italy.  (One story behind the chicken pitcher can be found here)  I will definitely be going back because not only is the wine very good, but it is also very cheap.  For my six bottles and chicken pitcher, I only paid 30 euro.  Definitely worth the drive.

The winery was on some really lovely property and Ashley and I both decided that if we were to get married in Italy (I guess John Ralph and I could renew our vows?) that this would be the place to do it!  I just about fell in love with this little yellow scooter.  Give me a silk scarf to tie around my hair and I could pretend I was Audry Hepburn in Roman Holiday. 

Once we were done at the winery we were going to just head back home.  However, we saw a sign for an olive oil place, so we took a few wrong turns, and eventually found what we were looking for.  In the process, we drove around on the most breathtaking country roads in between grape vines and olive trees, and behind tractors going to the fields.  The views were amazing. 

At the olive oil store, we got a "private" tour of the factory by the 17 year old that worked there.  It's also a B&B and he didn't hesitate to ask us if we needed a place to stay!  Ha!  Unfortunately for him, we just taste tested a few oils, bought one, and headed home. 

We arrived back in Vicenza to catch the Rotunda at sunset and ended our night with the market goodies and wine from our day.  It was honestly one of the best days I've had in Italy.  Such a good time exploring new places!  I'm so glad I could share such an adventure with one of my best friends!

Next up, our final adventure:  Florence and Pisa!  Stay tuned, amici!