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| On our plate at lunch in Mariana's dining room |
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| Il gatto (Yes, he eats tortellini, too!) |
Tuesday, 27 May
Just a short update this morning. We are in San Martino de Battaglia, at the south end of Lake Garda, west of Verona. This is beautiful Italian countryside, and we are staying at Bogno San Donio, a lodging attached to Selva Capuzza winery. There is also a restaurant on the property. We have a full-time guide staying here with us. Stefania eats with us and travels with us. It's a bit like visiting your friend who lives in Italy and takes you to all of the beautiful places nearby, then wines and dines you each evening. Each day is kept busy, and I will jump around a bit in relating our travels.
Yesterday we went to the tiny town of Valeggio, a beautiful place. We spent time at a tortellini factory and learned to make tortellini! The 13-year-old son of the owners, Simone, helped us to shape the tortellini. There is a certificate to prove my skills as a tortellini maker!
We later ate the tortellini, actually three different kinds, plus a pumpkin ravioli, in the family dining room, with the two cats and a dog nearby!
A visit to Parco Sigurta Giardino, a private park nearby, was a highlight. It is a beautiful place on top of a hill, overlooking the Mincio River (which is a beautiful blue-green sea glass color). Our guide was Emmanuelle (a countess in jeans!) who is married to the inheritor of the property. The park is used for weddings, etc., and is an educational nature venue for schoolchildren. They have deer, cows, sheep, donkeys, millions of flowers, a maze, etc.
We ended the day by winetasting and making polenta for our dinner in a small restaurant.
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| Professional tortellini makers |
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| Owner Mariana, son Simone, TJ and Carol making tortellini |
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| Mariana coaching TJ to cut tortellini |
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| The results! |
We should make some when you visit!
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