Bassano del Grappa

 

Yesterday, Sunday, was a very Italian day! First thing in the morning, I went to church with my host mom. We went to a smaller church just outside my small town, and it was smaller than the last time I went to church. It was the priest's birthday, and there were many people inside the church. The people at church sang beautiful songs, said scriptures (that I couldn't understand!) and it was a comfortable temperature- not too hot or cold. I enjoy going to church. Even though I can't understand everything, it is relaxing and good way to get a sense of the Italian culture.

 

After church, we went back to the house to help Nonna prepare Sunday lunch. Earlier in the week, it was two of my cousins' birthdays, and so lunch was a big celebration for them. We had a huge lunch- risotto and mushrooms, meat in a delicious olive oil sauce, polenta, potatoes and butter, cabbage salad, cooked peppers, fruit, and this delicious cream cake I had never tried before. I was so full for the rest of the day that I didn't even eat dinner that night! We gave our presents to our cousins, and they loved them. The littler cousin turned 10, and we gave him a cute little sweater for the winter. My older cousin turned 19, and we gave him free phone cards so that he had unlimited calls and texts. I also felt more comfortable joining in the conversation because I could understand more Italian! Yay! :)

 

After lunch, it was time to leave for Bassano del Grappa. Paola and I said goodbye to our family, and we drove to pick up one of Paola's friends. He came along with us because he knew Bassano very well and could be our tour guide, and also because he had nothing to do that day! :P We drove about 30 minutes, parked, and began a tour of the beautiful city. Bassano is very old- it was founded in the 2nd century B.C. and it became a part of the Vicenza region in 1175. Much older than anything in America!! Bassano is also known for Grappa (hense the name!). Grappa is an alcoholic drink usually drunk in the northern part of Italy after dinner. Grappa is made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (or the pomace) left over from winemaking after pressing the grapes. It was originally made to prevent waste by using these leftovers. Now, it is very popular! I still haven't tried it yet, but maybe I can in the future. After a description of the city by Paola's friend, we met up with Anika, some of her family, and Lauren. We then toured the city until it began to rain. Here are some photos! (I should also mention that I did not find my camera, but my host mom was very gracious and is letting me use her old digital camera. I better not loose THIS one too!!!!)

 

This is what grappa looks like- very light in color. Most Italians only drink a very little amount after dinner as well- it is used more for the after-dinner flavor and to "warm the belly" in the winter months.

 

This is a beautiful "chiesa" of Bassano right outside the city center.

Front entrance of the church.

Walking to the city center on a bridge- what a beautiful day it was! :)

Graffiti and tagging are very common all over Italy, but I thought this wall looked very interesting. It was so colorful! This was under a bridge.

Old Italian houses and apartments.

Streets of Bassano- Italian streets are so colorful compared to America!

A small shop that sold ceramics- very picturesque.

A statue famous for the telling the story of the bridge near it- as you cross the bridge, you kiss your lover!

Another shop selling the best products at the moment for a lower price.

This is the old bridge of Bassano- it has been around for a very long time and from it, you can see beautiful views of the river and city.

 

A farther away look at the beautiful, old bridge! You can only walk across or bike ride- no cars allowed.

 

 

A statue street performer- sorry, but no kiss for you! :P

The beautiful view from the old bridge. It was cloudy that day, but that did not take away the beauty.

Old houses and apartments, right on the river.

One of the most oldest building in Bassano.

Here is an up-close view of the oldest building in Bassano. All of those holes in the wall are bullet holes from a war many hundreds of years ago with the French! I am impressed the building still stands! It is a piece of Italian history.

This is inside the oldest building with the holes- it was the first place that made and sold Grappa in all of Italy. 

Some bottles of Grappa.

The first Distilleria's sign outside its door! 

Up a main street of Bassano- so Italian! 

This region of Italy is also well known for the beautiful ceramics that it creates.

Inside a ceramics shop! So pretty and well-made works of art.

One of the copper distillers used to make Grappa.

Part of an old look-out tower.

Old look-out tower- many cities in Italy have at least one look-out tower. It kept the city safe back in the old times.

Old fish caught from the river of Bassano, and how the locals cook a fish delicacy.

A little Italian girl talking to another statue performer. (Am I the only one that thinks they are a little bit creepy?)

Anika, Lauren and I, exploring Bassano! :)

A street performer. Every once in a while, there are a few street performers that stand out better than most. In Vicenza, there is this man who plays guitar so vigorously and jazzy, and you can tell he really just loves to play guitar whether he gets any money or not. This man was another really great street performer. Harps are not very common (at least in Vicenza), and the songs this man were playing were intricate and very beautiful. All of us stood around him to get out of the rain for a while, and we enjoyed his music very much.

After it began to rain, we said our goodbyes to Anika's family and Lauren, who lives very close to the center of Bassano. It was a beautiful little afternoon trip, and I would definitely want to come back and explore some more.

Bye for now!! :)