Friday, August 31, 2012

Valdobbiadene and Prosecco

We got up this morning and tried to figure out what we should do. The fridge was full of fresh veggies, cupboards had lots of food so there was no need to go put shopping, wait a minute there is a problem. We only have one bottle of Prosecco left. All we have to do is head down to the grocery store and pick one up but why take the simple way out. Instead we decided that a trip to the Prosecco region was required so off we were to Valdobbiadene. We drove through this region when we first arrived in Treviso three months ago. The vineyards were waiting for the summer sunshine and warmth to ripen the famous Prosecco grapes.

Rather than take the train we had a leisurely drive on the autobus. The bus leaves promptly at 11:00 and makes several stops on the one hour trip to Valdobbiadene.

Treviso Italy Bus Station

First order of business was to have a coffee and look over the main piazza. You could hear several languages being spoken by tourists that also needed a coffee. 

Valdobbiadene Italy

When we were walking around I felt something was different but could not place my finger on it. Going back over the pictures as I was doing the blog it occurred to me, mountains! The mountains are not visible from our home base of Treviso, seeing them so close reminded me of being back in Vancouver. Strange what you miss from home when you are traveling.

A short walk to the tourist information office to get a map. The young lady at the office was friendly and helpful. We asked if there were any companies offering tours since we did not have a car, unfortunately no one did. Next option was to rent a car, one company offered cars so off to their office. After a 20 minute walk we found them but they were closed for the day. We had noticed a wines shop close to the bus stop so we walked back there. You guessed it, they had gone for lunch and would be back in two hours. This would be a good time for us to grab a bite to eat. The pizza shop where we had dinner was closed on Thursdays,  as was the one at the hotel we stayed at but we found one that was open. We both ordered the gnocchi with San Marzano tomato sauce, topped to chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese and of course a glass of Prosecco 

Covolo De Piave, Treviso, Italy We have seen that food and wine are very important in Italy. Celebrations are held for the wines of the various regions along with ones for the fruits and vegetables that are in season. Back in May there were banners announcing the Cherry festival and today we saw that the Bean festival was being held the first 3 weekends of September. I wonder how may ways they are going to be prepared?


The wine shop reopened at 3:00 and we sampled some Prosecco. Along with the regular Prosecco we thought the Rose looked good so we bought a few bottles to justify taking the bus here. 

Valdobbiadene Italy home of Prosecco The box was a bit heavy so I remembered what they had told us when we were jogging. A bottle of water is a heavy weight you have to carry it but it weighs nothing when you drink it. Then again the bottles were not chilled so they will have  to wait for another day?


On our way back to Treviso we drove past many vineyards. You cannot see it from the picture but the branches were heavy with maturing grapes. Will have to come back next year and sample them.

Vineyards Treviso Italy

We had a perfect view as we sat in the front seats today. When traveling by train we have seen many level crossings with cars waiting for the train to pass. Today we had to stop and wait for the train. There were so many things to see that the 90 minute bus ride home was over before we knew it.

Train crossing Italy Train crossing Italy

Driving through the town of Montebelluna there was a  bit of a traffic jam. While sitting there I noticed people wandering across the road and no one took any notice, it happens all the time. The man ran across first followed by the lady "his wife?". She was in no hurry to get across, time to get some jogging shoes.

Montebelluna Italy Montebelluna Italy

After we got into Treviso the bus stopped at a crosswalk for two pedestrians. Being at the front we had a clear view as a motorcycle passed the bus (high speed) and just missed the men. Must have been a close call as even the bus driver reacted.

There are two methods for payment on the busses. You can buy a ticket at the bus station or get a pass. Buy your tickets in advance and just validate them when you get on the bus or just place your pass against the scanner. Very efficient way of making sure passengers pay for their trip. Should you not validate your ticket you could be fined. 

Treviso Italy - Bus

From high speed motorcycles to modified bikes we have seen them all today. This bike is not high speed but it must get great gas mileage. If the tank runs dry just peddle to the nearest gas station or to your neighbor and ask to borrow a cup of gas. Treviso Italy

1 comment:

  1. I love reading your posts, It seems like we share the same warm feeling for this place.

    ReplyDelete