Day Trips to Borghetto & Asiago

I'm still catching up on a handful of goings-on from the past couple of months, and with this post I think I will finally make it up to the present day . . .

On November 12th, I took the sister missionaries out to lunch at a fabulous place called Brunch Republic here in Vicenza. The special occasion was Sister Joder's birthday . . . (her last name is pronounced "Yoder", and coincidentally, on my Snider line we have some Yoders up in our family tree, also from Switzerland).


Sister Joder and I got a healthy smoothie . . .


Sister Quilter ordered a stack of pancakes . . .


And Sister Joder decided to be brave and order something new that she had never tried before: French Toast . . . She ended up really liking it. 


I ordered a fried egg with sliced avocado, smoked salmon, toast, and a lovely beetroot "smear" with seeds on top of it . . . It was really yummy. 


After we filled our tummies, I drove up to the Monte Berico parking lot where the girls could see all (or  most) of Vicenza. They had never been up here before, so this was really special for them. 
 

From there, we walked up the hill a bit more and made our way to the WWI Museum and park where I've been a couple times before . . .




We would walk a little ways, and then stop to talk for a while, then walk some more. It was relaxing and refreshing to be outdoors and in each other's company.

That evening there was a delicate pastel sunset to bid us an early adieu before 4:30 p.m. . . .


Two days later, I drove three of my friends over to the Verona area so we could do two things: 

~ Christmas shopping at a place called Il Villaggio di Natale Flover.
~ Check out a new town called Borghetto. 

Il Villaggio di Natale Flover is typically a large landscape and nursery store for most of the year, but when it gets closer to Christmas time, they turn it into a WINTER WONDERLAND. I refer to it as a Hobby Lobby on steroids. 


There are gnomes, gnomes, gnomes everywhere . . . and they are SO CUTE!! I wish I could scoop them all up and bring them home with me.


The best way to shop here is to put items in your cart AS SOON AS THEY CAPTURE YOUR HEART, because it will be difficult to swim upstream and backtrack to wherever it was later on. The colorful pathways curve and twist in every direction all throughout the mall-sized emporium, and it can be very overstimulating to your senses if you let it . . . I made a small list of things I wanted in advance, which helped me to narrow my focus and stick (mostly) to my plan.


There are color-themed areas, depending on what your favorite colors are to decorate with. There's a gold section, a silver section, a white/cream section, a light blue and cream section, sage green and cream, an Elf-inspired section, bright reds and greens, even pastel pinks and bright purples. I tend to lean more toward the sage and creams, but my tree is usually decked out with bright reds, along with some creams and golds.



Throughout the emporium, there are also some very cute pieces that brought a smile to my face. Like this female foresty gnome made from some creative organic materials . . .


Near the end of the "store", there is a massive section filled with everything you need for making a Presepe (preh-ZEP-pay), or a Nativity scene. I love that the Italians are so devoted to THE most important aspect of Christmas.

Take a look here: (17 seconds)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZKc7QSvmfMR4cXRV7

There are also many additional figures you could add, who are performing their daily labors "in action": 

I came out of the store with everything checked off my list - and a little bit extra, of course! :) Something I was especially happy with was that I found some beautiful florals for the decorative basket that hangs on our main entry door at ground level. 

BORGHETTO: I had never heard of this place before, but two of the ladies I was with had been wanting to check this place out. And you know me, I am always up for seeing something new! 
(FYI: Borghetto is on the list of the most beautiful towns in Italy.)

After we parked and started walking into town, the church bells were playing a very cheerful song.

Borghetto is very tiny, but also very cute. It is known as the "village of the mills" because of its long history of mills to grind wheat for flour and for husking rice (stripping off its coating). There are documents that mention Borghetto as far back as the 12th and 13th centuries, with references to the Order of the Templars, the Knights of Malta, and later the Benedectine monks of San Zeno.  

As we walked past the church and its bellsong, I saw my first inkling of the lengthy history of this place in the form of shields, swords, and toy guns at a souvenir shop . . .


It didn't take us very long to traverse the entire town, and if we didn't stop to take photos (let me clarify, if I didn't stop to take so many photos), we could have zig-zagged all over the village in less than 30 minutes. 


This was our first glimpse of the small lake within Borghetto, formed by the dam-bridge that was built in 1393 and connected to the castle with defensive walls . . .


My three friends who joined me on this adventure were Rachel McGovern, Andrea Miguel, and Leslie Rollins . . .


We passed a lock-filled arch, where lovers can place their "locks of love" . . .


Stagnant water mills were situated in several places around the town . . .


L to R: Me, Andrea, Leslie, and Rachel . . .


The serene lake sat behind us, with swans and ducks lazily cruising around looking for bugs or algae to nibble on . . .


There are several restaurants throughout this small town, all very pricey and upscale, and many of which are situated right over the water of the Mincio River . . .




Video of an actual working water mill: (5 seconds) https://photos.app.goo.gl/rzHA3UmFUASWyxFC7

Leslie and I poked our heads into the Chiesa di San Marco Evangelista, an 18th century neoclassical church built over an older Romanesque structure. 



There is an interesting spot that juts out over the Mincio River, where 4-star hotels and expensive restaurants have been put to good use. By the way, meals at the restaurants in Borghetto tend to be in the 30-50 euros per person range.


What was even more fascinating to me was how there was a little canal that flowed freely between some of these buildings, like a wild teenage offshoot from the river or something . . . With the width of the canal being so narrow and the flow of the river being moderately strong, it created some exciting cascades. 



I stood on the bridge over the Mincio River for several minutes, just taking it all in and enjoying the sound of the water rushing by underneath me . . .



Looking to the south, the river soon disappears out of view . . . eventually joining up with the larger Po River and making its way south and east to join up with the Adriatic Sea halfway between Chioggia and Ravenna.


We continued our walk through the village, ignoring the pricey restaurants as best as we could . . .


This particular sign next to the river describes all the work that went into a 1953 film to re-enact the Battle of Custoza that took place in the Borghetto area. Italians say that even though they lost the "Battle", they won the war soon after, and that these battles were key to Italy becoming its own independent nation.


This next sign (thankfully) has information already in English. It describes how things worked logistically along the Mincio River during the early 7th and 8th centuries AD. 


The town was very quiet on the day we were there, with only a handful of other people in the alleys.


A lot of details went into the carving and piecing together of this smallish roaring lion . . .


On our walk, we passed over an additional canal system that offsets the power of the river in rainier seasons, I would imagine . . .


To complete our loop through Borghetto, we walked across the Ponte Visconteo Bridge. It was originally built as a defensive dam and bridge that connected with the Scaligeri Castle in the 14th century. One of its most notable features is the strategic placement of its many stone arches, considered to be an incredible skill and accomplishment for that time period.

From the bridge looking down to the village of Borghetto below . . .



About halfway across the bridge (which is approx. 650 meters in length), there is an inner "courtyard" of sorts, even though nowadays it's used as a one-lane section of road for drivers to get across.


Peeping through one of the window "cutouts" from the bridge and looking down at Borghetto . . .


Video view from the bridge: (12 seconds)


Something that Rachel told us was that in her research for Borghetto, she learned that once a year they have a Tortellini Festival ON this very bridge. 


A little background into the legend of the "Love Knots", from the website:

The signature dish of Borghetto and Valeggio sul Mincio is tortellini , known locally as "love knots . "
These thin, transparent tortellini are handmade from egg pasta filled with a delicious mix of meats; they're usually served in meat broth or with butter and sage.


According to legend, love knots represent a pledge of eternal love between a knight and a river nymph.


It is said, in fact, that during the period of conflict between the Signoria in northern Italy, a captain of the Visconti militia, Malco, fell madly in love with a beautiful nymph of the Mincio River, named Silvia. Silvia was an enchanting creature, half woman and half nymph, and their love, impossible by nature, defied all the conventions of the time.


One moonlit night, Malco and Silvia decided to run away together to live their love away from prying eyes. Before leaving, Silvia tied a golden silk handkerchief as a symbol of their eternal bond, creating a love knot. This gesture symbolized their promise of eternal love, beyond all obstacles and boundaries.


In Borghetto, their annual Love Knots Festival serves locally-made tortellini to 4,000+ people, all seated at a continuous table that extends the entire length of the Visconti Bridge. We were scratching our heads as to how there could be ONE long table like that, but maybe that's not what really matters. Maybe they have several tables in succession that end up forming one giant table. Who knows. Tortellini is the star of the show, though, and after the feast there are fireworks to close out the night. Sounds super fun!

I am researching the date for this year's festival, and it looks like it will be on June 15th. I hope we might be able to go . . .

Finishing up our tour of Borghetto . . .

Something we didn't realize until we were almost back to the car was that there are several hiking and biking trails around Borghetto. We studied this large sign for several minutes, just taking in all the possibilities for upcoming seasons.


There is an adjacent town of Vallegio sul Mincio, which is much larger and has more affordable restaurants. We parked nearby and then walked a couple of blocks to get to the restaurant that Rachel had selected in advance, called "Alla Borsa" (photo below). 


From the outside, we did not expect to see as many diners seated inside as there actually were! Our waiter led us past room after room of diners until we were directed to our table for four. One of the cutest things I've ever seen was Nonna. (pronounced like NO-nah) Nonna means Grandma in Italian, but in this case, she was everything and then some. Here was a lady, clearly in her late 80's or early 90's, dressed up in her finest black dress, with low heels on her feet, and a beautiful strand of pearls around her neck. She was not only part of the greeting committee, but I later saw her bustling about bringing plates of food to patrons, and even helping to clear some of the tables, too. It was a real treat to watch her. She had such a passion and zeal for everything she did. Maybe she is one of the original owners of the restaurant and her heart is still very much invested in the business of feeding people and making them happy. 

We were in a little bit of a hurry, as two of the ladies needed to get back before their kids returned home from school, so we were a little worried as to how fast the service would be in such a busy lunch environment. We decided to order something that would likely have been made in advance, and then all they'd have to do is bring it out to our table, all nice and warm. Three of the four of us chose their pumpkin tortellini, while the fourth chose a meat-filled tortellini dish. 



We all felt a bit underdressed in this establishment, looking around at the other clientele in their very fashionable Italian attire. All that aside, we were hungry and we were just excited for something good to eat for lunch. We took turns using the bathroom while we waited for our food. I only say this because bathrooms are few and far between in Europe, Italy being no different. When you're in a restaurant or cafe, chances are they will have a nice bathroom you can use - for FREE.

The food came out FAST - even faster than we expected, given how many other people were seated all around us. It was impressively fast service, and then the tortellini . . . ohhhh the tortellini. It was literally the best pasta I've ever had. And I don't eat pasta very often anymore!! But oh my gosh. This was TO DIE FOR. I would happily drive the one hour - on repeat - just to enjoy another round of their pumpkin tortellini. 


On our way back to the car, we popped into a couple of tortellini shops (there were SEVERAL on every block) to see if they had any dried pasta that we could purchase for Christmas gifts. But all we saw was fresh pasta - especially fresh tortellini - everywhere. 

The four of us had a great day exploring the Christmas Village with its endless variety of holiday decorations, and then walking around Borghetto, truly a quaint little gem to experience in Northern Italy.

Over the next several days, fall would be coming to an end, and winter would soon step in. 

Scott and I went to see the early release premiere of the movie, Wicked For Good, the sequel to Wicked. It was available in the theater on Caserma Ederle one whole week before the rest of the world got to see it!


I didn't love it as much as the first one, to be honest. It was darker, a bit sadder, tearing at your heart strings at times, and didn't provide me with as much closure as I had hoped it would. Was it epic? Yes. Was it abundantly full of stirring music? Yes. Did it feel like there was a completely different team of writers than the first movie? Yes. Did I walk out with unanswered questions and a little frustration? Yes. 

Will I be watching it again? Yes. I think I need to. Maybe then I can understand the story a little better. It reminds me of when I watched Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to Top Gun. My first time through, I was frustrated with answers I couldn't seem to find, and I was really caught up in the literal-ness of everything I was seeing. I had more questions than answers, it seemed. But when I watched it the second time, I enjoyed it much more. Instead of trying to just enjoy the movie on my first "go", I had been laser-focused on the specifics. But the second time around, I just sat back and treated it as a well-crafted movie. That worked a lot better, and I've even watched Top Gun: Maverick a third time. (Overseas flights work well to rewatch a movie that I've already seen before. What else am I gonna do at 30,000 feet?)

I've been drinking lots of herbal tea as the weather has turned cold enough to thoroughly enjoy it. My favorite flavors are ones that have a cinnamon/clove/orange mix, or even a nice cinnamon/vanilla mix. I like to add a little splash of vanilla creamer to it, instead of the usual carb-heavy honey. 


One day, when I was taking care of a few errands on the Ederle base, I just happened to step outside just in time to see this . . .



In between Veterans Day and Thanksgiving Day, our friends Elder and Sister Sim, military relations missionaries that are serving here in Vicenza for two years, organized a Gratitude Devotional. Its purpose was to help us be more grateful through both music and messages. The district of area missionaries were asked to come and sing, "How Great Thou Art". They came by train from Padova and other cities around Vicenza. I helped to sponsor 4 of them to come onto the base where the devotional was held in the Chapel next to  . . . (drum roll) . . . Chapel Gate. 

Sister Quilter and Sister Joder are in the front row on the left . . .


Colonel Lacy, who is in our Vicenza Military Ward, spoke first with his message centered on gratitude for our military. The head chaplain, I think Ecker is his name, spoke later with a message centered on gratitude to God. We had refreshments afterwards, and Elder Sim had made dozens of 3-D printed freestanding signs in fall colors that said, "Be Grateful". We then accompanied all of the missionaries over to the food court inside the PX so they could eat things like Taco Bell, Subway, Philly Cheesesteak, etc. They were in U.S. junk food heaven. :) 

Look at the size of this leaf compared to my size 6.5 shoe . . . I think it was from an oak tree. 



ASIAGO (on December 20th):

Scott and I drove up to Asiago on the Saturday before Christmas. It's about a one-hour drive from our house and sits high on a mountain top. I had heard that the Asiago Christmas Market is a cute one and I wasn't able to go last December because I was already in the States by then. 

Take a look at these switchbacks as we made our way up the mountain . . . In Italy, they're called "Tornante", or hairpin turns.


View from one of those hairpin turns . . .


We parked in an underground parking garage and had just a short walk to get to the Christmas Market, which is situated near the Duomo di San Matteo Apostolo.


Wooden booths were set up all around the Piazza, with items like honey, soap, wooden creations and decor, scarves, mulled wine, cheeses, sausage, and Christmas ornaments to sell. 

This is the booth where Santa Claus sits whenever he comes for a visit . . .



We ran into Scott's BOSS, Will and his wife, in the square!! Of all the places . . . we chatted with them for a good long while.

Video of the charming little transport train that went by while we chatted with our friends: (3 seconds)

Video of the fruit & vegetable market stalls on a side street: (5 seconds)

Video of some of the unique veggies in the market, including artichokes: (8 seconds)

There was even a children's carousel set up nearby: (4 seconds)


I bought a heart-shaped wooden sign from this booth . . .


I also bought a little jar of what I thought was honey, but later realized it's like a fruit butter that happens to pair well with cheese. And the last item I bought was a sweet little handcarved Nativity scene, created within the core of a small section of a tree branch. The diameter of the branch was maybe 3-4 inches and it came with a battery-operated light to illuminate the scene at night. (Sorry, I already put all of our Christmas decorations away, so I don't have a photo to share.)


We didn't stay too long in Asiago. Maybe a couple of hours. If you add on the one hour drive each way, it made for a decent excursion for the day. As we left the Piazza, we passed by this building with some fun decor in the windows . . .


The Christmas Market from across the street . . .


We decided to make time for lunch at our favorite pizza shop in Asiago before we left town, so we walked past the parking garage, crossed the street and then we were there. 


A handsome memorial for the Alpini of Northern Italy . . . 


The pizza restaurant is called "Pizzeria da Tata" and is situated across the street from a fabulous park, playground, and green space - Parco Millepini". (Millepini means "thousand pines.")


I ordered a new type of pizza, one that I've never ordered before, and it was REALLY GOOD. It is called "Pillo" (pronounced like PEE-yoh) and had bits of pepperoni, sweet red peppers, porcini mushrooms, both mozzarella and Asiago cheeses, and thinly sliced onions. Because I've done this here before, I also asked them to add a fried egg on top. Just for fun. And for additional protein. :)


I ate half of the very abundant personal-sized pizza in the restaurant, and I ate the rest the next day after church. Yum!!

There was still some fog down in the valley as we navigated the switchback turns on our way home . . .



For a Christmas Relief Society activity, I baked some peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss on top. They seem to always hit the spot . . .



Aaaand some recent bonus photos of my grandchildren . . . (you're welcome) . . .

Miss Avery on a video call back in November for her 4th birthday . . .




Avery had lots of fun playing outside after their first German snow of the season . . .


Jack - heading off to school on one of the warmer days in Minneapolis back in November . . .


My younger sister, Melanie, spent countless hours designing and crocheting a unique animal for each of my grandchildren for Christmas. Maisie received a darling little bunny . . .
 

Jack received a Blue-ringed octopus and he was thoroughly delighted . . .



Maisie's main language with me lately is to point to her nose repeatedly and mutter, "Noh". We do this back and forth many times during the overall conversation, ha ha.


I also love when my older granddaughters write to me and I get a surprise in the mail . . .


Gwen likes to send me video messages on WhatsApp, complete with closeup selfies and silly groupings of every emoji she can squeeze in . . .


Gwen and Santa Claus . . .


Abby is sure growing up lately . . . she loves to hang out with her friends and to go on a walk to get treats with them as often as her meager income allows. 


Here she is with some of her friends on a recent walk to school together . . . (Abby is on the far right)


Their Ward primary raised over $500 by selling baked goods so they could purchase some items for charity through the Light the World vending machines that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sets up around the world during the Christmas season. 

Here are the items that they purchased after casting their democratic votes first . . .


Jack, sitting comfortably in his pajamas, eyeballing the fun he's gonna have outside very soon . . .


Jack and Maisie . . .


Oh, the life of a toddler and needing to be encased in layers of thick warmth just to go outside . . . LOL


Maisie wants so badly to keep up with the bigger people in her household . . .


Jake, ever the amazing chef that he is, made an Asian-inspired dinner for their family recently. It was very well received.




Their family also flew to Seattle in December to visit Hannah's father Garry, whose backyard goes right down to the Puget Sound . . .


Jack was ELATED to finally be able to find little crabs and other creatures in the tide pools. He is quite the resident expert on each species, what they eat, how they live, etc. 

Take a listen to his incredible vocabulary in this video: (1 minute, 8 seconds)


Maisie in a moderately warmer climate in Seattle . . .


I think they're on a ferry boat in this video: (13 seconds) *THE GIGGLES* XOXO

Jake proudly sent us this raw parenting moment on their flight back to Minneapolis. Guess what Maisie is covered in . . . **And notice Maisie's eyelashes, ha ha


(Answer: Ranch dressing) And look at Hannah's face, ha ha. I bet she laughed plenty, though. She's got a good sense of humor as a mother, something we all need to have!

Jack and Hannah heading off to his preschool class for the day . . . a bit colder there now!


Jack might play hard, but he also sleeps hard . . .


This nap was in the middle of church . . .


Jake took Jack over to a nearby lake (there are countless lakes in Minnesota) where some ice fishermen were "hard at work" . . .


When he shared the photo above, I wrote back, "Dad and I were up close to an ice fisherman several years ago, when we went to a military marriage retreat near Lake Cascade, Idaho. We walked out onto the lake so we could see what they were doing. What an incredible hobby and skillset they have!"

Jacob's quick-witted reply: "And by hobby you mean drinking beer, and by skillset you mean drinking beer." 

Maisie has had some bad skin issues lately, so they took her in to the doctor. After seeing a dermatologist, she's being treated for eczema with a variety of creams (hydrocortisone + aquaphor), and antibiotics (for possible impetigo). She is doing much better now, thank goodness!!

It's so hard to itch your own back when you're just one year old . . .


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