14. Trieste to Verona via Treviso. April 24 2023

Greetings from Verona

We left Trieste after a very quick breakfast so that we could get on the road at a decent time.

Within about thirty minutes of driving, we were immersed in a huge downpour—as if the Adriatic just got dumped on our car and the road. At times, we could only see about 20 feet in front of us, maybe less. And as usual lots of trucks on the road—kicking up more water. Then a little before we got to Treviso, where we planned to have lunch and walk around the town, the clouds broke, and we actually had a few moments of sun and just drizzle for the rest of the day.

Given that it’s easier to have a destination to put into GPS as we drive into these towns around lunchtime, Mike decided to make a reservation for lunch in Treviso which is about halfway between Trieste and Verona (our next real stop). We’d heard good things about Treviso and we had never been, so we decided that would be the lunch and afternoon stroll location. Turns out that Treviso is quite delightful and definitely worth a stop.

Due to the rather leisurely lunch at Le Beccherie, which is located right on a small canal, surprisingly with water clear enough to see to the bottom (Le Beccherie was worth a trip all on its own) and the fact that the weather was so uncertain, we only had time for a very short walk to and from where we had to park our car (outside the historic center) and a few detours to see some great streets. So, Le Beccherie… we really were just looking to have a simple lunch…was a huge surprise. We shared a starter and a pasta and a dessert. But before we began the meal four incredible little “nibbles” – “gifts from the chefs” (which is the norm in the high-end restaurants) arrived at the table… one more aesthetic than the other and each just wonderful little bites, along with fennel bread sticks and fantastic olive oil. Our starter was a beef tartare that looked like dessert when it arrived at the table—beef with lemongrass foam and a tart green sauce, along with some other ingredients. The pasta was a homemade egg chitarra pasta with hazelnuts and miso butter topped with grouper tartare and a little caviar. For dessert we tried their supposedly famous tiramisu…which we were told was literally invented there in Treviso and also learned that the word “tiramisu” is one of the five most famous Italian words in the world.

The origin of tiramisu – or so the story goes—dates to when the then-owner of the restaurant, Alba Cameol, in 1955, was pregnant and her mother-in-law worried about her diet. She prepared hearty breakfasts each day and included zabaglione and coffee. She wanted to be sure her daughter-in-law had the energy to face the demands put on her by the restaurant and the pregnancy. Once the baby was weaned and she returned to work in the restaurant, she decided to add a new dessert into her menu.. and that dessert was inspired by those breakfasts. First there was a lot of experimentation and finally in 1972 they decided the new dessert was perfect and ready for inclusion on the menu. They had tested ricotta and other ingredients, and finally settled on fresh mascarpone. In that same year, Le Beccherie exhibited at the Milan Trade Fair and ended their menu with Tiramisu. I think that this recipe has received some sort of honor from the Italian government. So, how could you possibly pass that up… not us.

Treviso has about 80,000 inhabitants and the river runs throughout the town, so you are constantly crossing wonderful little foot bridges to get around town,

Once we located our car, we began the drive to Verona (population 280,000) where we will spend the next two days. We drove through beautiful countryside, vineyards, villages, and hamlets with what seemed like oversized churches for their location in such small villages. Nonetheless, they were lovely and impressive structures. Eventually we arrived in Verona—which looks delightful, but we had a really hard time finding the hotel. We are located inside the historic center which restricts cars. We had to have our car “licensed” in advance to be able to drive in just to unload our luggage. Then we parked in a public garage, where the car will sit until we leave Verona. As we strolled to dinner, we could sense that Verona has a great vibe, lots of young people (there’s a university), and wonderful amenities—lots to explore tomorrow. Anyway, the GPS somehow could not really pinpoint the hotel’s location, so it would say we were “here” but we weren’t really. After two phone calls to the hotel and some very detailed instructions, we got to the hotel, dropped off the bags and “registered.” The challenge had been that the roads are very very narrow and there are tons of pedestrians walking everywhere and not expecting cars since so few are allowed in. But still those that are allowed into the town must navigate people and streets that clearly were not laid out for cars. We had to drive across piazzas and make turns that cars really cannot make. I think we looped around the town three times before we finally got to our destination. One issue was that the hotel is on a tiny alley and the GPS doesn’t quite acknowledge it.

I think that’s it for tonight.
All the best… Got some snippets of US news tonight so I gather Tucker Carlson is out (aw shucks!!) and that Don Lemon is gone as well (Aw shucks, again! Was this tit for tat? And planned by the owners of both stations to happen simultaneously?) In any case – for my two cents—no great loss.

Fern

P.S. From the lap of luxury at the Savoia Excelsior Palace in Trieste, with our two balconies and room that was probably 600 sq feet + about another 200 sq feet with the wardrobe room and bath and foyer, we are now in the very very modest Albergo Mazzetti Hotel which while noted as being 3-star is probably more like a 2-star (or in my opinion, maybe a 1 star or star-less)… this being based on the Savoia being a 5-star (and maybe I’d give it six out of five). So it’s a bit of a downward slide here.. but also a nice balance in our journey—moving between such extremes.