I Cugini del Veneto

18-23 October 2019

Now, to be specific, my cousins are Trevigiani. They live east of the Piave River and according to the patriarch Costante Marchesin and his daughter Mirella, that made them Trevigiani, NOT Veneziani. Trevigiani is a more specific designation, although no one seems to use that distinction these days.

In years past, the Trevigiani spoke in such a strong dialect that Robert’s father could not understand them when he visited with the family in 1962. Robert’s mom, who was brought up with that dialect at home in San Mateo, served as the translator. When she was growing up, her father insisted that they speak in the Trevigiani dialect at home. Robert’s mom did not learn English until she attended kindergarten.

After Venice we spent a few days with Miryam, Alessandro, and the boys to say hello and goodbye. We caught up with other relatives in the area too! About ten households. We really enjoyed our time with the family here. Each time we learn more about their daily lives through our lens of retirement.

A simple, autostrada-dominated, one-hour drive from Venice. We deviated a bit to go to Vittorio Veneto for lunch.
Places visited during our stay..
Nocciola sums up everything about being Italian when the weather gets below 65 degrees. While Italian people wear scarves when it gets cold, Nocciola is carefully wrapped in a blanket and set on a cushion for her night’s sleep, uninterrupted by any drafts. (Her neck is protected because of a recent mishap.) She is so comfortable that she often does not want to get up in the morning and go outside.
Michele, Nocciola, and Leonardo
Alessandro leaving for work around 6:30 am
Typical breakfast. Leonardo and Michele leave for school at about 7:00 am. The liceo (high school) is in Conegliano, about a 25-minute drive from home. Italian schools in this area start at 8:00 am and finish at 1:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. Both boys are in the same liceo that focuses on science and mathematics.
We drove to Belluno (one hour north of Conegliano) to see Michele in his second game of the season. Italians call this sport basket. Unlike in American schools, sports are separate, in private leagues. It was a close game, but . . . .

Vittorio Veneto

Our trip from Venice to Oderzo was short so we decided to have lunch in Vittorio Veneto. Found a nice place filled with locals and with local dishes. Robert had Radici e fasioi, a very typical dish up here. It is made with fresh radicchio lathered in a puréed bean soup (think refried beans) with diced lardo (think diced prosciutto without the meat). Very tasty. Good for a cool fall or cold winter day. On our trip in 2001 with Robert’s parents, his mom ordered this in Pordenone. She remembered it from her childhood.

Radici e fasioi

Dinner with the Marchesin Family in Treviso

With all these Marchesins, we know this is confusing. Michele is the son of Robert’s mom’s first cousin Mario Marchesin, so he is Robert’s second cousin. The family has been in the clothing industry for centuries. Focusing in the past century on knitwear.

The waiter was enthusiastic about the swordfish.
(L-R) Eleonora, Elisa, Michele, Ludmila, B+, B
Jeff: Brand new Trasher sweatshirt
1962- Michele Marchesin is the baby held by his mom with his father Mario behind. Michele’s brother Leonardo is to the right.
1962-Mario showing Robert and his parents one of their knitting machines. He and his wife had the first license in Italy to import cashmere.
We took a nice long walk around Treviso after dinner. The town is bustling with activi;ty.
Marchesin gift from a bakery on the ground floor of their apartment building in Treviso. Good!

Dinner with the Zanette Family

Not cousins, but they should be. Marisa Zanette is the sister-in-law of Robert’s aunt Angela in San Mateo (wife of Robert’s Uncle Rico). Marisa and her son Francesco live in Conegliano, while her daughter Silvia and husband Davide live in Florence. (Yes, they did the 4.5-hour drive to see us . . . so very nice of them.) Vittorio, son of Marisa, recently married Daniela and they live nearby in Cappella Maggiore. We all met at Marisa’s home, drank a fine bottle of prosecco, and then went to the Trattoria alla Sorte for a real Italian Sunday family lunch in the country in Costa Alta Conegliano. We caught up on our lives and Robert had no time for photos at the table!

View from the trattoria
(L-R) B, Francesco, B+, Marisa, Vittorio, Daniela, Silvia, and Davide

Benedet Family

Bruno Benedet married Mirella Marchesin (sister of Beppino and Silvana Marchesin). At 90, Bruno is home most of the time, but his son Andrea, an accountant, moved his office close to his father’s house so he sees Bruno many times each day.

Andrea Benedet with his dad, Bruno
1962—Bruno, center in red shirt with his wife Mirella Marchesin. Handsome couple.
Guiseppe (Beppino) and Angela Marchesin
1962—Beppino with his sister Silvana

A Day Trip

We took off late morning one day to explore a few places in the area: Pordenone and Portogruaro.

Compared to our visit in June, the fields we drive by are now beginning to take on their autumn colors. Vineyards that were lush and full of grapes in June, have been harvested and are showing off hints of yellow. Some vines have already lost their leaves. Most of the corn/silage has been harvested along with the sunflowers. The sky is grey most days and the weather is cool. Compared to the heat of June, it is quite a treat.

Pordenone

A port town on the Noncello River. It was under Roman rule and subsequent rule by Venice and Austria, and finally annexed by Italy. A fairly sleepy place but it made a nice short visit and a place to have lunch and a gelato of course!

Bonnie remembers going here with Robert’s parents during their trip in 2002
Robert was disappointed that the waiter did not blink an eye when he cleared the table.

Portogruaro

Located on the Lemene River, this is also a river port town and a comune in the Metropolitan City of Venice. We just picked it out on a map and were pleasantly surprised by what we discovered. Gruaro seems to mean the home of the gru (the water birds).

No photo perspective correction will work. The campanile is leaning “a bit.”
Robert thinks thIs restaurant specializes in wild game.

Dinner out with the Marchesins (Miryam, Alessandro, Leonardo, and Michele)

Why, oh why, did Robert take pics only of the food?!

Bottene

As some of you know, Robert has a torchio that he purchased from Pastabiz on Harrison Street in San Francisco. They carry a wide range of pasta machines for restaurants and commercial establishments. Famous New York Italian restaurants get their equipment here. Robert’s torchio is the smallest they offer and is operated like a large cookie press. You turn the handle on top and the pasta emerges from the bottom through a die. You insert different brass dies to make different pasta shapes. Robert discovered that the torchio manufacturer was located on the way to Vincenza, so we stopped in, saw the small family-owned business, met the owner, and purchased a few dies. One die that Robert wanted was out of stock, so they made a new one in ten minutes. Very nice folks.

After purchasing a few torchio dies, we had lunch nearby.

Before we forget . . .

A few items to capture in our blog before we forget.

Typical bread stick from the Veneto. You see this included in the bread baskets.
A great present from Miryam and Alessandro; You use these to keep your bottled fruit and vegetables submerged in the canning liquid. Perfect for Robert when he preserves hot peppers.
A must in Italy to fight off mosquitos. It is made with icaridin, better than Deet because it seems not to have the same side effects, like damaging plastic. Look it up in Wikipedia. Used in bug-proof clothing. Needs to have a minimum of 20 percent icaridin to be effective.

Next stop—Vincenza!

Sketches Part 6

O4-19 July 2019
Trieste, Conegliano, Oderzo, e Roma

Trieste – 04 July 2019
Trieste – 05 July 2019
Trieste – 05 July 2019 – iPad
Trieste – 05 July 2019
Trieste – 05 July 2019 – iPad
Trieste – 05 July 2019
Nocciola – Oderzo – 09 July 2019 – iPad
Nocciola – Oderzo – 09 July 2019 – iPad
Nocciola – Oderzo – 09 July 2019 – iPad
Conegliano – 13 July 2019 – iPad
Gambrinus – 16 July 2019 – iPad
Oderzo – 17 July 2019 – iPad
Oderzo – 17 July 2019 – iPad
Roma – 19 July 2019 – iPad
Rome – 19 July 2019 – iPad
Rome – 19 July 2019 – iPad