Riva del Garda

We did laundry this morning at a self serve laundromat in the village-thankful they had instructions in Italian, German and English! Headed to Trento area to see Stefania and her family:) A big rainstorm is moving in, but held off on our drive which was lovely. Arrived at the home of Franco and Sabrina and Nicole her sister was there too. They had prepared the most amazing meal for us-spinach spaetzel with bacon (made with flour from the wheat Nicole grows!!), bread, and local red wine. We thought that was it, but then came beans, shredded cabbage, thinly sliced beef with arugula, olive oil and cheese, sliced tomatoes basil and mozzarella. Two types of cheese, walnuts and Sabrina’s homemade cherry jam. Then an apricot tart (also Sabrina!) with espresso, walnut liquor and topped off with some of their cherries in grappa. It was epic! And such a fun time catching up since we saw them 6 years ago. Their home is beautiful and they are the most welcoming people. Stefania shared her Master’s degree thesis with us-150 pages in English. So impressive! They drove us down the hill to the B and B they found for us-very nice and kind people as well. After we settled in, Stefania picked us up in her new car and took us a mountain valley we’ve never seen before, past picturesque lakes and villages. Her parents, sister, mom’s brother, his wife and oldest daughter met us at a restaurant/agriculture-basically farm to table cow/goat/sheep/pig farm and associated products. The owner Marco was a delight! We had seven types of cheeses, gelato all around, and he brought 3 bottles of different types of grappa for us all to try. Then the tour began-we saw the original four table space that he started with, his cheese production room, the sheep eating their dinner, the storage room for cheese and his dried meats which was carved into the side of a mountain. The whole wall on one side was rock! It was such a wonderful day-the view was spectacular even in the rain. Lovely people and so fun to spend time with Stefania!Baca selengkapnya