It’s been a while since the Spritz Club’s last post and though it’s a bit late, it’s still worth posting about. Our last outing was to a little town north of Vicenza called Bassano del Grappa. We went in search of a Christmas market. Throughout the Christmas season, these markets are spread out through Europe and sell a wide array of Christmas-flavored goods, including ornaments, gifts, and food of all kinds. We had to try the hot apple cider…. Cheers!
Being a small town, Bassano del Grappa’s market was pretty tiny as well, with a dozen or so stalls. It may have been tiny, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. There was one booth we all liked more than the rest – it was selling wooden ornaments and decorations. We each managed to find something to take home!
After checking out the market, we thought we’d wander down to Bassano del Grappa’s most famous attraction – il Ponte degli Alpini (the Alpini Bridge). The Alpini soldiers have a special affection for the bridge. It has been destroyed several times, and after the last time during WWII they took up a collection to have it completely rebuilt. Apparently the Alpini (and former soldiers) still visit the bridge to remember their fallen brethren and celebrate their history.
The view from the bridge was beautiful. Unfortunately we were on time budget and weren’t able to see much more of the town. Some other things to check out are a dinosaur museum thingy (we glimpsed a brontosaurus from the street) and of course the Nardini grappa distillery. We’re all pretty sure we don’t like grappa, so we weren’t missing much.
We hope you all had wonderful holidays, and here’s to a fantastic 2014!
-Maracuja
God Save the Spritz 