Day 9: Le Finestre di Asolo

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I cannot believe that the first week of school is over and the semester is one-fourth of the way through. But it feels distinctly different from “time flying” back home. There, it makes sense that time would fly: Jam-packed schedules, strict adherence to clocks, multitasking, electronic planners and phones, the dinging chimes of new email… But here, life is so much more serene. Yes, there are things to do and regular times when they are to be accomplished. But all the moments in between are taken up with a certain amount of leisure—or at least with a leisurely approach to accomplishing the tasks at hand.

Take gelato, for example. In many ways it is just plain old ice cream. But its consumption is so much different that it turns it into an experience. Back home, ice cream shops offer “big” cones that are piled high with soft-serve ice cream. Or dishes that have a small mountain of ice cream dripping in chocolate sauce and caramel and other toppings. Or Dairy Queen Blizzards that blend ice cream and candy or cookies all together in jumbo sized cups. Now don’t get me wrong. I like the stuff. But I like gelato more.

Here, the gelato usually comes one pallina (scoop, or literally “small ball”) at a time. But it is a substantially smaller scoop than back home. Also, it comes in a tiny dish with the tiniest of “spoons.” In fact, the spoons are actually flat, making it truly impossible to take in a big mouthful of gelato, the way you can a Blizzard. You simply have no choice but to savor the experience, the flavor, and the company you are with.

Anyway, today once class was over, I did a little bit of work at the office and then headed home for a siesta during siesta. When I woke, I changed into shorts and tennis shoes (did that ever feel good!) and drove into Asolo to do the tourist thing and take pictures.

One of the things that I enjoy the most about Asolo is the beautiful windows on all the old buildings. Le finestre (the windows) seem to all have flower boxes filled with bright flowers. Pink and red seem to be the colors of choice. The architecture in the town is absolutely stunning, too. So I walked through the streets and took dozens of pictures. On my return walk, I stopped at a gelateria that was recommended by Ben, the 8-year-old son of one of my colleagues. You can’t get a more expert opinion on ice cream than from a kid! I slowly ate mine near Asolo Centre, at the bottom of a stairway that overlooks a panoramic view of the countryside.

By then it was getting close to 7 p.m. So headed back to the car and drove to Molly’s for pizza night. There were several couples—and 10 kids!—there. It was a fantastic evening. But by the time I got in the car to drive home for the night, I was beat.

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Photos

Flowers in Every Window
Okay, so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But many of the windows in Asolo are brimming with flowers.

And Vines, Too!
These storefronts didn't have as many flower boxes as some others, but you can see the vine-like flowers growing up the arches. By the end of summer, the whole front will likely be covered!

Even With Few Flowers
Even without bright flowers, the windows in Asolo are fabulous! I particularly loved this set. It was across the street from the gelateria where I stopped.

Comments

[Jordan]

I will find all the gelato places in Lincoln for your return if you promise to formalize siestas in our dep't when you get back!