The Fairytale Ends...but with a Fairytale Ending

Sunday we made the long drive from Sorrento all the way back to Treviso in one day to give us a little more time at “home”.   We pulled into town on Sunday night in time for the three-night tour of our favorite restaurants to start – stop one  St. Agostino’s Pizzeria followed by a visit to our downstairs gelato shop, where Sarah got the best gelato she’s ever had (guava).  Monday, it was so fun to get to spend the day showing our city to Sarah.  We walked and shopped and ate gelato and walked some more.   I think “charming” is the word she used most frequently to describe what she saw.  It just doesn't get more charming than Treviso, Italy.  That night we took Sarah to stop number two on the favorite restaurant tour – the restaurant across from the fish market, Vasperina, where Sarah got the best tuna she’s ever had and Jim and I both got the best branzino we’ve ever had, and the girls got the best pesto they’ve ever had.  The owner joined us for a shot of limoncello at the end of the evening as a parting gesture.  And then we walked, had gelato, and walked some more.    The girls and I  said our goodbyes to Sarah before going to bed Monday as Jim took her to the airport super early Tuesday morning.  

Tuesday was our final day in Treviso – so when we weren’t figuring out how to pack up everything we brought and all that we have collected – there were a few spots we wanted to hit one more time.   Though we didn’t know it when we planned our trip, leave on August 15^th turned out  a good date to leave.   We knew that Italians go on vacation and many businesses are closed (like Jim’s office is actually closed this week), but we didn’t realize that August 15^th is the Ferragosto holiday and all stores close for at least a couple of days around this time.  We planned to go to the Casa di Parmigiana before we left to bring home some cheese, so were sad to see that the store had pulled the gate down and cleared out the counters for a two-day holiday by the time we got there.  But, I poked my head under the grate and explained (in Italian!) that I really wanted cheese to take back to American – we were surprised when he actually opened up, pulled some cheese out from the back of the store, gave us some large samples to try, and sold us the cheese.   Surprised probably isn’t the right word – Italians have been so friendly to us – but this was a great reminder of how awesome this trip has been.

At a perfect last activity in Treviso, Stefano (you remember the champion gelato maker from the first blog post) let us come into the back of his shop and gave us a full demonstration on how to make gelato and even let the girls make a batch.  He explained the importance of using the best ingredients and the differences between gelato and ice cream (ice cream has more fat and more air) and the importance of using the best ingredients.  After mixing the dry ingredients together and adding the milk and honey, you pour it into a machine that takes the mixture to almost 200 degrees F to pasteurize it and then freezes it all in a matter of minutes.  After making a fior di latte, we added an orange sauce to it.  I was a little skeptical, thinking it might taste like marmalade, but when we tried it, it was pure creamsicle!  Heavenly.   It was so nice of Stefano and his family (fiancé, mom, and cousins all work there) to make the time to show us the secrets behind the food that we have been religiously eating since our arrival in Italy.  Stefano has dreams of starting a gelato chain in America – I’m suggesting he start in LA!

It almost went without saying that our last meal in town would be the same as our first meal – Da Pino pizza and pasta.  The food is really that good, but also it is a focal point in town, situated in the center of the main plaza.  But, it was less clear what our final dessert would be.  We clearly had to have another Stefano gelato but we also really liked those frozen crepes.  Somehow Rachel made a compelling enough argument for frozen crepes on the way TO dinner and for gelato on the way home FROM dinner.  So, that is what we did. 

To end our evening, we walked with our gelato out one of the main gates in the wall to the city for the final time. This summer was better than I even thought it would be.   

The fairytale may be over but the adventures continue...On Wednesday, Jim and the girls flew home via a 24-hour layover in Amsterdam (seeing both the Van Gogh and Anne Frank museums).  I flew to Istanbul to be with my mom, brother, and sister to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday.  I am sitting finishing this blog with a view of The Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara, thinking about heading into Asia today....