So, we looked at the map and decided that Asiago needed exploring. I mean really, you can't go wrong with cheese, right?! Since all Americans know that for the famous cheese, we figured since it was less than an hour from Vicenza, why not?! After sealing the deal on our new car on Friday, we hit the road at a little after 1000 today. By the way, (for you car nuts out there- you know who you are) our new car is a 2008 Kia Magentis (it's an Optima in the states) 2.0L diesel. Sorta noisy at low speeds but when you hit the Autostrada at 130 kph it is nice and quiet. It is equipped with a built-in cloaking device...not only is it a modestly styled mid-size car, it's silver - it seems that every European car is silver too. We also have the "Europe-style" long license plates so we totally blend! Yeah, until we get out of the car and start talking, that is...
Back to the trip... Tony being the topo-nerd that he is kept saying how awesome it would be to drive on some of the roads around here. Sarah's belief is that if it looks like cursive m's and w's there is no way she wanted to drive it...This was an awesome drive that included driving from just above sea level to over 1000 m high (like 3000 ft!) There were 10 switchbacks to perilously navigate. 10!!! Each switchback climbed 100 m... It felt like being at the edge of the Earth! I (Sarah) am not a huge fan of heights (no comments from the peanut gallery), it was crazy and high and the Italians are driving on it like Indy 500 racers... The Italians don't mind passing on these types of roads, we were just happy to hang on for dear life. Tony drove to Asiago and Sarah drove her maiden voyage on the way home.
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| See! M's and W's!!! |
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| This is the mountain we ascended... Yeah, no ice picks involved. |
The town of Asiago is like most quaint Alpine towns, lots of little restaurants, shops, and a big hockey rink! We'll check that out later. Riposo tends to get in our way... Quick side note on riposo- it's the Italian version of Siesta... EVERYTHING shuts down from 1230-1500... All-in-all a very good day for the family. Kate and Dom enjoyed lunch. Dom actually ate his plain noodles: no butter, no olive oil, no sauce... The Italians (and Mom and Dad) think he is crazy! Kate devoured parts of Sarah's mushroom pizza (so delicious) and her own gnocci. That girl is pure Italian. :)
Dom charmed the pants off a lady in the restaurant with his "ciao bella" which has become his go-to phrase. Kate plays hard to get, which the Italians love to try to tease her to smile... Unfortunately for Tony, nobody gets "forget about it" here?!
Of course, no trip to Asiago would be complete without cheese (formaggio) so we picked up 5 Euro worth. Yum. We bought it at a cheese truck. Tons of cheese and different meats... The metric conversion is a little rough. Tony asked for 1 KG of cheese... Yeah, that's like 2.2 POUNDS of cheese. The cheese guy figured out pretty quick that we aren't Italian. Tony asked for one of the cheeses, and the guy kinda gave him a funny look. He let Tony taste it, just to make sure. I think he was a little surprised that Tony took the cheese! (Hi ho, the dairy-o... Sorry, getting a little punchy)
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| Tony, Kate and the cheese truck! |
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| Dominic and Kate's favorite part of the day- a playground! |
That's all for now, the best part is we get to move into our house on Monday. Look for a big update next week about that! Check out our Facebook pages for more PICTURES! :)
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