Peter had another insider tip for some good gelato in Vignola so we packed the car and parked at last night's venue and walked into town. Sunday mass was happening at the church and there was a textile market happening in the pedestrian area. Socks for 3€, jeans for 5€, that sort of shit. We found the gelato spot and sat in wonder of our luck. I mean, this stuff was amazing. So good. Creamy and light. I got coffee and peach. The best gelato combination so far was coffee and peanut butter in Rome. That was just stupid...
Walked around the Rocca Di Vignola. It's old, we are talking 11th century and still a stunner. Dig.
We hopped back in the car and headed NE to Montebelluna. The drive was fine. I mean, we took a toll road so it was in good shape and it was very uneventful. We listened to Band of Horses and Beck's new record. Peter and Jeff dozed off and I set the cruise control at 130 kph.
We stopped at an Autogrill for a sandwich and espresso somewhere along the way. I also found a couple Italian seasoning packets which are basically packets of herbs and seasonings you add to your pasta at home with some olive oil. I first came across them when I was working on the cruise ship on the southern Italian coast and thought they'd make good gifts for my foodie friends (I don't think my mother has used hers yet tho, so I might reclaim it when I'm there next). I don't think Italians use them either, I think it's a tourist thing, but I dig it. Some packets will have dried olives and oregano or tomatoes and red peppers; there are a bunch of different flavors. I was relieved because I was seeing them in Rome in specialty shops but never picked any up thinking I'd see them again the next day. Glad I at least found two different kinds today. I won't be giving these ones away.
Made it to Montebelluna at like 3:30. It was deserted... Didn't really see a soul at all driving in. We thought the hotel was closed even. But no, it was open (albeit reminiscent of The Shining) and I walked into my room and went straight to sleep for a nice 30 minute power down. I woke up to the sound of rain and got cleaned up around 5pm to make the 5 min drive to Mattorossa, our last venue of the Italins tour...
I was already impressed as we pulled up. You could just tell they put some money into the build out. From the street it looked sexy as hell, so I was confident we were in for a good night. The interior didn't disappoint. Big room with a nice big stage, great gear, great sound man Gian, exposed brick, original wooden beams, sleek bar, lots of polished brass.
Sound check and then an authentic Italian dinner of burgers and red wine. There was even another Italian IPA on tap which was called Grunge IPA. Our new friend Nick, who first saw us in Milan, came with a friend, and bought us a bottle of Prosecco, which is grown in this region. Spirits were high as the room began to fill up with diners. We hit around 9:10 and played a great one hour set, which included a Printemps standing on chairs in the audience.
After the set we chilled and rapped w new friends. Hopeful we can come back to this venue. Everyone was very nice and welcoming and the sound was really nice. Crashed out at the hotel after rapping with Gian the sound guy who gave us some insider tips for our short visit to Venice tmrw. Gian grew up in the area and his dad works in the wine industry and offered to maybe set up a tour of the Prosecco facility but the guys were determined to see Venice, so, another time for the Prosecco tour.
A great last night of the Italian tour. Hope to come back to this beautiful country. Thanks again to Cesare and Enrica of Roots Music Club for organizing this fun tour!
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