Nove and Marostica

Last Tuesday, I got to take a little jaunt to the towns of Nove and Marostica. They're, I dunno, maybe 30 minutes from our hotel. While Tony was working, a new friend (Hi, Jackie!) came and picked me up. She had to pick up some personalized ceramics in Nove and invited me to tag along. I'm so glad I did! Nove is a tiny little town well-known for its hand-crafted ceramics. Jackie has been collecting a pattern of blue poppies (Himalayan poppies, but they look more purple than blue, I think) and daisies. She basically created this pattern and now the owner can't keep it on the shelves! I wandered all three floors of the store, knowing there are a dozen more scattered throughout the town but assured that these guys have the lowest pricing, just delighting in all the different styles and patterns. I learned that it is good luck to give chicken or rooster pitchers as a gift, to ward off assassins. There's a good story behind that, but anyway, a few designs caught my eye, but I managed to resist any new purchases...this time...

After that, we ran over to Marostica, which is the next town over. It's known for cherries and especially for its live chess matches held in September of even years. If you Google "live chess Italy" I'm sure it'll pop up. They dress up in medieval costumes and have horses and knights and everything.  I saw the chess board in the middle of the square, and I'd really like to go one year. Marostica is known for it's two castles; there's an upper and a lower, and the sight as you drive into town is breathtaking. You can drive or hike to the upper castle, through olive groves and other beautiful sights. I'm told the view from up there is amazing; you can see into the Asiago valley. You know, Asiago as in cheese...that's right, it's only an hour from us! In the picture just below, you can see the lower castle in the foreground to the right, and the upper castle on the hill.

Unbeknownst to us, Marostica holds its local market on Tuesdays, so we had fun wandering around taking in all the vendors' booths. There were salami and cheese trucks, and stalls of clothes, shoes, vegetables, and knickknacks. We popped into a pasticcheria and tried a small assortment of pastries with delicious cappuccino, and then had pizza. In the picture above, the chess board is in the center, and we sat under an awning just to the right there. On non-market days, our seats would have had a great view of the upper castle, but the vendors were blocking our line of vision. That just means I have to go back! I really want to go back with Tony and hike up to the upper castle. I love how the walls span the entire hill. 

It was a short trip, but a really great one!