Over the Hills and Through the Vineyards

We had the day off from classes on one Wednesday afternoon and decided to take to the hills for a biking adventure in the vineyards. La Strada del Prosecco is the oldest wine route in Italy, nestled in the hills near a cute little town called Conegliano (which is a bit further north from Venice). We bought loaves of bread, cheese, and olive oil at the supermarket and rented bikes-which was actually a pretty big ordeal.

Most people we talked to in Conegliano were shocked when we told them that we wanted to bike the trail. "Ma, le colline! E troppo difficile!" (But the hills! It's too difficult!) We got a lot of hand motions showing us the steepness of the hills and the length of the course. Pretty much, they thought we were crazy.

Luckily, my friend Becky and I had scoped out the situation the previous Sunday. We went to a bar and got a glass of prosecco each, and chatted with the bartenders in Italian to get a better idea of what the Strada del Prosecco is like. The guy we spoke with gave us a detailed map and told us the best places to go. He assured us that if we just biked part of the route and not the whole 30 miles, we'd be okay. Plus, he explained that the most difficult uphill battle would be to the castle just outside of Conegliano, and after that it would be pretty easy biking.

Even though some of them thought were crazy for wanting to bike the hills, people in Conegliano are some of the friendliest I've met in Italy so far. Not only the bartenders, but also the people we chatted with in the market, were incredibly welcoming and encouraged us to practice our language skills. Maybe this has something to do with the lack of a big tourist presence in the town. I've found that in smaller Italian cities (like Padova and Conegliano), people are much more receptive to Americans, especially those genuinely interested in their culture and language.

We wound up finally getting bikes (after thinking the only bike rental place in town was closed, considering a guided bus ride, getting a call back from the bike rental guy, and canceling said bus ride) for about 9 euros each. It was ABSOLUTELY worth it though. The scenery was idyllic, the weather was sunny, and we could spend all the time we wanted taking photo stops. The climb to the castle was, as warned, a bit strenuous. I'm not sure if it was the adrenaline or the impressive view, but once we reached the top, we all hopped off our bikes and started frolicking in the grass.

Back on the bikes, we made our way over to a vineyard cantina to try some prosecco. Prosecco is by far my favorite Italian wine. It's a bubbly, dry white wine made from a particular white grape typical of the Veneto region (and more specifically, of the hills near Conegliano of course!) We taste-tested some, and I bought a couple bottles to bring home. They were super cheap in the hills (around 3-4 euro for a good bottle!). Nicole and I brought our host mother a bottle, and I overheard her talking to her daughters later about how "carino" (cute) it was that we thought of her. Suck-up points received!

On a bike-related but not wine-related note, people in Italy are bicycle MASTERS. In Padova, it's pretty common to see someone zooming through the Prato on a bicicletta while talking on a cell phone with one hand and waving their other in the air. Mad skills.