painterdave's VirtualTourist Home Page

Here is a photo from the medieval parade presented by the neighborhoods of Monselice, a large village near Padova. If you have time go to my Monselice page and see more photos of this parade. It is quite a show and I was not disappointed.
The hills around Padova are rarely seen by tourists, but they are a genuine treasure for the people in Veneto Region. There are so many great restaurants here, and the trees and foilage make a wonderful place to see. You can get up high for a great view, and in the Spring the cherry trees are blossoming, and make a wonderful scene.
If you ever are in Padova, and have a car to get around, I recommend a drive into the hills around Padova and also to nearby Monselice.
Take a few hours, stop at a winery and just enjoy the hills.
For a good winery, see my Arqua Petrarca page.

The Mayor of Noventa Padovana, Daniela an important artist who set up my exhibition, VT friend Orietta who translated for us, and the Mayor and Cultural Vice Mayor in charge of cultural affairs stands in front of the attendees to make their individual presentations at my exhibition.
Daniela deserves special commendation because she did an incredible amount of work to make the event a success.
We had at least 60 people attend this opening. The people in Noventa made me feel warmly appreciated. I have never been treated so nicely in my life by so many people.
It just cannot get any better.

WHY NOT?

These wild pigs are used in many restaurants in Italy. So many of them feature this meat that I wonder if there are any wild boars left in Italy. I think they must raise these "wild" boars on a farm somewhere. I want to see this farm. My agritourismo friends who live outside of Padova have invited me to their annual sausage making day this November.
There are wild pigs in the hills above Padova, but you only see their signs, you never see them.
I llke to joke with my Italian friends that I want a boar's head for my home. Most of the stuffed heads in salami shops look pretty worn, but this one in San Gimignano was in good shape.
If you plan to buy a salami, make sure you ask to see how much fat is inside. Some are more fat than meat.

Near an astronomical tower NOT used by Galileo in Padova is a canal and this photo below it on the canal is now one on a list for a future painting possiblity. This was a tower used to make mathematical figures concerning the rotation of the earth, etc.
Near the top of the tower is a round hole in the floor. The previous owners used this hole to drop servants who did not do a good job. It is a long long way down.
If you are ever visiting Padova, this tower should be near the top of your list of places to see.

The man on the right is Stefano, and these are his parents. Stefano is one of those persons who makes things happen. He leads a group of individuals in Padova that bring cultural events and movies to members of the Wigwam Club. Stefano asked me last April to lead a painting workshop on his father's farm, il Presidio. We had 37 painters and a lot of folks who showed up to watch.
This photo was made the last week I was in Padova and Stefano's mother demonstrated her skills by loading the table with a whole range of Italian cooking. I was honored to be asked to visit their home, and I hope some day to cook for them in return.
Stefano and his sister are genuinely friendly people and great diplomats for Padova and Italy

One of the things I miss is the chance to load my sluice box, gold pan, and shovel and go to the Arkansas River in Colorado, or any one of the many rivers in the Sierras of California to prospect for gold. It's really more of a chance to get outdoors and listen to the water flowing, and enjoy the cool summer air of the mountains.

Wandering around Venezia one finds all sort of interesting things. There is a shop that has a boat inside, for instance. There are shops that make masks, others bind books with wonderful binding materials crafted by hand, these kinds of places are fascinating to me.
One day while doing my usual meandering, I stood on a bridge hoping to spy a picturesque spot for making a watercolor, when I heard the gondolier say to his tourists, "this is Marco Polo's house!" I turned to look and he was right, there was a plaque that proclaimed this fact to all wandering and lost people.
So take a look at Marco Polo's home, much better than the prison he was locked up in later. I am sure he must have missed this quiet corner of Venice.

I cook and one of the recipes I like to use is this beer butt chicken recipe where you take a half can of beer (root beer is even better) and you sit the chicken on it. Use the legs as part of a tripod and place it on the barbecue. If you don't have a barbecue, use the oven.
The meat stays moist as the liquid steams away. Baste the outside occasionally with a home made mixture of the beer, brown sugar and other herbs, etc. you want to use.
When your guests see this arrive at the table it will be a lot of laughs.
You can also carve a face on a potato and stuff it into the neck cavity. Your imagination will have a lot of fun deciding on the type of expression to use.
Try this recipe, it's easy.
Happy Eating