by Myra Robinson

I have yet to hear my first cuckoo of the year, but in other respects everything is slowly coming back to life. The almond trees are in blossom on my favorite walk along the ridge of Monte Fasolo, and there are small green buds against the blackness of the skeletal silhouettes of the vines.

There was a lively market in Ferrara along the sides of the Duomo, along with a couple of tables adorned with leaflets, flags and posters for people to sign up to rival political parties.

Ferrara castle always looks at once forbidding and imposing, with its wide moat around it, the only large moated castle in any Italian city. I feel I know the building well, inside and out, and so I was very pleased when a new book by Maggie O’Farrell, “The Marriage Proposal”, appeared last year. It tells the story of Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara and her battle for survival against her sinister husband who intends to kill her. Her terrace of orange trees in terracotta pots is still there in the castle, and I feel I could imagine myself there at the time, feeling her terror.

Ferrara is in Emilia Romagna, so this isn’t really a letter only from the Veneto. This region has its own specialities food-wise, and it’s wonderful to have a lunch which includes gnocchi fritti, little hot cushions of air, eaten with local salamis and prosciutto. I think I ate one of the best desserts ever too – a ricotta tart with a whole pear poached in red wine and crema inglesi. To die for!

Coming back on the train I was hoping a friend with a small tourist company, LoVivo, would return my hat which I left in her car. She did! Her company deserves a mention for its concentration of local produce and sustainable credentials. Tourists can meet local producers and sample their wares, and even stay in ancient rural buildings. The previous week she had taken me to an olive oil producer, Evo del Borgo, to learn about an oil so specialized that the trees can only be found in the Euganean Hills, and the olives are so delicate that they can only be gathered by moonlight! (So that they are not dried by the sun.) We also went to a vineyard, Lorregian, where the local rare grapes are made into Doc or DocG wines and stored in barrels made in the Dolomites from imported French oak which imparts a particular flavor. 

I can really recommend this friendly off-the-beaten-track company which only works with small numbers so that the experience is personal and the atmosphere of the area isn’t destroyed. If you want to get under the skin and learn about the passion of Italian food producers, you can meet local people most tourists never meet in an undiscovered area, my beloved Euganean Hills!