Comments on: Festa di San Martino – Venezia

By: Bonfire Night and Martinsfeuer – The Educated Traveller

Bonfire Night and Martinsfeuer – The Educated Traveller — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 21:02:56 +0000

[…] completely delicious biscuits. A must for every under ten year old and me, don’t forget about me! Festa di San Martino – Venezia – just […]

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By: Vittorio Carpaccio – The Educated Traveller

Vittorio Carpaccio – The Educated Traveller — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 07:00:35 +0000

[…] Festa di S. Martino – Venezia (possibly my favourite because he gave a poor man his coat) […]

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By: Sant’ Apollinare in Classe – The Educated Traveller

Sant’ Apollinare in Classe – The Educated Traveller — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 06:31:45 +0000

[…] Festa di S. Martino – Venezia […]

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By: The legend of St Lucy – Santa Lucia in Italy – 13th December is her Feast Day – The Educated Traveller

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 11:06:33 +0000

[…] Lastly, San Martino and how he became a saint: Festa di S. Martino – Venezia […]

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By: Janet Simmonds

Janet Simmonds — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 18:11:49 +0000

In reply to Francesca Blench.

Thank you so much Francesca this is wonderful. It’s so interesting that San Martino has taken on these various roles, associated with celebration and harvest before the dark, cold days of winter. Many thanks for this wonderful contribution.

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By: Francesca Blench

Francesca Blench — Sat, 14 Nov 2020 17:56:51 +0000

Janet, San Martino remains a firm favourite of mine, a fine saint surrounded by great local traditions in many places – of course, as you know, the little Church at Villa Cordevigo is dedicated to him and who better for a place owned by vintners?
But I first learnt of San Martino when as a youngstrer I lived and taught English in Gattinara, a northern Piedmontese village that produces a very fine red wine, 100% Nebbiolo, for some as good as the other Nebbiolo based Barolo or Barbaresco from southern Piedmont! Just less well known. On St Martin’s day in Gattinara each year, it is a public holiday as San Martino is the patron saint of the village – that means the local populace has a day off work and spends the morning at an enormous street market, gathering to talk about village affairs (gossiping frequently!) and then they all go to the local restaurants for a slap up meal …. traditionally this is also the day the first new wine is drawn off to check whether it will be a good vintage or not. Another tradition on this exciting day in Gattinara is to see whether the local band parades through the streets in the late afternoon, signalling that there will be a Carnival parade the following February. Carnival keeps Gattinarese people cheerful through the long dark winter. Local groups of friends design floats and costumes and meet two or three times each week through the long winter preparing everything for two processions and parades culminating in the Mardi Gras celebrations and a final masked ball that closes carnival the night before Ash Wednesday. I spent my first 20 years in Italy in Gattinara, throwing myself in the 1980’s into these local traditions, inventing dance routines, dressing up (or down, we often wore scanty costumes more suited to summer!) to be on the floats or dancing through the streets (definitely the best way to keep warm). Today sadly many of these traditions have got lost or have changed, I think …… but San Martino still closes the agricultural year and is the time the vintners to draw off the precious nectar and judge its future potential.
And I still buy Gattinara on special occasions. You must taste it with me next time you are in Italy, Janet.
Thanks and cheers!

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By: Janet Simmonds

Janet Simmonds — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:51:25 +0000

In reply to Mary Lou Peters.

Absolutely Mary Lou – I am really enjoying eating mine – one leg and one tail…..gone!!!

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By: Janet Simmonds

Janet Simmonds — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:50:46 +0000

In reply to Lynda Plenty.

Yes Lynda that would be lovely – mine’s a gin and tonic xxxxxx

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By: Mary Lou Peters

Mary Lou Peters — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:48:54 +0000

Lynda has some wonderful and generous thoughts. Mine are more earthy and selfish: Ah, San Martino! Anyone who has these wonderful cookies/biscuits as a remembrance of his feast day is on the top of my list of saints!

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By: Lynda Plenty

Lynda Plenty — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 12:25:29 +0000

A beautiful tale of compassion and generosity. We should all learn from it and perhaps try, in some small way, to do something, unbidden, for someone each day.

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