Unlike its more popular cousins, the northern Italian town of Mogliano Veneto does not attract many tourists. One quick stroll through its quiet streets confirms its status as a serene location for residents of the Veneto who prefer a more quiet way of life.
With our unfamiliar faces and a camera bag draping over one shoulder, we were undeniably outsiders. Our ten day stay in Mogliano afforded us the opportunity to became acquainted with its rhythm, be it the Monday morning mercato the morning rush to the train station or just observing the locals going about their daily lives and running errands on their bicycles around town.
Unexpected surprises often turn into a memorable highlight of a trip. On a cool October morning, as we shuffled our feet to the stazione to catch a train to Padova, we stopped by the bright yellow and red tents in the town’s centre. A food festival was in full swing. Stalls displayed local and regional produce, anything from various cuts of cured meats from a salumeria, artisanal pastas, specialty bread, blocks of cheese and tempting sweets.
There was only one thing left to do for the stranieri with the camera.
Buon appetito!
Mogliano Veneto – centre of town
A range of olives from Puglia
Saturday morning in centre of town
Formaggi to tempt the eye and the palate
Cantucci artigianali from Tuscany
Torrone Sardo, that delicious nutty nougat
Dolci, sweets, lollies, candies, sugary goodness in any language
Sicilian specialities, Frutta di Martorana made with almond meal
More dolci siciliani to challenge the waistline
And some quintessentially Italian food, cross-eyed Halloween pumpkins.
Oh my. Those frutta di martorana are just amazing. How lucky that you made it to the town on a festival day! I love those unexpected moments when you get to truly interact with the citizens of a town.
Akila: I didn’t get to taste any but I told one of the stall owners they were too beautiful to eat. She thought it was funny!
You’ve sold me on those sweets! I love that you managed to just happen upon this festival – and what a fun that it was you and the locals. I’m taking it you guys were sampling like crazy? 🙂
Shannon: I wish! We had planned to buy some goodies on our way back from Padova but we got back late. I’m just glad we managed to stumble upon it and get a feel for local life and admire the produce. What would I do now for those frutti…
[…] day island hopping between Murano, Burano and Torcello. We ate and drank, and stumbled across food festivals and mercato in Mogliano Veneto. We lost ourselves in the fresh produce at the Rialto food and fish […]
[…] Highlights of Mogliano Veneto: Municipio building, Chiesa di Santa Maria di Assunta, Monday morning Mercato , occasional food festivals. […]
[…] Mogliano Veneto (pronounced mol-ya-no veh-neh-toh) is a small, tranquil town in the province of Treviso in Northern Italy. Its leafy outlook, clean wide streets and specialist boutiques give it a modern and elegant feel. The centre of town is near the train station and is easily explored on foot. Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta is the parish church that dominates the centre leading up to an area pedonale, free of traffic on weekends. The centre of town occasionally plays host to regional food festivals. […]