On Sunday, we had planned to attend church in Florence
and then drive to Modena on our way to Padova. Modena is the world's leading producer of Balsamic vinegar
-- and Alice LOVES Balsamic vinegar -- so before our trip, I had made a couple
of e-mail inquiries about it. A
couple of days before our trip, I got an e-mail from a lady saying she would be
happy to show us how they make it in their home and we decided to take her up on it. So, early Sunday morning, we drove about an hour and a half to church in Modena, but we were having trouble finding it. Thinking it would be held in a rented office building (like most
wards we've attended in Europe), we had parked the car and were looking
for it on the wrong side of the road. I happened to look across the
street, further down the road, and voilà:
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| The Modena Italy Ward |
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| These barrels are kept in the attic of Giorgio and Giovanna Barbieri. Balsamic vinegar is made purely from grapes -- with no additives whatsoever -- and aged for 12 to 25 years in barrels made of cherry, or juniper, or oak, etc. to give it a specific flavor. |
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| The Prato della Valle (a small portion is shown above) in Padova is the biggest plaza in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. After driving from Modena to Padova, we checked into our motel, took our Sunday nap, then walked around the Prato della Valle after dark.
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