Carbonera: Tesa dei Tiepolo – Agricultural Folklore – Panevin.

photo and copyright by manfredi bellati

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Carbonera: Tesa dei Tiepolo – Agricultural Folklore – Panevin. In the fields of the park of the sixteenth century Villa Tiepolo Passi near Treviso, just north of Venice, the Panevin bonfire party took place.  In Northeastern Italy, the celebration Panevin or bread and wine, is held on the evening of January fifth, the eve of the Epiphany. Traditionally a straw witch dressed with old clothes, is placed on a bonfire and burned to ash. The witch symbolizes the past and the direction of the smoke indicates whether the New Year is going to be a good one or a bad one agriculturally.

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Host Alberto Passi lights the bonfire.

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin. From the direction of which the smoke and the sparks take, it will determine the favorable or the unfavorable auspices for the New Year.  The Nursery Rhyme in Veneto dialect tells the story:

Se ‘l fumo va a marina

bondansa de farina!

Se ‘l fumo va al mare

Ghe xe tanto da penare!

Se ‘l fumo va a montagna

‘a saran a gran cucagna!

El fumo verso sera

Tanta poenta s’a caliera!

El fumo a matina

Tote el saco e va a farina!

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If the smoke goes towards the harbor,

an abundance of flour!

If the smoke goes to the sea,

much to suffer!

If the smoke goes to the mountains, it will be a great year!

The smoke goes towards evening,

a lot of polenta in the pot!

The smoke goes towards morning,

gather the sack and go search for flour!

 

Hostess Barbara Passi.

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Bright young aristos. Engineer in the works Cristina Franchin and events organizer Lucia Passi.

 

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Bright young aristos. Multimedia developer specialized in museum installations Luigi Tommaseo Ponzetta and The Guardian’s Rebecca Turner.

 

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A waiter brings, from the Tesa dei Tiepolo, hot vin brule to warm the guests in the field around the bonfire.

 

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Bright Young Things*. Former graphic designer Valentina Pietrobon now owns and runs, during the season, a bar, restaurant and disco on the Baia Cea beach in Sardinia called, Mi casa Es TuCasa.

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Contessanally note: Bright Young Things*is the title “borrowed” from Brooke De Ocampo’s book about young entrepreneurs in New York and London, published by Assouline.

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Bright Young Things. Chef Andrea Conte and Ruth Morehouse who heads up the Menwear design team at Benetton.

 

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin. The bonfire of Panevin has a purifying meaning; it clears all the evil and the old things of the past year, paving the way for the new and a rebirth.

 

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Children watch the flames of the bonfire.

 

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photo and copyright by manfredi bellati

Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin.  The Tesa dei Tiepolo is the former hayloft and cowshed building of the Villa Tiepolo Passi.  It has been restructured to serve as a venue for elegant parties, receptions and weddings and is available for rental.  It was here that the Panevin party was held with rustic traditional food, as the occasion requires.

 photo and copyright by manfredi bellati

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin.  In the cowshed of the Tesa dei Tiepolo the befana is hung. In Italian folklore the befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on the Eve of the Epiphany. She fills their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.

 

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin – Pinza #1.  “This cake is from Veneto region: It's traditionally made the Twelfth Night 's eve and it's eaten coming home from the bonfires. The cake is dense and moist, made with paysan "poor" ingredients.” Nigella Lawson.

  

Nigella’s Recipe: Pinza Veneta (Meal FlourCake from Veneto)

Ingredients: 

300 g meal flour (farina gialla) - 200 g flour -
200 g butter, softened
- 200 g sugar - 50 g sultanas, soaked in some aniseed liqueur - 10 dry figs, cut in small pieces -
1 apple cut in small pieces - 
1 tbsp aniseeds - 1 tsp baking powder.

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Method:

1. Put the meal and white flours in a pan with sugar. Add hot water and cook to obtain quite a stiff polenta.

2. Keep on mixing and after 20 minutes add the butter, sultanas, liqueur, aniseeds, dry figs and apples.

3. Cook for a further 20 minutes, always stirring the mixture

4. Pour in a rectangular cake tin lined with wet greaseproof paper and cook in the preheated oven at 170 until brown on the top.

 Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin – Pinza #2.  Another Pinza made with another type of flour.  The cake was served with Mascarpone and/or Mostarda Veneta, made by the Contessa Passi herself. Mostarda Veneta is a sweet-spicy fragrant mixture that contains whole pieces of candied fruit and is ideal served with festive cakes, Panettones or boiled meats.

  Bright young aristos. J.P. Morgan’s London based Giovanni Ciani Bassetti, journalist Gaia Passi and Montcler’s worldwide entertainment and events manager Gian Luca Passi. Giovanni and Gian Luca also produce the Fiol wine label, made with grapes from their family vineyards.   “We are a group of friends, wine enthusiasts, in love with Italy and Italian wines, with a passion for Prosecco. We live and travel around the world and we all came to the conclusion that nothing out there truly embodied what Prosecco is for us.” They state.   The name Fiol comes from the 1400s Venetian slang used by the young to address the "cool guy".

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin.   Contessa Barbara’s Cotognata is made with quince from the Villa Tiepolo Passi agricultural estate, where they are grown using completely natural methods. Cotognata, preserves, candied fruits, piquant, sweets and Mostarda Veneta are prepared using an ancient Venetian process which dates back to the 1300s and is a specialty of the Villa Tiepolo Passi.

 

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Bright young aristos.  Florentine based antiquaire Aloisia Marzotto Caotorta, Marco Passi who takes care of the family Palazzo Tiepolo in Venice, a charming B & B on the Gran Canal, architect Raquel Pedrali designs Italian furniture in China for the Chinese market and Luca Innocenti who runs the Colombini furniture domestic market and finance department in Bejing, China.

 

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Cute Coco enjoys the party too.

 

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin.   A mix of radicchio salad leaves from Treviso and a cream of lentils for good luck at the beginning of the year was served.  This hearty rustic dish is traditionally served with fagioli or beans (rather than lentils) and should be topped with a splash of vinegar.

 

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Tesa dei Tiepolo: Panevin.   Last but not least, the befana who is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick and wearing a black shawl. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year.

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Levada: Ca Marcello – The Calieron Confraternity’s Christmas Party

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photograph by manfredi bellati

Levada: Ca Marcello – The Calieron Confraternity’s Christmas Party. The Calieron’s Christmas party took place at the confraternities “headquarters” at Villa Marcello in the heart of the Veneto region.  Ca Marcello is a beautiful example of a Palladian style villa, and since the sixteenth century is still lived in by descendants of the noble Marcello family. Surrounded by a harmonious eighteenth century park, the gardens and the villa are open to the public upon request and are also available for vacation rentals.

  The Confraternity Calieron’s Christmas Party. Members of the Calieron Confraternity congregate in the kitchen for a group photo. Over the chimney the Marcello family crest. The culinary noble gentlemen’s private club meets periodically, and twice a year hosts a dinner party for family and friends where each member is allowed to invite a chosen number of guests. Their “uniform”, dark or pinstriped suits underneath which an apron with the confraternity’s embroidered crest and a golden lapel pin, bear the exclusive’s club insignia. Red Chef’s hats contribute to the festive spirit.

 photograph by manfredi bellati

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 In the kitchen the gentlemen carve the bollito misto or mixed boiled meats ready for the waiters to serve.

 

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Alvise Alvera accepts a special gourmet chestnut mostarda from a guest.

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 Giorgio Montesi tastes the pheasant broth.

 

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Family soup tureens await the hand-made in Parma anolini and the pheasant’s broth.

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 A lot of muscle is needed to whisk the perfect mashed potato.

The decorations on the Christmas tree also bear the insignia of the Calieron Fraternity.   The word caileron in Veneto dialect is a big copper pot in which you cook polenta and Calieron is also the trophy, which is “up for grabs” each year among the confraternity members in the challenge between the stoves.

 

Meanwhile…in the dinning room waiters in crisp white livery uniforms put the finishing touches to the tables. Gloves will be worn later for serving the meal.

 photograph by manfredi bellati

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Seasonal and elegant table centerpieces were created with Magnolia leaves, radicchio from Treviso and cauliflower florets.

Dodo Franchin and Riniera Montesi with their beautiful creation.

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photograph by manfredi bellati

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 The dinning room was set up on the ground floor.

 

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 Calieron president, Gianfranco Sgaravatti gave many speeches though out the evening.

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photo by giorgio montesi

Calieron president Gianfranco Sgaravatti and host Vettor Marcello head the confraternity members bringing the chafing dishes with the bollito misto to the dinning room.

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Waiters follow with vegetable…

photograph by manfredi bellati 

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The food arrives at the table…. and, wait for it…

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With a spectacular gesture…all together… the gentlemen lift the lids off the chafing dishes …. to a great hand of applause by the guests….

 photo by giorgio montesi

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The dinner party was also held in honor of host Vettor Marcello’s seventieth birthday with a cake specially cooked by Giorgio Montesi.

 photograph by manfredi bellati

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 “bunny girls” in lace dresses and the birthday “boy” pose with the cake for photos…

photograph by manfredi bellati 

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A special treat, Count Vettor Marcello conducts a private visit to the piano nobile after dinner. The main floor is enriched by a whole cycle of frescoes by Giambattista Crosato, the most important fresco-painter of the XVIII century together with Tiepolo. 

 

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photograph by manfredi bellati

A detail of the ceiling of the piano nobile and one of its Murano chandeliers.

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photo by giorgio montesi

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

 

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Venice – Lido: The Healing Garden at the San Camillo Hospital.

 

Venice – Lido: The Healing Garden at the San Camillo Hospital. The Healing Garden project, Un Giardino Per Rivivere at the San Camillo Hospital on the Lido, should be ready next Spring for patients to enjoy. It is a healing garden for the senses, a natural place, where sound, touch, color and smell  contribute a therapeutic relief to suffering.

Donate: You too can contribute to the Healing Garden project, log onto the website of Un Giardino Per Rivivere and go to: Come Aiutarci.

The Healing Garden at the San Camillo Hospital. The Healing Garden project was conceived by Garden designer, Benedetta Piccolomini, landscape architect, Paolo Sgaravatti and neurologist, Francesca Meneghello.

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