September Postcard: Early Autumn Flavors
Read all September garden and food stories, and what to expect in October
Two months Nonna loves best: September and early October in Venice, which she considers summer with a bonus: It’s harvest time in the Lagoon (la vendemmia!) and the flowers and vegetables in the Venetian garden enjoy a “second spring”.
So true - plants look visibly refreshed after a very dry summer, and it will remain like this at least until mid-October when the first signs of autumn appear (which in Venice are the leaves of vitis sylvestris turning reddish).
Each month at La Terrazza, you’ll discover the stories of a secret garden located five minutes from Piazza San Marco, Venetian garden heritage, botanical cuisine and historical recipes. Click here for a virtual tour!
When Spices were Cultivated in Venice
A garden visit I’ll never forget: Despite growing up in Venice and writing a garden blog since 2012, I never expected gardens like these existed in the Lagoon!
So grateful to my friends Anna and Giuseppe, who made the visit possible for our Venetian Instagram group. For years, I had been reading about the former spice gardens of Venice, but it was an incredible experience to visit the last surviving in our city. Click on the link below to explore this incredibly lush garden with us.
My Venetian Fall Garden
This is the first post of our series Abitare in Giardino - Living in a Venetian garden: You’ll discover the San Zaccaria gardens, of course, but it’s also about gardening in the Lagoon, and practical gardening tips!
Orto e Frutteto: Nonna’s Secrets to Making Tomato Sauce
September in the vegetable garden, and a favorite recipe for early autumn. Making tomato sugo probably sounds commonplace, but to achieve that flavor you tasted in your favorite Venetian restaurant, you need to take into account a few tips. Here are ours, from Nonna’s culinary journal.
Decoding the Age of Venetian Gardens
Is it possible to determine the age of a Venetian garden just by looking at it? Short answer: Yes.
This is the first post in our series featuring Venetian Garden Culture. By taking into account size, location, colors, layout and structure of a Venetian garden, you can tell almost all about its history and age. Article dedicated to my father, a garden architect.
Welcome to La Terrazza
The San Zaccaria garden was featured in books and interviews: Below, you can read Paradise Garden, the article I contributed to a book about Venice.
La Terrazza on Social Media
La Terrazza - A Garden in Venice is on social media: We’re sharing background stories on how Nonna restored the garden, on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. We’d love to connect!
Preview - What to Read in October
What is soulfood, Venetian style? Just came across an inspiring article in the weekend edition of an Austrian daily: In my opinion, it’s the perfect definition of soulfood, which I’ll share alongside Nonna’s favorite autumn recipe.
In addition, there will be the first part of our Monthly Green Venice Q+A about gardens and gardening in Venice, how and when to visit Venetian gardens, etc.
And there will be a special treat for everyone interested what the San Zaccaria gardens looked like in the 4th century AD, plus a post about how, why, and when gardens in Venice were created. We also write about a question we’ve been asked so often by Nonna’s guests: Was Venice really built on palafitte (wooden poles)?