Italy 2025 - Day 11: A Day in Valdobbiadene - Ginny and Karissa

Ginny:

Part of the Poly group attends a chemistry class at I.S.I.S.S. Verdi school in Valdobbiadene.

On Wednesday, April 2, we began our days at ISISS Giuseppe Verdi, the school our Italian students attend.

A view of the interior of ISISS Verdi.

There, we split up into two groups, depending on who took Latin. The non-Latin learners went to the school’s lab, where we observed multiple chemistry experiments like reacting sodium with water, detecting pH levels, lighting different metals to create different flame colors, and changing some mercury’s states of matter. The Latin students listened to the teacher explain the story of Aeneid and then translated a passage from book four of the Aeneid. After either our chemistry or Latin lessons, everyone reunited to go on a hike through Valdobbiadene with our Italian students.

The hike began at Giuseppe Verdi, and we walked through residential neighborhoods and the town square before trekking through the more rugged trails.

The group and our Italian friends hike through Valdobbiadene.

Over many hills, we got the amazing view of the town from above and took some photos.

A view of Valdobbiadene’s vineyards from a scenic overlook.

At the top of our climb, we stopped by the Osteria Senz’Oste, part of a UNESCO heritage site, where people purchased food and drinks from a small room without any servers or cashiers. We took a quick break here where many students climbed to the very top of the hill and sat at picnic tables.

The group enjoys some snacks.

After some time there, we finally ambled back down another path, dodging horse manure and giant rocks before finally reaching a small park near the center of town.

The group and our Italian friends check out a pool in the park where people used to do laundry by hand in pre-washing machine times.

Karissa:

After arriving at the park, we broke up into groups for free time. My friends and I stopped by two cafes, or as the Italians call them, bars, where we bought food and drinks for lunch/snack. After free time, we went to Mionetto, a winery only a short walk away.

A view of the Mionetto winery, where the group learned about the wine-making process but did not consume any wine.

There, we learned a lot about Prosecco. For example, we found out that Prosecco is made of Glera grapes from the Veneto region of Italy (where Valdobbiadene is located), which give it its distinct flavor. We also learned that the bubbles in Prosecco are created through the Charmat method, where the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks, trapping carbon dioxide and creating the effervescence. Then, we went on a tour of the winery where we had the opportunity to see the inner workings of the production process. We observed the temperature-controlled fermentation tanks, which are crucial in ensuring that the fermentation process is done at the optimal temperature for maintaining the freshness and aromatic qualities of the wine. The tanks were huge because they were designed to handle large volumes of wine.

The group and our Italian friends marvel at the Mionetto winery’s fermentation tanks. The winery produces 42 million bottles of Prosecco per year.

Additionally, we visited the section where the wine goes through its final stages of processing. We saw a lot of machines and technology that assembled the packages of wine and it was very fascinating to watch the bottles move on the conveyor belts through each machine and finally end up in a box to get sealed.

The central piazza of Valdobbiadene.

A view of Valdobbiadene from above.