The European Chronicles 2026.10 - How To Party With Rock Stars
A Rock Star In The Hills
Zoe is a local legend. His rock stars pepper the shops of Valdobbiadene, spreading smiles far and wide.
And they are workers...here's one at the local pastry shop dutifully holding the door for everyone.
Alberto, the owner of Roggia dei Cedri, and I road tripped in his restored Rover to see if I could find a friend for Bia, the rock star we managed to get home two years ago, after lots of back-and-forth with the Italian Post Office.
The Rover starts right up and rumbles out of the garage.
Heading out...see the construction fencing? Alberto is starting an ambitious expansion...there will be a restaurant, wine shop, apartments and a pool. Three years in the planning, excavation starts next week; he expects construction to take 2 years...perfect timing for our return trip! 😎
Almost immediately, we're in the vines.
Zoe's Welcome Wagon.
When we arrive, Zoe is hard at work, angle grinder in hand and standing in a cloud of stone dust under the hot sun. A generator is running to power the tool; it sits in shade under an umbrella. 😂
Zoe speaks no English, Alberto is helping to translate. I've got photos of Bia and our last visit cued up on my phone...a picture is worth a thousand words. I explain that I need a "piccolo" sculpture because I must carry it on the moto...we search around but everything is "Bia sized" or larger. Of course, Alberto offers to again assist with the Post Office, but that was such an ordeal last time that I'm hoping to spare him the pain.
Zoe says a few words to Alberto and walks off. Alberto gets in the Rover and moves it; Zoe gets in his little red Fiat Panda and drives off, Alberto says to his house up the road. He comes back a few minutes later with the perfect moto-friendly rock star!
This could not have worked out better...hand made and hand picked by the artist from his personal collection. Molto Bene! Krisanne's working on a name...
But Wait, There's More
Alberto is a bit of a rock star himself. Alberto is on the right; on the left is the Mayor of Valdobbiadene. Some random American in the middle. 😎
Alberto is a member of local family royalty, Bartolomiol, one of the founders of Prosecco development in the region. And Alberto knows, and is known by, everyone, as I soon find out.
Have you heard the expression: Memories are made by saying yes. I wrote it on my garage wall in magic marker so as not to forget. After our Zoe visit, Alberto says, "We go for Prosecco, yes?" Say yes, Mike, just say yes. Alberto explains there's a new winery that just opened, Colline Guizzette; we Rover Over through the hills.
A few hearty "Ciao!" and we're set up with a couple of glasses of Brut and some munchies. I learn more about the difficulty of building in Valdobbiadene, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Italian bureaucracy has, it seems, a deserved reputation.
But wait, there's more..."We go to another place, I show you." Yes.
We head back to the waiting Rover and set off for another restaurant.
This time, no pictures because it would have been rude. But here's the place, an agriturismo, and a couple of photos from their website.
Let me try to set the scene.
We roll up to a working, but not yet busy, restaurant. "Ciao! Ciao!" and I follow Alberto through the entrance and the kitchen, out to a back patio with a large table. Seated around the table are about 7 people, including a woman and her 6 month old baby, and a rotating group that alternates between the table and tasks in the kitchen. This is clearly a group of family and close friends.
I make my introduction as best I can, and am set up with more excellent Prosecco. Some of the group speak English; the woman with the baby is acting as interpreter. She has an interesting story: met her German husband at the Munich Octoberfest, he works for an IT company and they moved to Sydney, Australia about a year ago. But, she insists, she is raising her son Italian. 😂. And I am absolutely certain that's true. He was christened last week, that's why she's back to Italia.
I learn a little bit about the culture shock she faced moving to Sydney ("they have so many rules!"), her uncle's back pain (he's currently manning the outdoor grill), and her cousin's (sitting across from me) refusal to fly because on a trip they planned together (his first), the airline went bankrupt on their day of departure. He says, "It was a sign!"
The restaurant is getting busier, so we get up to go, and I thank everyone for their hospitality. I'm told Alberto always does this; apparently he's the connector.
So true...but wait, there's more...we can't get out the front door without another "group sit down" and more Prosecco. "Ciao!, Ciao!" to another group, all men, sitting inside. Two of these folks look familiar to me. These are Alberto's friends, and I met several of them when we were here last 2 years ago...then we sat down over another bottle of Prosecco and swapped moto stories, including Alberto's brother getting his electric moto to show to the group. They remembered, or at least were polite enough to say so. 😂
The same thing happened this time...more moto stories via phone photos, they spoke almost no English and my Italian is not nearly good enough for actual communication. Didn't stop us though, the last time, or now (the Ducati photos helped A LOT). Alberto says, andiamo! drink up, and we're off.
But wait, there's more..."You remember Riva de Milan from last time, we go again, is OK?" Yes, because of course.
Another table of 7-8 friends, with about that many unlabeled (so you know it's from the owner) open bottles of Prosecco on the table. More introductions, more conversation. One particularly interesting with a guy from Palermo, Sicily who, upon hearing that 2 of my grandparents were from Sicilia, reminds me that Sicilia is NOT Italia. "I know, I know, and was told that over and over growing up!" Too funny.
But wait, there's more.
Alberto: "OK, now we go to the Palio."
Back through the hills, the Rover slides into the garage and we walk to the Piazza for dinner and the Palio.
I learn about Alberto's Rover restoration, how he didn't ski much this winter because his girlfriend hurt her knee (only 7 or 8 times 😂) and how he is focusing on his new project, with his brother taking over all the running of Ciodet, the winery directly behind Roggia dei Cedri.
The waitress, of course knows Alberto, and remembers me because I've dined here before and she explained to me what the Palio is, and that "it is for young people."
The Mayor of Valdobbiadene established a new tradition of Thursday evening walks as a way to stay fit and engage the community. I had spoken to Alberto about that when I arrived, hoping to participate. When we set out for Zoe, Alberto told me that because of the heat, today's walk was actually at 5 am, so missed it! But as we walk out from dinner, Alberto says, "Come with me, I introduce you to the Mayor." Walk right over and this happens:
Could not have been a nicer encounter.
The Palio is an annual event where the local communities compete against each other in various events. Tonight's is the tug of war.
This was an awesome, surprising, vibe-filled, fun day!
But wait, there's more.
Oh, yeah, rode up Monte Grappa. Intense, narrow, steep and beautiful.
Relive 'Monte Grappa'
Ciao!
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