Christmas at Castelvetro

Jesus in the manger

Today being another nice day, Hub suggested once again that we go out for a walk. We decided on Castelvetro as it's a lovely medieval village not far from our place. I grumbled all the way there as I wanted to stay at home.

I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival to discover the whole village transformed into a life-size creche. There were stalls in front of the town hall and people manning them were all dressed up in costumes from another age! There were gnocci fritti and hot red wine, for example, and they were being cooked by costumed men in old pots on a fire. There were also demonstrations of wooden barrel making, silversmithing, a tiny zoo with a donkey, piglets, sheep, feathered fowl. We bought a few pancakes that we were told were a Modenese speciality called Borlenghi. They are a kind of thin crispy pancake, flavoured with garlic, meat, rosemary and seasoned with parmesan cheese, produced by cooking a semi-liquid mixture of water and flour on a steel plate.

Borlengo

We also visited a museum run by the Dama Vivente Society where they had reproductions of costumes from the Renaissance period. In the same building there was also the village's balsamic vinegar facility and they allow visits on most Sundays. The church also had a cake sale with raffle prizes and at 5pm there was to be a concert. But we didn't stay for it as the Hub as usual, wanted to go for a walk but after a short while would be tired and wanted to leave.

3 Kings on their way

Renaissance costumes on little dolls

Castelvetro's Communal Acetaia