August 28, 2007

ESD XIV August 28




Maybe it was the full moon. Maybe it was driving into the car park at Villa Deciani only to find a horse and a herd of pure white goats roaming free. Whatever the reason, there was magic in the air Tuesday night, at the fourteenth edition of the ESD.

The menu was simple, homecooking at its most honest. The quiche Lorraine quickly disappeared as we sipped spumante under the pergola, watching the light fade from the sky. Moving indoors the buffet style of the dinner helped the relaxed feel of the evening, as people merrily mingled and changed seats between courses. And Dario Coos' wines paired perfectly with the gorgonzola risotto and stracotto, especially the robust Refosco.

But the fine wine and food can't take all the credit for the success of the evening. That must surely be due to the happy mix of people, some regular attendees, and a few fresh faces, all keen to swap stories, catch up with old friends, or make new friends. Or listen to the sweet voices of Irene and Eleanor, who gifted us with a few tunes before dessert. "Wine, women, and song"--all the elements necessary for a merry evening!

Hope to see you again next week!

Penny Heysen
for the ESD Committee

August 22, 2007

ESD XIII August 21 End of summer




We had a quiet and intimate ESD for the last spurt of summer to welcome several new ESD friends. The guests this time were mostly local with the exception of the visiting Gemma and Erika, the Styrian friend of Ermes, but, as usual, all very actively speaking in English. The cosy atmosphere soon became bubbly helped on by the aperitivo of Spumante Spalletti, kindly offered by Giambi.

The meal was excellent: a delicious pasta with courgettes and saffron, magisterially done by the great cook Elda, followed by a very yummy stew with juniper berries, eggplant and potatoes. The food was accompanied by tasty wines supplied by the friendly Dario Coos, one of the distinguished winemakers of Nimis. The dessert was a very appreciated pie done by Frau Maria with apples from the farm and served with the Il Longhino di Ramandolo, a famous sweet wine, flagship of the estate.

Next appointment on Tuesday 28 August, when we expect many will be back from holidays and we hope to organize pleasant ESDs with more and more interesting people.

Do not forget to book, by sending an e-mail to:
villa@deciani.it

Look forward to hearing from you,
Luigi Deciani
ESD Committee

August 7, 2007

ESD XI

It could have almost been a German Speaking Dinner, yesterday in Montegnacco, due to the large participation of Austrian Guests! 10 people, some accompanied by the good old ESD’s friend Karl drove from Carinthia but some came from Vienna as well. Also a few Slovenian friends, Adis & Katia, decided to cross the Soca Valley to be with us, whereas Ricky, the Canadian MD of Chinese origin, came to visit us for a couple of days. The British Community yesterday was not as large as usual but extremely qualified: besides Alan, the charming math professor of Exiter University, we had – as said before – other unique guests ...
And if the food was probably not as exciting us usual – due to a not optimal choice of the menu and probably the absence of the wine producer – our souls were extremely relieved by a very interesting and fascinating recital of a very unusual duo, who performed for us after the dinner. In a spectacular candlelit ball room, we had an unforgettable recital. With a Shakespearian English, the Londoner Gemma, enchanted us with the narration of the “Ghost of the Villa”, the spirit of the XVIIth century composer Arcangelo Corelli, whereas the Viennese violinist Katherina with delicate notes, played the music, both offering us a terrific show. Through the vibrant notes of the instrument, beautifully and mysteriously played above on the balcony you could easily feel the spirit of the artist and run with your fantasy to the old time when the house was built and things like that happened.
Was it a novel of Oscar Wilde? Was instead something true? … One might wonder…

What’s next? We’ll see on Tuesday 14.8, maybe a true midsummer’s night dream…