October 2008 Chestnut Festival

Camper rally organised by CC Canaletto. On Friday 17 a gathering in the large car park of Villa Manin at Codroipo; the following morning, having saddled up our bicycles, we visit this splendid residence with its small museum, though the sumptuous rooms are without any furnishings. Still on our bikes, along little-trafficked roads, we visited an old mill still in use; besides the stone millstone that produces various types of flour, there's a working hammer that was once used for beating hemp, now used for beating stockfish. At Rivignano, on a dirt track, through the Stella park we reach the Villa Ottelio, a large building in a state of abandonment, in which you can still glimpse the magnificence and elegance of a distant past. Crossing the park beyond the Stella river, we saw the spectacle of the springs, water gushing from the ground that feeds the river.

On Saturday afternoon we reach the educational farm of Federico Forgiarini, a figure of marked personality and enviable experience, capable of conveying values little contemplated in our scale of priorities, but of fundamental importance for the social and organisational life of ourselves and our families. With his stories and explanations, he managed to enthuse about fifty people, part of Saturday afternoon and evening, including the whole of Sunday morning, with topics ranging from agricultural crops to the biotope that survives in that fantastic territory south of Codroipo. Not least, given its importance in terms of interest, the topic of beekeeping; the children discovered themselves curious about this insect that until then they had looked at with fear and during the "lessons" it was the centre of their keen attention.

The making of candles with beeswax, in the workshop, gave a touch of class and craftsmanship, and once again involved the children, leaving the parents as enchanted spectators before the many physical and mental energies expressed by our little ones. The experience held at the Le Fornaci del Zarnic educational farm, at Flambruzzo di Rivignano, conducted masterfully by our friend and expert agronomist Federico Forgiarini, proved extremely useful. It's to be recommended to those who'd like to experience a weekend different from the usual, dedicated to groups of course. As always happens at camper rallies, both on Saturday and Sunday, we all ate together, everything and more