by Nicole Bravo
After a train ride of a few hours, we finally arrived at the long-awaited Vernazza train station. This kind stranger from whom we were renting a room met us at the station and led us down the road toward the flat. He introduced himself as Ivo Basso and mentioned that there are a lot of Bassos in the area. He recommended the pizza place across the street which his brother owned, and the restaurant next door where his cousin worked. The small town just got a little bit smaller.
As the week progressed we would run into Ivo here and there, sit and talk with him about life, and even grab drinks with him. He was one of the kindest, genuine men we met on our trip and was so warm and friendly. He mentioned having a vineyard, unaware that we had been dreaming about going to one, and invited us to go see it. We could barely contain our excitement. He drove us a few miles through the green hills up to his amazing vineyard. We would spend the next few hours learning about the difficulties of the wine business, especially at such a small scale, and what is more, the process of growing grapes and caring for them. He walked us through his vineyard showing us the difference between healthy grapes and diseased ones, and comparing new vines with hundred year old ones which had been cared for by his family for generations. Like a seasoned teacher he showed us how to prune them and then let us have a try.
After a train ride of a few hours, we finally arrived at the long-awaited Vernazza train station. This kind stranger from whom we were renting a room met us at the station and led us down the road toward the flat. He introduced himself as Ivo Basso and mentioned that there are a lot of Bassos in the area. He recommended the pizza place across the street which his brother owned, and the restaurant next door where his cousin worked. The small town just got a little bit smaller.
As the week progressed we would run into Ivo here and there, sit and talk with him about life, and even grab drinks with him. He was one of the kindest, genuine men we met on our trip and was so warm and friendly. He mentioned having a vineyard, unaware that we had been dreaming about going to one, and invited us to go see it. We could barely contain our excitement. He drove us a few miles through the green hills up to his amazing vineyard. We would spend the next few hours learning about the difficulties of the wine business, especially at such a small scale, and what is more, the process of growing grapes and caring for them. He walked us through his vineyard showing us the difference between healthy grapes and diseased ones, and comparing new vines with hundred year old ones which had been cared for by his family for generations. Like a seasoned teacher he showed us how to prune them and then let us have a try.
With a few hours left in his work day before the sun got too hot, Ivo gave us the option of going on a hike to see the nearby views or staying with him to work on the vineyard. Having seen the amount of work that needed doing and now being trained and ready to do it, we stayed with our dear friend and began working alongside him. After a couple hours of wrapping, tucking, pruning, and clearing, we were sweaty and covered in leaves and other pieces and parts of vines. Ivo said the sun was high enough to stop, and after lunch he shared with us some of his delicious homemade Sciacchetrà. Sciacchetrà is a sweet white wine made specifically in the Cinque Terre region by a very slow process. Although we had some at a couple of different restaurants, none compared to Ivo's.
Thank you Ivo for one of the most memorable days of our trip!
