The Old Dog Visits: A Typical Grotto In Ticino ..... Fabulous!
Would you like to explore Grotto Grassi and its surrounding area with me? My son and I went there a few weekends ago and it was a fascinating excursion! Let's go!
What is a Grotto?
The word grotto most often refers to a naturally or artificially occurring cave. In Ticino, the southern canton of Switzerland, it refers to a typical old eatery.
A view of the town of Riva San Vitale and the lake of Lugano taken from the edge of the grotto
You can Check out another typical grotto in the first of this series here:
The Old Dog Explores: An Ancient Tree at a Typical Grotto
The Grottos of Ticino
Grotto refers to rustic establishments, which are most often in remote, shaded areas. They have big open spaces for eating outside on tables and benches below the trees. They usually serve locally produced and home-made products.
Would You Like To Visit Grotto Grassi In Tremona?
Not only does Grotto Grassi have a spectacular view but the original quaintness of the grotto has been maintained. The grotto lies in the forest on the hills of the UNESCO world heritage site of Monte San Giorgio which is home to the best fossil record of marine life from the Triassic Period!
To get to the grotto you can park in Tremona and it is then a 10 minute walk, first through vineyards and then through thick forest. Once there you can enjoy a spectacular panorama of the lake of Lugano which you see above!
Tremona is that fascinating town where I was so intrigued by the artwork of Tazio Marti:
The Old Dog Asks: Did One Artist Really Beautify an Entire Town?
Check Out What We Saw On The Way There!
The work of the artist Tazio Marti adorned a few homes on our way to Tremona. Here are some pictures:
This mural of his is enormous. You can see the detail in the photo below!
In the bottom left is the typical burned out match that he has in many of his paintings
As we got closer to the town we spotted this one! It's amazing how much 3D effect he gets in his work!
We saw this one as we passed by the cemetery just outside Tremona.
We encountered this huge parabolic dish within the area of the town. Apparently it was an old military radio transmitter.
Near The Grotto Was The Very Interesting Tremona-Castello Archaeological Park
Excavation at this site has been carried on since the year 2000 after some very old coins were found at that location. Before that the towns people had no idea what lay under the hill above their village!
At the site apprentice bricklayers work with archaeologists in restoring some of the discovered walls.
We sat on these ancient walls to have a picnic lunch before heading to the grotto for a coffee!
Here are a few photos from Ticino.ch that show what they've rebuilt and what it must have looked like in Medieval times:
An areal view of the archeological site!
What they suppose that it looked like in its heyday!
Finally It was Time To Stop At The Grotto!
After all of that exploring it was time to visit the grotto and have a panache (Beer and Ginger Ale) and a nice Italian coffee!
The Old Dog heads over to order some drinks. You can see a bocce court on the left.
The other end of the bocce court ends with the view of the lake!
This is the inside of the grotto. Grotto's are very simple places that serve simple but typical dishes!
When it comes to a Grotto it's more about the setting than the building. This one is rather remote, in the forest and has a view of the lake. Fabulous!
What Do You Think?
- Are there some typical restaurants whee you live?
- Is the setting to you as important as the building itself?
I hope that you enjoyed this trip to Grotto Grassi!
Until next time,
@kus-knee (The Old Dog)
Remember, I reward the best comment(s) on each of my posts with my "The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone" program! So please re-steem and follow so that we can spread the wealth!
Yeah... evviva la polenta, salamini, zincarlin... but I'm just a mannequin, I can't eat all that stuff :-(
I feel for you man... I mean mannequin!
This is funny, I first thought it was a cave you were going to write about as it is one of the subject of my next post and I was writing it last night! Timing is everything, isn't it?
In terms o location, they sure have found a very beautiful area and it seems to be packed with very interesting surroundings. Thanks for sharing, namaste :)
I look forward to your cage post! Im sure that the photos will be of the highest quality so typical of @eric-boucher!
the cave is pretty much the first pit-stop, then we go on around three alpine ridges before heading back down to camp. The pictures are some of the most epic I will have had posted. Stay tuned! ;) Namaste :)
I'll patiently wait with anticipation of photos from our B.C. correspondent!
I would love to eat in a grotto like that, the view is just amazing. I also love the archaeological site.
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Thank you very much @kus-knee, I love bones, nice meaty ones!!
It was a nice little excursion. You would love it!
It's funny, I am very drawn to old architecture, but modern buildings or parks hold no appeal. Also I thought the giant dish was about to shoot a lazer in honor of "May the 4th Be With You."
I like the old stuff as well. It's fun to explore! That dish was really weird!
Stunning nature, and really beautiful place! Switzerland seems to have so many nice small towns like this one. Worth visiting in future definitely !
Thanks so much for stopping by. Yes Switzerland has lots of places to visit!
The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone For Your Nice Comment!
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Remember: I reward the best comments on all of my posts so continue to follow me and tell your friends!
Thank a lot! :)
Looks an interesting place. Great murals.
Yes it was very interesting to visit!
Here I was thinking you'd show us some cave pictures! Those murals are quite impressive though, what a talented artist!
I don't eat our that much and when I do, it's mostly sushi, so I'm not sure about any interesting restaurants. There is a western one close by where they have tasty spareribs. You can throw your peanut shells on the floor there and they encourage you to ask for a doggybag when you can't finish your meal. Doggybags aren't that common here yet, so I thought that was pretty neat!
I do very much like a restaurant with a nice interiour. The surroundings don't always matter. Depends on why I'm there! If it's after a walk, the surroundings matter a lot ;-)
Oh! We had sushi in an old church a little while ago! That was quite awesome :D
The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone For Your Nice Comment!
Please check your wallet!
Remember: I reward the best comments on all of my posts so continue to follow me and tell your friends!
Yes, this is the only place where grotto means a pub! They are only open in the good weather so you eat almost exclusively outside. Some are fixed up inside but most of them are not! Thanks for coming by
Eating outside has a certain charm, but I don't like all the bugs! When I was younger, I used to hate barbecues because of that. Much to my mum's dismay...
Yes bugs can really put a damper on things!
Dreamland, a paradise!! Created one of a kind on planet Earth and presented by one of a kind on Steemit!!
You are too kind @mathworksheets!
Ha ha ha! Thanks for the remarks @kus-knee. Your work is awesome. The way you present your work is unique.
Thanks so much @mathworksheets! I just read a post from @vcelier and I saw the he lives in Burnaby B.C. It's almost like your area is on the cutting edge of crypto! It must be the mountain air!
Mountains give energy to think different!! Burnaby is about 20 min. drive from my place and actually in the mountains compared to Richmond where I live.
brilliant post, awesome photos - could be almost one for #SunThursday which i still need to post my own
The Old Dog is Throwing You a Bone For Your Nice Comment!
Please check your wallet!
Remember: I reward the best comments on all of my posts so continue to follow me and tell your friends!
Thanks buddy, you are one of the nicest guys here!
Thank @uwelang Sun Thursday is also a lot of fun! Maybe I should donate a little and you can pick a winner!
Thanks a lot, sounds interesting, as it is an ongoing challenge every week it could be a weekly contest but not sure how to handle - any idea?
Let me have a think!
Thanks buddy - think a weekly is an option to bring that to the next level. Let me also have a think while I prepare my weekly sunThursday post finally before it is getting dark
This is a very exciting trip! I love the mountains and the old things!
Thanks so much. Yes it was interesting and fun!