A journey back in time.

From 1960 to 1980 I was a yeast sales representative.
Because bakers work from 4 am untill noon, I used to wake up at 3 am in order to meet them. In the afternoon I had a lot of free time, so I asked to my wife Marisa: "What if we would open a tavern?" "Let's try!" Marisa answered.
I started scouting the Montello, untill when I found this poplar wood on the hill between Nervesa and Santa Croce. It was 1969. I used to pay 100 mila lire of rent yearly.
I built a metal sheet shack and everything started from there

The fisrt day we opened, 15 June 1969
A white wine demijohn, a red wine demijohn and 5/6 kg of sausages that I hung on a tree. Under, the grill and some soppressa. 4 tables in the middle of the poplar wood and I said: "Let's start and see if some clients stop by." The first were two guys who stopped by and said: "But, what's this?" "An osteria!" I answered. "How? Yesterday, we passed by here and there was nothing...". "We opened today, you guys are the first clients!" And from there, they started one, then four, ten, twenty people stopping by. In two-three hours we run ou of everything. What enthusiasm in the night!

I needed hooks to attach the chains and so I went to an old blacksmith in the town. When I was in the shop I asked: "I need to weld these 4 metal hooks". And do you know what he answered? He said: "I don't have time for these little things. If you can weld, here is the tool, help yourself." So I did it. I remember I started in July, I was wearing shorts, clogs and I was shirtless. After in the night, I was red as a lobster and I couldn't sleep because my eyes were burning. Anyway, at the end I built the first game, a swing.

Twenty years ago, there was a moment when I put this place on sale. However, in my heart, I was hoping that nobody would show up. I love this place too much. This environment, this air, the silence: you only hear the rustle of the leaves and the birds singing.
When I spend the days here and then I arrive home at night, I feel that I have lived.

My life has been intense, and even though with the age the energy goes down, the entusiasm always remains the same. For the last few years, I have been working with my nephew Francesco. We design, build and maintain. His youth and interest give me energy. I try to pass on my knowledge and it works: he starts to develop his ideas and to think in the right way. In many occasions we discuss and exchange ideas. I am sure when the time comes, he will treasure all these conversations. A wish? I would love to be a kid again. Everytime I build a game I think: "If I were a kid, I would have so much fun!". Actually, I still feel a little bit like a kid. With all the ideas that I have in my mind, I could build games for at least 50 years!