When I first saw a “giuggiola”, I thought it was kind of a nut until I did a research on Google and found out that the “giuggiola” or “Jujube” is nothing else than a chinese date (also called red date): And what has a chinese date to do with Italy you’re asking? Well, the red dates (imported by the Romans) are nowadays part of the Italian culture and so, every autumn, the “Jujube Festival” takes place in Arquà Petrarca (in the province of Padua)…and this year I saw it too!

Arquà Petrarca: Casa di Petrarca
Arquà Petrarca: Casa di Petrarca

After a 40 minutes-or-so drive (from Venice) we arrived in Arquà Petrarca and started our search for a parking lot: Not that easy considering the masses of tourists and visitors, but in the end we found one for €3/day, just a 5 minutes walk away from the main square, on a field that was transformed into a parking lot that day (just opposite the official one).

The performances already started when we arrived at about 3.30 pm and so we were lucky enough to immediately admire the flag throwers from Montagnana on the main square (near the church and the tomb of Petrarca): it’s just incredible how skilled those “sbandieratori” are, juggling with 5 (!) flags at once!

Afterwards, we decided to start our culinary journey through Arquà Petrarca at the Enoteca di Arquà, where I tried – as I love sweet wines – the Malvasia Moscato Fior d’Arancio (€3,50) and a dessert that … well … was interesting to taste: sweet potatoes with pomegranate sauce. After this “spuntino” with view over Arquà Petrarca, we continued our “tasting tour” with the degustation of the brodo/crema di giuggiole: The brodo remembered me of the Montenegro; the creme was a bit sweeter (means, totally my thing). One “sample” costs €1: brodo di giuggiole, crema di giuggiole or even the Malvasia Fior d’Arancio (and yes I admit it, I got another Malvasia on my way).

Giuggiole
Giuggiole

Apart from the fruit of the day, you can also have a look at different stands that sell hand made products (made of wood, clay, metal, cloth) in the shadow of the Jujube trees and the last residence of the famous poet Petrarca (admission fee: €2 children, €4 adults).

  •   Beatrice was just wonderful! She made this tour fun for both adults and kids - and we learned so much! Definitely to be recommended!!

    thumb Tonja
    February 19, 2024
  •   Wer in Venedig einen Blick abseits des Tourismus bzw. den großen Plätzen werfen will, denen kann ich die Tour mit Beatrice wirklich ans Herz legen. Gerade vielleicht am Anfang... read more

    thumb Chalin
    February 10, 2024
  •   Wir hatten sehr kurzfristig und spontan eine Tour mit Beatrice buchen können und waren sehr happy über diesen “Glücksgriff”! Sie hat uns wirklich tolle Ecken gezeigt, sehr viel Interessantes erzählt... read more

    thumb Monique
    August 28, 2023
  •   Vielen Dank für den wunderbaren Nachmittag-wunderbare versteckte Ecken in San Marco gesehen und reichlich Tipps für die nächsten Male bekommen wie Museen,Bars usw.

    thumb Jens
    November 8, 2022
  •   We had a total blast at Beatrices tour. She showed us a lot of hidden corners in Venice and we moved off the beaten track. She was super knowledgable, provided... read more

    thumb Tabea
    October 30, 2022
  •   Beatrice hat uns Venedig auf wundervolle Weise ein Stück näher gebracht. Auch mein Sohn war sehr interessiert dabei. Absolut empfehlenswert!!

    thumb Helena
    October 24, 2022
  •   sehr empfehlenswert !!!

    thumb Joachim
    October 24, 2022
  •   Toll!

    thumb Rebecca
    June 13, 2022
  •   Ich kann Beatrice herzlich empfehlen. Sie liebt Venedig, hat viel Wissen darüber und kann es bestens vermitteln, darüber hinaus in Ecken ohne Touristen.

    thumb Ivana
    June 8, 2022
  •   Es war eine sehr schöne Tour und Beatrix konnte wirklich auf jede Frage eine Antwort geben.

    thumb Annette
    May 28, 2022
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