Address

Ditta Bortolo Nardini
S. P. A

Distilleria d'acquavite

Ponte Vecchio, 2
36061 Bassano del Grappa - Italie

Tél : +(39) 0 424 227741
Fax : +(39) 0 424 220477
E-mail : nardini@nardini.it
Internet : www.nardini.it

Benvenuti al capodanno 2050
(10-11 november 2010)
International Discussion on the Future of Demographic Changes (Click here)

There are certain places, those which resonate in the depths of the soul and which, without assuming any official role or fulfilling any particular function, claim their own rightful niche in history.

They develop such an intriguing relationship with time that events and place fuse together, becoming one and the same.

This is the case of the Nardini "Grapperia" established in 1789 at the Bassano bridge, and which, since that time, witnessed events that changed the destiny of Europe.

The "Grapperia" was created, not far from Venice, by Bortolo Nardini, who had been looking for a better place to produce and sell his grappa than his native Segonzano in the Trentino Valley. Bortolo immediately liked those rather tiny premises, which were situated at the eastern end of the famous covered wooden bridge, a necessary point of passage for conducting business in those days.

Some copper vats, a few tables and a counter decorated in the style of the day were all it took to start his soon-to-be-successful venture. The grappa produced by Nardini not only appealed to the taste of the Bassano population, but also to that of the business travellers frequently passing through the area at that time. During those years in Bassano, the ceramic industry was flourishing, the printing and engravings by the Remondini were already famous at the court of the Czar in Russia, the gold accessories and ornaments manufactured locally were sold nationwide. Best of all, the Brenta river was a commercial waterway. The barges carrying all sorts of merchandise were loaded and unloaded right there, under the windows of the "Grapperia".

In less than twenty years it became a tradition to have a "cucheto" (typical shot glass) of grappa before barging off to Venice or to celebrate the closing of a commercial deal. Great changes were yet to come involving the Nardini "Grapperia" more than any other place in Bassano. They began in 1797 with the French, who drained the big grappa vats, followed by the Austrians when Napoleon exchanged the Veneto region for Lombardy, and then again with the French who spent another nine years in Bassano until the defeat in Waterloo. The Austrians returned again for another half century until 1866 when the area was united to the young Kingdom of Italy. A seesaw of winners and losers, linked to the inevitable presence of civil servants, political administrators and bureaucrats, brought to Bassano a precarious and disorganized crowd which used the Nardini "Grapperia" as a meeting point, etching it permanently in history.

And what about the bridge? Its physical presence makes it an integral part of the "Grapperia"; an advantage in times of peace, and a definite disadvantage during the many times of war. Indeed, the fame of the bridge, as well as of the grappa, is linked to the war itself. Particularly during the First World War, the Bassano bridge was strategically located in the middle of the tragic triangle of the Asiago Highlands, the Grappa Mountain and the Piave River. The grappa was often sought by the soldiers in the front line. It warmed them up during the long cold nights in the trenches and contributed to their courage to continue on after the defeat in Caporetto.

After World War I was over, the grappa tradition remained and its intense and comforting aroma blended together with the idea of youth, heroic years and love to the point of becoming a myth : "On the Bassano bridge we will meet to exchange a kiss of love" was a line from a popular song of the era.

The Second World War arrived even more suddenly and violently than had the First. Alcoholic beverages were soon confiscated and all available manpower was called to war. The Nardinis stuggled amid a thousand difficulties, yet still managed to keep the "Grapperia" open, symbolizing a note of civility amidst the brutality of war.
In 1945, the retreating Germans blew up the bridge and the story comes to a temporary close. The following year saw the rebirth of the bridge as well as of the Nardini "Grapperia".

The rest is current history.

Hemingway, Eleonora Duse, Cesco Baseggio, Del Monaco, H.R.H. the Queen Mother of England herself, no one has failed to make his pilgrimage to this sanctuary of grappa at the eastern entrance of the famous covered wooden bridge. The magic continues long after the historical events have been left behind, and it is difficult to explain what feeds it. May be it is the unique atmosphere that is felt in those tiny premises; it belongs to time, without any of the cold and austere severity of many glorified historical sites. It reflects the cordial and open, free-spirit of the Bassanese people in its architectural structure and furnishing, the same since the end of the 1700's. History comes alive here and involves even the most distracted tourist. Each and every detail bears witness to a more refined time, and exudes a strong feeling of the past: from the votive image of the Remondini, to the big copper vats, to the small grate holding the lotto numbers drawn on some forgotten Saturday of some forgotten year on the Venetian «Wheel of Fortune».

Even the sign belongs to the past, an uncertain graphic description stating: Aquavite - Liquori e Aceto al minuto.

The craze for novelty has never been popular among the Nardinis. The same label, the same headquarters, and most importantly, the same technique for producing the grappa. It was all decided in 1779 and there is no reason to change it now. This does not mean, however, that the weight of tradition has left progress behind. On the contrary; while the "Grapperia" at the bridge has stayed the same since its beginnings, the Company, led by the Nardinis and handed down through their generations, has moved along with the times. It is now in the vanguard of the brandy products industry gaining worldwide recognition.