THE MARKET STAND IN ASTINO

The stand is a teenage memory where with Uncle Nello,
Matteo used to tour the markets in the valleys over Bergamo.

It’s made of two simple wooden tables decorated by a light green skirt.
You can find it every Sunday at the entrance to the orchard in front of the monastery.

A unique, ancient location imbued with history, where splendid picnics are laid out,
where a thousand peach plants,
turn pink every spring,
dressing the Astino Valley with a beautiful dress,
a soft fabric that reminds us of a baby girl,
of red cheeks and cuddles.

Here, with your feet on the ground
surrounded by a sea of cherry trees,
you can enjoy a beautiful walk
and rest on one of the many hay bales scattered around the fields.

Here is where Matteo picks wild flowers, creating beautiful bunches just for your hearts.
Here is where young children can take their first steps on the soft grass, perhaps falling, and pluck their first fruits with their own little hands.
Here is where lovers take each other by the hand
taking a walk through the white flowering rows.
Here is where foreign travelers set up their tents.
Here is where, in the summertime, fresh air runs down from the valley and, under a song of cicadas, bottles are uncorked to toast happiness.
Here is where you’ll see bunnies running around the rows of an enduring vineyard
that is hundreds of years old.
Here is where pheasants make their nest and deer graze at dusk, where you will hear the green woodpecker building his nest in an old oak tree that once fell in the woods.
Here is where, in summer at dawn, you can hear the enduring silence of those monks, still whispering the teachings of their forgotten lives.
Here is where sometimes tears come to get lost, after a cold night that froze the flowers, or after a violent storm that slaughtered nature’s children.
Here is where I would take the woman I love.
Where I would like to watch the sun set in her eyes,
embrace her as the cool air of the night arrives
And then kiss her, when the moon rises.
Here is where I heard people laughing in the vine rows.
Here is where happy cherry binges take place,
where children’s smiles are tinged with blood-red mustaches.
Here is where the elderly sit and admire the valley,
enjoying the time they have left.

Here is where our market stand is.

And Matteo is just a gentle bear who is taught by the bees,
they teach him respect, work, organization and the important service they perform for man.
It is not the honey that makes a bee rich but its role.
Its work.

Being a farmer means to be here, when wayfarers come by, whether they are old or new friends
The role of our stand is to welcome you to life.

We will be waiting for you,
we will be there until sunset to enjoy of our fruit juices together,
to have a chat
while the warm sun sets behind the hill.