Imagine the scenario: it is the European Cup Quarter Final and Italy are playing Spain. A…read moreflatscreen TV shows that the score is 0-0 at half-time. A dozen or so habituees of the tiny Osteria are stocking up with wine and nibbles for the second half. Everyone is talking at once, the only subject being whether or not Italy can overcome the Tournament favourites. Mother, Father and Son are dispensing and serving orders in their little wine bar, not taking their eyes off the screen, scribbling down their customers' tabs; no-one pays for anything. The game goes to extra time; the bar empties as a dozen men and women need to smoke; some remain outside, watching through the open door or the windows. The game goes to penalties; I am now alone in the bar, as everyone is outside furiously chain-smoking. Some cannot watch. Di Natale misses his attempt, and Spain are the winners. Life slowly returns to normal. Customers take consoling glasses of wine, pushing away remnants of food, untasted. People eventually drift away into the hot night, shaking hands with all and sundry as they leave, shrugging shoulders and gesturing in a way that said they knew their team was not good enough.
La Colonetta is one of the best Osterie in Treviso. The Osteria is a signature establishment of the town: serving mostly wine, cold cuts of meat, fish and cheese, great bread, and salads. La C. is no exception, and does all of these things with style. Beautifully crafted wooden shelves display the wines, racked from floor to the high old ceiling. Four or five small tables on the tiled floor. You eat and drink for next to nothing. How do they do it?
