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Peas of Lumignano
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As you go along the Riviera Berica, a few kilometers south of Vicenza, a tall pointed bell tower announces Lumignano, a large outlying ward of Longare whose own fame is linked with the cultivation of peas. Apparently this was introduced by the same Benedictine monks who, around the eleventh century, reclaimed the Vicentino lowland. And here, at the foot of the rock which highlights this slope of the Berici hills, the sweet vegetable found an ideal habitat. The exposure and the warmth retained by the rocks enabled an exceptionally early production, first amongst the early crops. Combined with this fortunate location were the skills of the growers, who over the centuries selected a variety of exceptional merit. The peas of Lumignano travelled on the Bacchiglione to reach Venice, where they transformed the risotto destined for the doges' table on 25 April, the feast of S. Marco. During the years of the exodus from the counteyside this trade declined and today the kitchen gardens produce only enough for the privileged few and for the Festa dei Bisi which is held in May. The local variety has been lost, but evidently the peas of Lumignano still have an incomparable flavour. |
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