This sounds nutty, but I am giving an Italian friend of mine a bottle of Grappa as a gift (he's my barber). I would like to attach the following note to the bottle. It would be really neat if the note was written in Italian.

The note:
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Grappa was originally made in the northern Italian town of Bassano del Grappa and some contend that this is the origin of the name, rather than from the Latin graspa ("grape-stalk").

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a "digestivo" or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose was to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee to create a caffè corretto meaning corrected coffee. Another variation of this is the "ammazza caffè" (literally, "coffee-killer"): the espresso is drunk first, followed by a few ounces of grappa served in its own glass. In the Veneto, there is resentin: after finishing a cup of espresso with sugar, a few drops of grappa are poured into the nearly empty cup, swirled and drunk down in one sip.
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Thanks for your help...Joe

La Grappa nasce a Bassano del Grappa, cittadina del Nord Italia. Secondo alcuni il nome "grappa" deriva proprio da questa città piuttosto che dalla parola "graspa" che deriva, a sua volta, da "graspo".

In Italia, la Grappa è generalmente servita come digestivo o "dopo-pasto". Il suo scopo principale era quello di favorire la digestione di pasti pesanti.
La Grappa può anche essere aggiunta al caffè che diventa quindi un "caffè corretto". Un'altra variante è l' "ammazzacaffè": prima si beve il caffè e subito dopo un bicchierino di Grappa. In Veneto è detto "rasentìn": si aggiunge un goccio di grappa nella tazzina in cui si è bevuto il caffè, con un movimento circolare si "sciacqua" la tazzina e la si butta giù in un sorso.

Here you are Joe. I didn't make a word by word translation. I don't mind if anyone wants to add or change what I wrote.

BTW I don't like Grappa!

Ada

Thanks Ada. I spent a day in Venice back in 1999. Beautiful place. We were staying at Tai di Cadore up north a ways. Fun train trip. Had lunch in St. Mark's Piazza (is that right)? Thanks again for the translation...Joe

You are welcome Joe!

BTW you might be interested to know that a young bear is going around in Pieve di Cadore and neighbouring areas. They found his (or her) tracks and a couple of drivers saw him/her on Sunday in the province of Belluno in the Cadore area.

The bear is back

and

Bear on holiday?

Ada

I'll ask my friends at the Villa Marinotti if they have seen the bear...