Tabacchi 2 – The Place For You: Exploring Paderno del Grappa
Written by Mallory February 9, 2017
My friends and I in the Vatican City!
Trevi Fountain!
In front of the Fountain of Four Rivers!
Another photo in front of the Vatican Museum!
After my weekend in Rome, I came back to a snow covered Mount Grappa!
After finally getting settled into my new life in Paderno del Grappa I have been able to learn the ropes around the town.
When I first started my research on CIMBA, I couldn’t find much information on the town and the types of stores Paderno del Grappa has.
The one store I have come to know and love is Tabacchi 2. This store is located across the street from CIMBA campus which makes it very easy for me to get to when I need something. Here’s a few reasons visiting Tabacchi 2 is slowly becoming a part of my daily routine!
1. Diego. Diego is the owner of Tabacchi 2. His English is very good which makes it very easy to ask questions about where to find things as well as build a stronger relationship with them. He and his wife are always willing to help me practice my Italian which is a huge bonus. A couple days before I left for Venice I asked Diego what his favorite things to do there are and he told me to come back the next day. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but I trusted that he would have something good for me the next day. When I came back he had a huge guide book of Venice and he bookmarked some of his favorite restaurants, things to do, and places to stay for me. It’s little things like this that make Diego stand out from other locals I have met.
2. Sandwiches. Tabacchi 2 is also a deli! There is a pretty large selection of meats and cheeses that are available. As much as I am loving eating pasta in the cafeteria at CIMBA everyday, it is nice to have a place to go when I am craving a sandwich. Diego also takes pre-orders. This becomes useful when you want to grab something to eat before leaving for a travel weekend but only have a few minutes between the time you get out of class and when your taxi or bus arrives. Diego and his wife are very efficient when it comes to the Friday afternoon rush of Cimbians trying to leave for the weekend.
3. Bus Tickets. Italy and Europe in general have a really great transportation system. Though Paderno is a small town, there are a number of bus routes that go through here. Tabacchi 2 is the only place in town you can buy bus tickets. This is helpful to know when my friends and I want to venture to the neighboring towns without taking a taxi or walking.
4. Grocery Store Items. This store is the only place I have found that sells Oreos and peanut butter. And they aren’t off-brand Oreos, they are the real deal! The peanut butter was hidden at first but now that I have discovered it, I will never not have peanut butter again. Europe is seriously missing out on this stuff and when people say that it is nearly impossible to find, they aren’t kidding. I’m still convinced that someone must have called them to tell them I was coming and they needed to carry peanut butter. Whenever I am missing home and craving a sweet American snack, I can always count on going here to get Oreos and peanut butter.
5. School Supplies. When we first arrived at CIMBA we went on a bit of a field trip to the Bassano mall which had a store comparable to target. When they dropped us off they told us to get everything we needed because there wasn’t much in Paderno. I wasn’t sure what they meant but after living here I can definitely understand that there aren’t a lot of resources in Paderno. However, Tabacchi 2 has a huge selection of school supplies. This was extremely helpful when my pencil ran out of led and I needed to get a new one an hour before I was supposed to take an exam.
6. Toiletries. Unfortunately my planning skills were not as great as I initially thought. My intentions were to bring enough shampoo and conditioner to last my stay at CIMBA. I seriously miscalculated and have already almost run out of these. Luckily Tabacchi 2 has a pretty good selection of toiletry supplies and seems to always carry the scents I would chose.
The more time I spend in and around Paderno and CIMBA, the more I am learning how to navigate this town. I am so excited I get to spend the next 8 weeks here!!
Ciao,
Mallory
