Amici di San Zeno Promote Culture and Community in Montebaldina
Gratitude and thankfulness are two magical words that express a state of mind. According to Migliorini, gratitudine-gratitude is an act, a feeling, an emotion, a sign of thanks. Furthermore, to have, show, or feel gratitude, an abstract noun, is expressed through signs and words; and that is what the Amici di San Zeno of Montagna do towards the inhabitants of the charming mountain town of Montebaldina.
Some years ago, thanks to the late Enzo Salmaso, the association Amici di San Zeno was born— a compact international group made up of people who collectively wish to express recognition and gratitude towards the Community of Monte Baldo. It is a noble gesture; the association is close to the Comune di San Zeno, contributing to various social initiatives to make the town increasingly welcoming.
Traditions and Cultural Initiatives
As a pleasant curiosity, I recall that a few years ago, don Flavio Tosi, priest of San Zeno, blessed Saint Anthony’s bread to give a piece to every family in the Municipality as a sign of faith and providence, as was customary in olden times. Bread and an olive branch were hung inside the doorway of houses, remaining there all year as a propitious, blessing gesture for the family.
Thus, the good luck bread of the Amici di San Zeno, to which they add the circensian element in the form of culture. In July and August, San Zeno becomes a sort of small Athens, after witnessing the blooming of peonies: Paeonia officinalis on Monte Baldo.
Events and Activities on Monte Baldo
Every Thursday, the Sporting hotel hall hosts evenings dedicated to medicine, usually inaugurated by Dr. Luigi Grezzana, who, with his rhetoric, manages to enchant the audience. Thursdays’ events range across literature, history, geology of Baldo, ecology and mountain respect, travel stories, also including Wolfgang Goethe for his incomparable journey through Italy with the opening: “Do you know the land where lemons blossom?” Poetry thrives, led by our Tolo Da Re, very attached to San Zeno di Montagna, so much so that he would deserve broad recognition with honorary citizenship of the village—a point of pride for the municipal council.
Currently, the Society is directed by a Mantovan, Dr. Cipro Confortini, who, supported in turn by his wife, Mrs. Maria, manages the group aimed at an intense associative life. I believe this initiative, meant to foster interest in a town by its visitors, is a rare thing— a spontaneous blossom, confirmed by the dedicated day to the Guest planned across all holiday resorts.
Holidaymakers and Local Communication
In San Zeno di Montagna, the opposite happens. Vacationing in a peaceful place means physical well-being combined with the joy of the spirit— a kind of sabbatical otium for thought and intellect. The Amici di San Zeno set an example: alongside all of Mrs. Maria’s phone calls, they have their own communication tool with a full editorial team, a responsible director, and via their newsletter, they keep members and the Comune di San Zeno informed.
In winter, they plan for the summer season, which runs from peonies to the flavor of marroni— an excellent local product — hand in hand with Bardolino Novello. With all this, and steadily over the years, the San Zeno municipal council might consider offering a seat to Dr. Confortini to support the Department of Residence and Tourism, working for the beautiful, historic, unparalleled, joyful Montebaldina— the point of connection between the marvelous Lake Garda (Benaco) and the paternal, majestic, solemn European botanical garden.
