Well, after a 9 hour flight we're back at home in Delaware. We may post some mroe memories and stories from the trip as they come to us, but for now, we're going to attempt to get over our jet-lag and get unpacked. Here are a few last photos of Venice from the plane.
Till next time.....
Today is our last full day in Italy. At least the heat from the last week subsided and brought us cooler weather, though that included some strong Venetian winds, and ominous clouds that thankfully didn’t materialize into rain. We started a semi-roundabout tour of Venice this morning as we wandered the streets and stumbled upon the Frari Church, which happens to be one of the showcases of classical Venetian art. After stopping for an espresso, we walked the maze of streets and bridges towards the Rialto Bridge again, and onto St. Marks square.
The clouds were getting darker and we were afraid it was going to downpour so we used a Rick Steves piece of advice to skip the line for St. Mark’s by checking a bag, and heading on in. Inside we listened to his podcast detailing some of the interesting art. The ceiling is a combination of several brilliant mosaics, described on the audio tour as ‘tiling a football field with contact lenses.’
The next stop was the Doge’s Palace, where the leader’s of Venice lived for centuries. The Doge of Venice was an elected-for-life mayor/dictator over the city, and it’s territories. The inside was grand, with large rooms and ornate frescoes and ceilings. It also included a trip over the Bridge of Sighs to the Venetian prisons, which were used from the 15th century up to 1931 – conditions in there were less than ideal. No wonder they all sighed.
After leaving the Palace we grabbed a quick lunch and wandered the small side streets and canals. We made our way over to the north shore of Venice which had an incredible view of some outlying Islands (Murano, Burano, etc) and the Dolomites. We ended up having dinner at the same place as last night since it was so affordable, comfortable, and delicious.
A slow walk back to our room seems to have completed an incredible three week trip in Italy. We catch a flight at 11:30 tomorrow morning, but need to catch the boat from Venice at 8:15. It’s been an amazing trip, and I’m sure we’ll post some more of our favorite moments as we get home.
Ciao, Buona Sera, and Arrividerci!
This morning we completed, though not entirely on purpose, the Rick Steve’s four hour tour of Padua. We started by heading to the Scrovegni Chapel and made reservations for entry later in the day (they only allow 25 people to enter at a time), and then headed on the efficient Tram down to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua. The basilica was different than most, as instead of one large dome, it was several smaller domes. Inside is the tomb of St. Anthony was his surprisingly non-decayed tongue and vocal chords (he was known for his oratory skills). As Saint Anthony is also known as the finder of lost things, large boards around his tomb are covered in photos of missing loved ones, which is quite sad. We were blessed by a monk while there, and toured the cloisters before heading back towards the center of town.
In the center of town are some very large markets, as well as the University of Padua, a former employer of Galileo. We finally made our way back to the Scrovegni Chapel to see interior which is adorned with frescoes by Giotto. His works in this chapel (1303-05) are the first pieces of modern art – moving to 3-dimensional images and Giotto is considered the father of Renaissance art. Depicted inside are 38 panels detailing the life of Chirst, Mary, and Mary’s parents. On the back wall is an enormous scene of Jesus ruling over the Last Judgment.
We caught the first train we could to Venice and made our way through the maze of streets and canals to our hotel. We decided to explore Venice a little bit this afternoon and evening. We made our way to one of the few Traghetto stops, which ferries people across the grand canal in a Gondola. For a little bit of perspective, the Grand Canal splits Venice in two, and there are only four bridges that cross it. Additionally, a 40 minute, private Gondola Ride, with a sketchy singing Gondolier costs about 100 Euros. The Traghetto ride across the canal, while lasting only 30 seconds or so, costs only 50 cents. It’s how most locals cross the canal when not near a bridge.
We walked our way over to the famed Rialto Bridge and on to St. Marks square where we witnessed some crazy sights. The first was the bars and restaurants that have Orchestras playing for their patrons (and anyone else who wants to listen.) It’s amazing that the seats around the orchestras are so empty, but that’s what happens when you charge 8 euros for an espresso that costs 80 cents elsewhere. Also in St. Marks square are it’s famed pigeons. While it’s technically illegal to feed the pigeons these days, people still do, and attract quite a smattering of pigeons. Take a look at the pictures for the Father and son that are covered in pigeons as they try to feed them. Not our idea of fun…
After a short siesta, we went back towards the train station and hopped on the Vaporetto, which is the ‘water bus’ that cruises the Grand Canal. On the Vaporetto we listened to a Rick Steve’s podcast of the entire trip, as he pointed out special buildings and sights along the way, including the Venetian Firehouse, which makes any Jersey Girl happy. After getting off the Vaporetto in St. Marks, we followed Rick’s advice for dinner and enjoyed it immensely. It’s been a long, and very hot day, so we’re hitting the hay.
Arrividerci!
Well, yesterday there wasn’t much at all, so it’s not going to get its own post. Due to the events of the previous night, we got a late start on the day and both of us were a little queasy. We took the train from Vernazza, to La Spezia, and then to Parma, which was a miserable, though scenic ride. It was very hot on the train, and it kept stopping for no apparent reason, causing us to be 30-40 minutes late to Parma. Our arrival in Parma was uneventful and I just ran out to get us a pizza. This Pizza, mind you, may have been one of the better pizzas I’ve had – covered in Parma Ham (Proscuitto) and Parma Cheese (Parmigiano). It was fantastic.
Anyway, today in Parma was great. The town was much more pleasant than either of us really expected. A walk around town introduced us to some great squares, a modest Duomo with an impressive interior, and some great walking streets, not to mention some wonderful ‘Salumi e Formaggio’ shops. Had we the time, I’m sure we could have spent another day in Parma. I should also add that our hotel was pretty impressive. It was called the Century Hotel and was very modern. They paid attention to every detail. The shower may have been the coolest one we’ve ever seen – it was a frosted glass cube that jutted out from the bathroom and into the room. Anyway – we really liked the hotel.
The train from Parma to Bologna was short, less than an hour. Thankfully Bologna had a Baggage Deposit, so we stored our larger bags, and stopped at the tourist information booth, where the wonderful lady behind the counter paused her telephone conversation to throw a map at us with a ‘Tourist’s half day guide to Bologna’. Perfect! On the way towards the center of town, we saw Bar Serendipity, which is always a good sign for us. After a fantastic lunch of typical Emilia-Romagna fare, we saw Bologna’s ‘not as scenic, not as famous’ leaning towers, and wandered its busy streets. One thing that was great about Bologna was that all the streets are arcaded, so they were shaded. This was incredibly helpful on such a hot day. The large Duomo in Bologna (another one of those unfinished ones) is dedicated to St. Petronio, or St. Petronius….oddly similar to Petronis, we’ve decided. It was on the Piazza Maggiore which also contained an interesting fountain of Neptune and the Sirens (see the pictures). The last stop in Bologna was the Basilica of St. Domenic which also houses to tomb of the Saint. Some of the small statues adorning the tomb were sculpted by a teenaged Michelangelo.
We left Bologna in the early evening and took the train Padua where we checked into our hotel, wandered around downtown, got a quick meal that took 2 hours, and retired fairly early (after some gelato of course!)
Today we planned as our complete relaxation day, which we accomplished for the most part. Unfortunately, we couldn’t put off laundry any longer, so got it out of the way first thing in the morning. This turned out to be a good thing since most of the clothes didn’t really dry – we had it hanging all over our room. While we were doing our laundry (and hence, without camera) there was a wedding in the square of Vernazza. The little red VW Bug (Original) Convertible was allowed to drive down the street as townspeople and tourists all moved out of the way and applauded the bride.
It was pretty neat, and of course, Lisa enjoyed it.
Once we finally finished the laundry we took the train to Montorosso al Mare. After a quick stroll through the town, we realized it wasn’t as quaint or photogenic as the other towns, so we just headed straight for the beach. We paid 13 Euros for 2 chairs and an umbrella on a private beach and it was a great investment. The water was cool and refreshing, though the beach itself was pretty tough to walk on (HOT!!!). We were probably there for 3 hours or so and it was great.
When we got back to Vernazza we changed and ate dinner on the square at a restaurant called Gianni Franzi’s. Lisa got nosy and asked the couple next to us where they were from (Colorado) and we ended up hanging out with Jen and Michael all night. They had just flown into Italy, so we were giving them tips on what we’d done so far. We finished our dinners and decided to get a few bottles of wine. Their room (which was awesome and much bigger than ours) came with a loft and a balcony that looked out over the city, so we sat up there to drink our wine and get to know each other. When we finished our bottles we figured we’d head back down to town to see what was going on. The previous night we had been kept up by singing in the square all night. Tonight (Saturday) the place was shut down. It was practically empty. We convinced one Enoteca (which was actually closed) to sell us one last bottle of wine that we shared with our new friends.
All in all, it was a great day. Got fresh clothes, laid on the beach, drank some vino, and made some friends.
