Italy - part I - Stra

 
16 June – Stra 

First day of my summer in Italy!! Made it in to Venice this morning – we were late leaving Philly because of a thunderstorm – SAW lightning while sitting on the tarmac, so we were delayed about 2 hours. When we got into VCE, we took a bus into Venice to Piazza Roma and met Antonio, who took us to his house in Stra. We saw a bunch of the big villas along the Rivera del Brenta – the canal that runs from Padova to Venice. Back in the day, the Doges and rich families from Venice would have summer homes out here, so there were lots of big, castle-looking monstrosities! Stra is about 20 minutes from Venice – we made it to Antonio’s house and met his kids, Frederica and Anna, and his wife Maria Antonetta. They were SO nice. I was so tired when we got here (around 1ish) that I took a nap for about 2 hours. When I got up, Maria Antonetta made food for me – risotto with herbs (same herbs they make beer), plus tomato mozzarella salad and grilled eggplant. YUM – so good! After lunch, we went to Villa Pisani, which is just across the canal from their house. Free for us to get in, because Antonio is friends with EVERYONE. It’s a beautiful house – palace, really – built by the doge of Venice Alvise Pisani in the early 1700’s (and once owned by Napoleon). We saw the inside of the house – bedrooms, sitting room, and a beautiful grand ballroom which had a mirrored table so you could examine the murals on the ceiling. There were huge grounds, including a hedge maze, whose path was marked with pool balls. Walked around the grounds, then walked back home. Maria Antonetta made us dinner – delicious carpaccio and rocket salad, with cheese and bread and salami, and melon for dessert. Again, yum. The Macaluso family is SO warm and friendly! Don’t speak much English, but I catch enough to know the general topic they are talking about. Hopefully, my Italian will improve in 6 weeks! Its really warm – about 80° in the day but kind of sticky – so we’re sleeping with the window wide open. Its so peaceful and quiet – a good start! 

 17 June – Stra (pedometer reading: 17,760) 

Woke up after a restless night (both of us were awake at 2AM! and off and on until I got up around 8). Took the hour-long bus ride to Piazzale Roma in Venice, then took our time wandering up and down the streets. [OH! We didn’t know how to open the gates at the apartment so we had to hop the fence to break out! ] Getting lost in Venice is great – very easy to do, but hard to do for long. It’s very narrow, all-pedestrian walkways, with quaint building facades with lots of shutters and window boxes and flowers galore. Every so often we’d run into a canal or a dead end, so you’d have to find the bridge to get across. Lots of Murano glass, and carnivale mask shops. Love both, but the really nice masks – with lots of feathers – are really expensive (over 100 euro). Need to decide if I really need one... Made it to the Rialto – the famous pedestrian bridge with built-in shops and a nice view of the Grand Canal. Had a snack of a small panini sandwich and Fanta. Wandered from there to the Doge’s house – Ducale Palace – in St Mark’s Square. Very busy and pigeon-filled, but bustling and gorgeous buildings all around. Went first to the Bridge of Sighs – kind of disappointing because the buildings are being renovated so it is covered with advertisements. We went into Ducale and saw all the apartments and royal furnishings, plus the armory and the prison. Walked across the Bridge of Sighs to the prison – amazing the difference in luxury to cold, dark stone. After Doge’s walked across St Marcos to the Correr Museum and Archaeological Museum. Nice paintings and examples of Venetian life. We got really hungry around 3, so we had another big panini and Fanta. Then we went to Ca’Rezzonica Museum, which showed more fancy rooms and nice art. We were really tired before going in, so we sat in the garden right outside to rest up – it was so nice and peaceful! Very little sound coming in, and relaxing. Wandered a bit more, looking in shops around town. Finally made it back to Piazzale Roma around 5:30 – took the bus back and had a nice dinner of meatballs, pasta with zucchini, eggplant, and stir-fried arugula. So delicious!! Italian families eat late – we started around 9PM, which seems normal for them. I’m starting to get the hang of listening and I can catch the gist of conversations. Tomorrow, Padova! 

18 June – Stra (Pedometer reading: 20,340) 

Woke up late but after a good night’s sleep. Went to Padova (also known as Padua), about 20 minutes west of Stra along the Riviera Brenta. It’s a beautiful, old city, with cobblestone streets and small alleys. Walked first down Via Gozzi to the markets in Piazza Erbe and Piazza Fruita – tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. We bought peaches, apricots, saturn peaches, and grapes. All were so good! Also picked up a sweater/wrap, for when I want to go in churches. From there, we wandered down to find Scrovegni Chapel. We first stopped in Hermitage Church, then went around to the Civic Museum where we saw a video about Scrovegni. He was trying to save the soul of his father, a usurer who charged really high interest. Since they were rich, he built a chapel and hired the best artist he could to decorate it – Giotto. Giotto painted frescos all around, telling the story of Joachim and Mary (Jesus’s parents), Jesus, and the Vices and Virtues. It was done in 1303-1305, and now it is humidity-controlled so only 25 people at a time can go in for 15 minutes max. After the chapel, we had our fruit, then lunch at a little bar/restaurant. Walked down through town to the Basilica of St. Anthony – the famous Saint who was a miracle worker, healer, and saint of lost things. He died in 1231 and his bones are here, plus his jaw, vocal cords, and tongue are in the reliquary. Ew. (He was known as a powerful speaker – thus the tongue.) People from all over the world come on pilgrimages here to pray to him We walked around the cloisters and saw the fancy “life of St Anthony” presentation Then had some gelato and walked around. Oh – and to get into the Basilica, you have to cover your shoulders – good thing I’d bought the wrap!! Walked to the Prato della Valle – a huge, grassy square surrounded by a round stream with statues of Padua’s famous citizens. Went to the church next to the square – Basilica de St Giustina. From there we walked through town to the University of Padua – one of the oldest universities in Europe – from 1222. They have graduations almost daily, and the friends of grads dress them up, they get a laurel wreath, and they get a poster up on the wall for 24 hours. We saw 3 grads in the 5 minutes we were there! By then we were tired, so we went back to Piazza Fruita for dinner – stopped and sat at 3 different cafes before finding one that had more than just panini. Roxsana and I shared a caprese salad and a pizza – lots of food, and SO delicious! We wandered around through town taking the long way to the bus stop. After waiting 45 minutes, we missed the Stra bus (it didn’t pick up where the other bus driver said), so we had to wait another hour for the next bus. By the time we got home, it was already 11PM – Tired!! ps. Antonio says you do NOT leave tips here! Good to know! 

 19 June – Stra (PR – 3,803) 

Spent a lazy day in, doing nothing much. Woke up late and had breakfast, sat around and checked email, and then had lunch – pasta w/ pomodoro, leftover meatballs, and tomato/cucumber salad. Listened to Maria Antonetta and Roxsana talk until I got tired and sat on the couch reading and dozing. Then the whole family went to the mall – Roxsana bought a giant suitcase because she had way too many bags – she brought FOUR small bags and can’t carry them all. Then we went to the sporting goods store to meet Antonio. After, we walked around Ikea – basically just looking for something to do. Came home, relaxed a bit, had dinner of salad, bread w/ cheese and meat (one of which was horse). After dinner, we watched TV (the movie Two Weeks Notice, dubbed in Italian). Tomorrow, Antonio is taking us somewhere – not sure where, but maybe the Dolomites. Depends on the weather. 

 20 June – Stra (PR – 11,044) 

Woke up early after a restless night – it stormed HARD and thundered/lightninged all night. Went with the whole family to the old town of Mantova (Mantua). It is a beautiful ancient city by a river with a great view as you drive in. Went first to the Palazzo Ducale – the old ducal palace from the 1500s. Most interesting room was the Room of the Giants – a dome roof blending straight down to the walls and painted as though we were looking up at Mt. Olympus. Wandered around the palace, then went out the square where Virgil’s statue was. After a short snack, walked over to Palazzo Erbe, with a round church. Had lunch of Pizza, then walked through town to the other end, where Palazzo Te is. It’s another huge palace with nice frescoes and painted ceilings It opened up to a loggia (arched courtyard) and a big lawn, with a secret garden and grotto. We took the long way back to Stra, through small towns and the countryside. Saw a great walled city – Montagnana. Stopped at the grocery in Padova – huge, sold everything like Walmart. Got back a bit before 9 and had dinner – carbonara pasta, polenta, and pork chops grilled with olive oil and rosemary. As usual, yum. 

 21 June – Stra (PR – 8,119) 

Another lazy, lazy day. Woke up around 9 and went to Mass with Federica and Anna – at the church in San Pietra. Only 45 minutes long – which is pretty short for a pretty Catholic country. The church was pretty full, so I guess almost everyone goes. Came home and just hung out – got on the computer and made a bunch of hotel reservations and other plans for the rest of the trip. Anna called us to lunch at around 1:30 – the main dining room table was beautifully set, and we had a huge Sunday meal. Started with antipasto – salami and ham stuffed with tuna, bread w/ olive spread, and olives. Second course was an amazing pumpkin risotto – so good. Then came the main – beef in wine sauce. We thought it was done – I was so full – and out comes homemade french fries. Dessert was the fruit bowl. They said every Sunday they have a meal like that – wow. Hung out again mostly on line, then watched a tiny bit of English TV – BBC World. Around 5ish, Antonio, MAntonetta, and Anna took us to downtown Stra where we had the BEST gelato I’ve ever had – ruby red grapefruit flavored. Holy cow it was good. Walked around Stra, then went with A and M to the little school down the street where they voted. Today and tomorrow was an election, and it looked like a lot of people were going to vote. Lots of the women were dressed up nicely, and one guy had white pants and matching red belt and shoes. Came back and watched the first half of the Italy/Brazil soccer game (Italy lost). Then light supper at around 9:30 of cold cuts, salad, and egg frittata. A bit more TV, then bed. 

 22 June – Stra (PR – 16,805) 

Got up early and made it to Venice a little after 9. Walked down a bit and caught a vaporetto to Murano, one of the lagoon islands. Known for glass, because they wanted 2) to keep the technique a secret, and 2) keep the dangerous glass furnaces away from Venice. Walked through town, saw a glass blower shaping some glass. Took the vaporetto to Burano then immediately took the next one to Torcello. Torcello is where Venice started but was abandoned because of mosquitoes and lack of clean water Very small island – a 10 minute walk down a canal to the church which has beautiful golden mosaics. We climbed up the bell tower for a nice view of the lagoons, but it is under restoration, so the view was partially blocked. Went back to Burano, the lace island. There are cute painted houses with curtains over all the doors. Had lunch in a small square – good spaghetti alla mare and salad. Then walked around the lace shops and watched some old women demonstrating the lace-making Got a bread basket thing. Went to wait for the next vaporetto and had pistachio gelato at the bar right by the water. Went to Murano and walked around – it was getting kind of late so things were starting to close, plus Roxsana was tiring, so shopped a bit then headed back to Venice. We both bought feathered Venetian masks (mine was 25 euro) – hope it makes it home safely! Almost got lost on the way home – took a different bus and we both didn’t recognize the route, but we ended up home safely. Another great meal by MAntonetta – pasta with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, plus the leftover meat and polenta. 

 23 June – Stra 

Didn’t sleep much because of mosquitos – buzzing in my ear and biting me in the chin and arm! ugh. Got up around 8 and caught a ride with MAntonetta to Padova, where Roxsana, Federica, and I took a bus to Vicenza. Vicenza is a UNESCO site because of the architecture of Antony Palladio, a 16th century guy who was commissioned to build a lot of the noble houses in the town center. They have beautiful facades, and it’s a very small city with lots of museums. We started at the Teatro Olimpico – a theater with a 3-dimensional background that looks amazingly like long streets. Cool play on perspective. The entire back is surrounded by statues. Went to the Civic museum to see art, then to the Archaeology Museum, with lots of Roman ruins, plus Natural History with small animal collection Stopped for a gelato – peach – then went to the art gallery in the Palazzo Leoni Montanari. After walking around town a bit more, we had lunch at a self-serve restaurant – risotto and pork bone, which was really good. Lots of things are closed around lunchtime – between noon and around 3. Whole towns close down whle people siesta, I guess! Last, we went to Museo Diocesano – lots of religious relics, but a nice museum. Right as we were leaving, saw the Cathedral de Piazza Duomo, a nice large church. It started drizzling. We caught the train to Ligonza and MA came to pick us up. Nice not having to walk home in the rain! 

 24 June – Stra (PR – 12,456) 

Last day at the Macaluso home! Woke up late and had a lazy morning – made reservations for Assisi, played around online and played Barbie with Anna. For lunch, we had an awesome homemade lasagna – delicious! Then Roxsana, Anna, and I went back to Venice – walked to San Marco Square, saw the Basilica, and wandered around inside. Decided not to pay the extra money to do the extras (balcony, treasures, or museum). The floor of the basilica is marble, but totally warped – Roxsana said the last time they were in Venice it was flooded, so I wonder if hundreds of years of flooding is what warped it? Wandered back, getting a bit lost until Anna got tired, so we stopped for gelato, then slowly wandered back taking lots of pictures along the way. Got home around 7, computered for a while trying to organize the schedule – decided to leave for Rome on Friday – then had pizza for dinner. Early night as we’re all tired! 

 26 June – on the train to Rome 

We’re on the way to Rome now, sitting in our first class car, because they messed up the seats and Roxsana got mad at the attendant. Because there are so many stops (Bologna, Florence), they couldn’t just stick us in any old 2nd class seat, so here we are, lounging. Nice! In the train station in Padova, a woman saw Roxsana smiling and gave her a kiss. They started talking and she gave us cookies for our trip, plus bought us coffees. She was also named Rosana, and was going to Lourdes, France to pray. 

Yesterday, we took the bus from Stra to Padova, then the train from Padova to Verona. We met a cute guy on the train who was trying to help a girl who was speaking Chinese on the phone, so I helped translate. We were laughing because among the four of us, we were speaking Chinese, Italian, English, and Spanish. Found our B&B right near the Arena and dropped our stuff off. Walked around Verona – saw the Casa de Giulietta (supposedly Juliet’s house, though it’s more of a tourist trap. Touched the Juliet statue (for luck), and saw the balcony, but we didn’t pay to go in. But we did have a kiwi gelato! Then went up to the Club Giulietta, where people from all over the world write to Juliet for advice, luck, and love. Walked around Verona, seeing Romeo’s house, and much of what the Scaligieri family left (who ruled Verona back in the day). Found the spot where Romeo Killed Tybalt, starting off the banishment and subsequent tragedy. Walked down to the old Scaligieri Castle – Castelvecchio – which is now an art museum. It’s beautiful, plus you can walk around the keep. Walked back around to the Arena, where we saw a lot of the sets that they use for other operas – Carmen, etc. – that they keep outside. Bought cheese and met for dinner, then went back to the B&B to eat. When we walked out to go to the opera, it was drizzling but for some reason we didn’t think about it – went to the Arena to wait (got there around 8:15 for a 9:15 show, at it started raining hard! We got soaked while sitting, and they postponed the show until close to 10. After the first act it started drizzling again, and since we were freezing already, we decided not to wait for the second postponement to end (it was already around 10:45). At least we got to see and experience some of it!! Warmed up with some tea when we got back, and went to bed. This morning, we had breakfast at the B&B – the owner was late because they were in an accident, so we just helped ourselves. Took the train back to Padova and met MAntonietta, who brought us our luggage. And now here we are on the train!