Ciao, Bella!

Italy brings to mind a few key things - fresh pasta (always cooked al dente), cheap (and good quality) wine, grappa, long lunch breaks, and people who are really bad at queuing (though the last I was blissfully unaware of before this Italian vacation).

I have cousins living in Vicenza, Italy for 3 years. Being able to visit them was great and I certainly hope to visit again before they leave.  My first trip to Italy was in either 2000 or 2001 (for some reason I'll never remember which year. It could have been '99) - my Mum and I spent time in Tuscany.  Later I went to Rome and Florence.  I am happy to say that this time in Italy I did not repeat any places and only visited new places!

Vicenza
As always happens when you are based in one location, you forget to bring your camera everywhere! My pictures of Vicenza are scattered but let me assure you that Vicenza boasts a central downtown with cafes, bars, beautiful piazzas, lots of shopping, and enough historic and architectural sites to satisfy most! I myself partook in plenty of window shopping each and every day.

First meal (taking photos of the food makes you an absolute tourist so I only took them at Jess and PJ's!) Parmigiana, prosciutto, focaccia, olives, and wine! Looking at it now makes me consider turning this trip around.

The main piazza just down the street from Jess and PJ's apartment. We often found ourselves around this piazza for a spritz, espresso and croissant, or dinner.

Silliest roommate (and also cutest) to date! Reesey is trying very hard to get all of the peanut butter out of her kong. She was very successful.

Large Christmas tree in the piazza. The only picture I have of it lit up is quite blurry but it was quite large and magnificent.

Things to-do next time in Vicenza:

- Visit at least 3 of Palladio's villas

- Take at least 2 winery tours and tastings

- Hike up and picnic in a place over-looking the Dolomite mountains 

- Take train to Bologna

- Play with Reesey

Trento

While in Italy Jess, PJ, and I did some weekend trips. First, we went to Trento to see their Christmas market (in Italian, Mercatino di Natale); this market just finished celebrating its 20th year. Generally when thinking about Christmas Markets my mind goes to the Striezelmarkts of Germany.  In this case, because of Trento's location just after the Brenner Pass (Passo del Brennero) which links Italy and Austria through the Alps, much of the Alpine culture has seeped into Northern Italy.  It is the most well known market in Italy.

 Reesey took the road trip with us!

 So many decorations, homemade wares, and lots of German and Italian style street food.

In Italy the hot, spiced wine drink is called vin brulee, but in Trento they boasted the German gluhwein and even had the mugs!

Lucerne

Jess has become a master at weekend trips in Europe so Jess and I planned one for my first weekend with them. We decided on Lucerne, Switzerland - close enough to drive comfortably, able to find a good deal in hotel, and absolutely beautiful, and popular in all seasons.  Lucerne or Luzern is in the area of Switzerland that is mostly German speaking.  That being said, you hear many languages while there and even some odd mixes of French/German, English/German etc. The city is located on the shores of Lake Lucerne and right under the Swiss Alps. Picturesque. 

The Chapel Bridge, Lake Lucerne, and the Swiss Alps.

Swiss Alps! I wish very much that I could have gone skiing!

The famous Chapel Bridge, or Kapellbrucke, is a wooden covered footbridge that was built in the 1333 to connect the old town and old town. It is named for the Chapel of St. Peter that it sits near. It was part of the fortification of the city.  Now it is a main attraction in Lucerne and is often seen as the symbol of the city!  The tower in the middle of the bridge predates the bridge and has been used for a prison, torture, as a municipal office, and now has a gift shop!

Inside there are a number of paintings that date to the 17th century and were done by a local artist named Hans Heinrich Wagmann. They depict scenes from Lucerne's history. The bridge was mostly destroyed in '93 due to fire but it has been restored to its original truss-bridge splendor but sadly losing most of the paintings.

 The Lion Monument. Located in the medieval part of Lucerne and built to honor the mercenary troops from Central Switzerland who died trying to protect the French royal family during the French Revolution. The lion is dying, carved into the sandstone, and has this engraved: "Helvetiorum fidei ac virtuti" in Latin which means: "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss"

Looking into town from the steps of a church.

Balzano

The weekend following our trip to Switzerland we decided on a day trip somewhere in Italy. We all spent more than intended in Lucerne and taking Reesey with us, we went to see another Christmas market. Balzano is a beautiful town in the Northern part of Italy (more so than Trento) and a place where most people speak both Italian and German - a region that was, in recent history, torn between Austria and Mussolini's Italy.

The market is located in the Piazza Walter, officially the Walther von der Vogelweide Platz in German, and is 23 years old!  Larger than the market in Trento and certainly more bustling, this market was easy to get lost in and had very long lines for vin brulee and food! Noticing the obvious German presence here, we had bratwurst and currywurst for lunch!

 Beautiful roofed church right outside the piazza.

Nativity scene at the Mercatino Natale

 Awesome sign on the side of a vendor - this particular vendor sold traditional German gingerbread

Outside of the main piazza was this smaller one, crammed full of vendors with ornaments and refreshment. The trees in the middle were decorated with lots and lots of red balls. Very cool.

After the market we spent some time in Balzano and found a couple places that sounded interesting to visit. Traveling with Reesey and PJ, though, we only went to see one and on our way back to Vicenza!  The Schloss Runkelstein or the Castel Roncolo in Italian, built upon a rocky outcropping in the area of Ritten (just outside Balzano), is an old fortification dating from approximately 1240.

**Pictures to come later**

Shrews, Museums, Piazzas, oh my!

Padua (Padova in Italian) is known to me (and English professors everywhere) to be the setting of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew".  My time in Padova proved to be quite the opposite...

I spent two days in Padua (about 20 mi from Vicenza) after I realized three things: there are so many things to see, it's too far to walk (and dark, useless for pictures) before the train leaves, and the museum card I purchased lasted for 48 hours! Perfetto.

Having some time to kill before taking the bus to Padua, I ventured across the street to have a macchiato and croissant.  Note that if you're ever travelling via bus or train from Vicenza, the cafe across has amazing coffee and espresso...and it is very, very reasonable! Said cafe is my official pre-day trip stop. MMmm.

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Arriving in Padua right at the start of siesta and lunch break time meant that I was unable to stop at the tourist office for a map and museum ticket (the Padova Card) so instead I turned in a circle and took a guess at which way to walk....I may have gone slightly out of my way to get toward downtown but it was a lovely walk just the same! I noticed too things of note: the is a Blockbuster video store across from the train station (who knew?!) and I also passes the Trade Center memorial (I was unsure what is was but Jessica mentioned it later and *click*).

This memorial, "Memory and Light", was built in 2005 and inaugurated on September 11, 2005. It houses a beam, about 6 meters, from the South WTC.

 After stumbling upon this I found my way into the heart of historic Padua...right across from the memorial you'll find the old Roman arena, Scrovegni Chapel, and the Civic Museums (Musei Civici)!  At the museum entrance I was able to purchase my Padua Card and get the tour started.

First, the arena.  Padua or Patavium in Latin, was brought into the Roman empire around 45 BCE, being inhabited by the people of the region, the Veneti. Supposedly Patavium is dated back until Vergil's time and was founded by a Trojan (so roughly 1100-1130 BCE). Sadly the only ruin I came across (not in the museum) was the arena.  Scarcely standing and with a beautiful, grassy interior, Roman Patavium is certainly history!

With only walls to show, the arena in Verona is certainly more appealing, but Padua's arena is situated in a very nice garden.

Located next to the Scrovegni Chapel (my next stop), part of the arena was torn down to make room for the chapel and palace that was built for Enrico Scrovegni in the early 1300's.  Scrovegni, a money lender by trade, built his chapel for personal use. It is a popular (and likely very true) that he commissioned the chapel to atone for the sins of his father (also a money lender and guilty of usury).  Of course the chapel would also have been for his own after-life benefit!  Enrico's father was actually mentioned in Dante's Inferno for his sins (my guess is Scrovegni got one over on the poet...but I have no actual idea).

The chapel itself, though is famous for its frescoes.  Scrovegni hired Giotto to paint his chapel and they are very well preserved today.  Giotto's work is mostly known now for being well ahead of its time (his style became popular with the Renaissance).  Painting in the 13th and 14th centuries, Giotto's characters are startlingly life like and emotional - something very uncommon at the time.

Of course no photos could be taken inside the chapel (so I took this from the internet) but one wall is a painting of "the Last Judement".  Two walls are a series of stories from the lives of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the Prophets.  All situated under a blue, starry sky.  The colors in there are amazing!

Located right next to the chapel, the Civic museum and Eremitani plazza are sure to entertain the archaeologist, historian, and art lover for hours (even modern art)! I struggled to get through and see the things I wanted to see in good time (also slightly maze-like it is easy to get out of sorts).  I, of course, spent most f my time on the ground floor and outside with the Roman, Etruscan, and Veneti (and other local settlements) exhibits.  The best of all was a grave that had been dug up and moved - preserved amazingly, it was of a warrior and his horse.  The horses' backbone was wrapped around the man's skeleton!  So neat. 

 A blend of modern art, Roman ruins, and a pre-Renaissance marvel - this is the courtyard of the Musei Civivi

Outside the Scrovegni Chapel

It was on the search for food and the other places my Padova Card would grant me access to that I realized I did not have enough time in one day.  The Prato della Valle, a large piazza I wanted to see very much (and preferably in daylight) was at least a 20 minute walk and the sun was already going down.  On the way, though, I walked  my way through some piazzas teaming with life (the piazza Garibaldi, piazza delle Erbe, piazza della Frutta, and the piazza dei Signori). Padova has one of the oldest universities in the world and students are everywhere! While I would not walk all the way to the Prato della Valle today, I was determined to see more than the Musei Civici!

A man playing his grand piano in the Piazza Garibaldi. He was quite good and was there for at least a few hours. I listened to him on my way into the piazzas and then again on my way back to the train station.

Coming into the piazza's Erbe and Frutti (and the smaller Signori) brought new energy to my trip to Padova - markets with food, sweets, clothes, handmade housewares, and jewelry covered both squares.  It was in the Piazza delle Erbe that I decided to sit down for a spritz aperol and some finger foods - but it was very difficult to decide where to go!  Browsing the markets I was able to find one of my favorite sweets - fresh nougat with almonds!

 Piazza delle Erbe. The building here is called the Palazzo della Ragione once housed the city courts. This side of the palazzo is the piazza delle Erbe and on the other side is the piazza della Frutta. This is the place where I sat down for a cocktail and to enjoy some sweets!

 Mostly artisan crafts in the piazza dei Signori. Smaller and more residential, this piazza was calm and warm - music playing from stalls and lights everywhere!

Piazza della Frutta. It used to be filled with markets of fresh food (mainly fruit by the name) but now it seems to be taken over by clothing! The piazza is lined with cafes and local hangouts for students.

DAY TWO in Padova

Not wasting any time today!  I walked straight back to the piazza Garibaldi and kept going through throngs of (protesting, partying, rabble-rousing?) students to get to the Prato della Valle.  This part of Padova is very touristy and beautiful.  The Prato della Valle is a large and open square (shaped like an oval) that is popular for students and business people eating lunch, hanging out, enjoying the sun, and of course, fresh produce stalls!  Around the square are two large and multi-domed churches - Santa Guistina Basilica and Saint Anthony's.

 Prato della Valle. Statues run around the entire area on both sides of the water. There are four bridges that connect the main square (where the food stalls are) with the park.

 Santa Guistina Basilica. So named as it houses the tomb of Saint Justina of Padua.  This basilica (and St. Anthony's) both have many Byzantine styled domes! Very cool architecturally and also a unique blend of styles.

Basilica di Sant Antonio or St. Anthony's basilica. This was open to the public and is a worth the trip.  You can go inside the basilica itself and it is very active (so dress conservatively and be quiet!) and is a popular pilgrimage stop. The grounds of the church has many smaller courtyards to explore, as well.

Other things about Padova that I wanted to see in detail but was unable to do because of Italy's siesta and odd business times...La Specola (observatory) and the Botanic garden.

Something I have learned about sightseeing in a Mediterranean country is to PLAN AHEAD. If it is not high tourist season (and sometimes even if it is) getting into places can be tricky.  Closed 4 days out of 7, the observatory (which I was willing to pay extra for!) was a far-off dream. With the botanical garden, I was a little more upset - the gardeners (or whomever) were leaving as I walked up at 2pm...they were supposed to close at 3pm according to all the signs. Rwar.

All the same, though, I loved Padova and will certainly return on my next Italian trip....and plan the day of the week based on the trickily timed sites. Though I found no evidence of shrewishness within the city (worn off from Shakespeare's time) I did have lots of fun watching multiple student gatherings, browsing markets and enjoying their fresh fruit and sweets, and counting the domes on the basilicas (I don't remember how many, sorry)!

 Statue of St. Anthony and tiny child (he is the saint of lost people) in one of many courtyards inside the basilica grounds.

 Amazing astrological clock in the piazza della Frutta!

 One of many side streets that is decorated for Christmas with red lights and a red carpet!

Prato della Valle with fruit stalls in front and the Santa Guistina basilica in the background.

Note to the 'star-crossed' Lovers

Welcome to the city that harbored the salacious, violent and secret romance of Romeo and Juliet....Shakespeare style. Verona was the first day trip I took myself in Italy. A stunning city - closely put together downtown with lots of shops, touristy and tasty cafes, Christmas markets, historic stuff, and a central park that had lots of sweet street food trucks lined up!

 Entering the city gates from the train station!

A bright, sunny (warmish) Christmas tree outside the old city gate.

I had a simple itinerary here - Juliet's balcony, a peaceful lunch with a good glass of wine, window shopping, and the Roman arena!

Juliet's balcony was my first stop - to get there I walked through the main piazza and through much of downtown.  While it is a magical place given its history, the balcony is NOTHING like it is represented in movies. Humph. Small, crowded (though not too much this day), covered in gum!  Nevertheless I decided to write a letter (which I will post here) and while I did not leave it, it being written was good enough.

 Teeny tiny balcony. I really hope Romeo didn't fall off! You can take a tour inside but I did not indulge. 

 Statue of Juliet. Complete with her boobs rubbed clean by those hoping for luck in love.  To the left is a multi-layered gate full of locks - people locking in their love.

Approaching the balcony and courtyard they have painted two walls white for people to write messages on.  They paint over the walls again when they are full.  Today the walls had lots of free space.

My letter and the notebook it came from.  The notebook is also appropriate - about a man going away and his lover tracing his profile on the wall to remember him by (the notebook was purchased in Belgium almost 7 years ago)! The "letter" is a series of quotes from the Persian poet Rumi who is said to be the first master of poetry and love. All translated from Farsi, of course.

After seeing Juliet's balcony and enjoying the awkwardness of watching people rub her boobs, I trotted off in search of a place to eat.  This ended up taking a long time since I stumbled onto Verona's Christmas markets and the main piazza on the way!

 Piazza delle Erbe. The original place of Verona's Roman forum! It has always served the city as its commercial center - the House of Merchants is here, too.

The Markets were held in small piazzas all off of the Erbe. The vin brulee was sweet and one even had a stand with oven-baked pizza! Though many of the wares were Italian food or made by Italians, there was so much German influence I almost forgot where I was.

The city of Verona rests (as most ancient cities do) on a river; here it is the River Adige.  The city is split between it - old city on one side and the new, more residential across the river.  I walked along the river on my way back to the Arena and the larger piazza and park, Bra. 

Beautiful day!

Locks, ribbons an little messages are locked on the cables over the river, too! 

Verona was established as a Roman city in the 1st century BCE.  Today it still boasts an arena and amphitheater.  Sadly I was unable to get to the theater but the arena, located in the large piazza Bra, is an impressive sight that has been married to the modern world via monument for the Christmas season. Named the stella di Natale, and described as a comet of Christmas, this monument is on display with the arena from November 30th - January 26 2014! 

 Stella di Natale and Arena from the piazza Bra

 I met a lovely couple inside the Arena an we exchanged picture-taking roles! Later on in my Roman exploration I met an Indian couple living in Canada and they asked me to record a video of the arena describing what it was used for, when it was built etc. Kind of cool but I wish I'd read up on Roman Verona!

Original outer wall...so pretty in the sunlight!

 Piazza Bra from atop the Arena. So much junk food to choose from it was a wonder I sat down for an actual meal! I did eat here (off to the right with awnings), a complete (if slightly typical American) pizza with mozzarella and prosciutto and a large glass of red wine!

Mmmmm, street food.

 the hills outside Verona at the beginning of sunset, seen from the Arena

 Creative drawings in the sand...clearly the work of fierce gladiators. Good to know somethings around the world are always the same...doodles are never that different, are they?

Leaving Verona, all set for Christmas! It must be said that I had some fantastic gelato on my way back to the train station. I had green apple and chocolate (of course). The apple was tart, sweet, and contained bits of apple. Mmmm. Good way to end the day.