Marostica, Bassano, Vicenza

The rain cleared out overnight after some fantastically loud storms and left us with an almost surreally beautiful day.  We totes wih the idea of driving up to the Alps but decided against the long hours, hairpin turns, and carsick children.  Instead we toured the Bassano hillside. We drove to Marostica, the home of the live (life-size) annual chess game and a challenging hillside walk to a castle.  Followed that up with our best meal yet at Melograno in the hills of Bassano.  Then we made a quick tour of Bassano, home of grappa as well as Palladios covered bridge. We finished with a quick walk in Vicenza, ice cream for the kids, a spritz for mamma, and people watching for us all.  

Venezia

ah, Venezia...  We opted to spend the morning on Murano and watched some remarkable glass blowers- fifth generation, in fact. The furnace room was hot as the fire roared, the radio blasted, and yet it felt silent as the four glass blowers quietly danced around each other, wordlessly adding glass to each other's pieces, blowing baubles in between. It really was spellbinding.  After a beautiful morning , a tour of the glass museum (see the picture of me freaking out that the kids would break something), and lunch on the island, the skies opened up as we headed for st marks.  There we got to see the basilica di San Marco with a flooded floor, gondoliers emptying their gondolas with plastic jugs, and the lagoon lapping at the piazzas tiles.  It wasn't the easiest way to see Venice, but it certainly was memorable.  And it cleared long enough for me to recreate this picture from when I was young. Here's liv: same age, same dress, same place -33 years later.  And it's her half birthday, to boot!!

Padova

Our internet connection is very slow at the apartment so I'll have to post on the road for the next few days - at cafes, etc.  after a leisurely breakfast al giardino at the apartment, we drive to padova.  Unfortunately it's Monday so a lot of places are closed including the botanical garden which was #1 on my list.  But we did hit Dalla Zita, a great and tiny sandwich shop  near the university.  Liv chose a hamburger 'cindy' while Astrid had a tomato mozz and mint with olives. Now we're waiting to get a tour of the Palazzo Bo, padova university's famous operating theater.  Hoping to see the lectern from which Galileo lectured, too. 

Update: we got the tour of the operating theater, learned that Galileo invented the thermometer, improved the telescope (thanks to Murano glass), discovered the moons of Jupiter, and was allowed to think freely during his 18 years in padova.  Also learned that the church just recently cleared his name from the heretics list.  Always on top of innovation, that church...   Anyways, we rounded out the day with dinner at home.  Pot-roasted chicken with gobs of veggies and a radicchio and Grana salad.  Good day!

Stra-->Vicenza

It was with sadness that we said goodbye to Ferrara this morning. We really enjoyed our stay - the aprtment was amazingly modern and so well situated and Ferrara itself just so perfect. But it was time to head out so we headed north.  On our way to Vicenza we stopped in Stra, a suburb of Venice and visited Villa Pisani, home to a boxwood labyrinth. I remember this from my childhood and it was just as fun for the kids now.  A tower stands in the middle, allowing people to guide people in the maze if needed.  After being abandoned by the doges, the villa was bought by Napoleon and eventually was a meeting place between hitler  and Mussolini in 1934. After the villa we stopped for lunch in Stra at this great restaurant right on the brenta  river, Osteria da Caronte   It was delicious Venetian fare, fish and plenty of vegetables.  It was the first veggies we'd had in almost a week!!! 

From there we went to Vicenza and stopped at Andrea Palladios  masterpiece, villa Capri. It was the inspiration for Jeffersons rotunda.  We also drive to see my old houses in grumolo Delle abbadesse.   So much has changed there but the houses still look nice!  Brought back a lot of memories.  

 

Bologna

  

We drove out to Bologna today. First stop  this pasta shop, Pasta Fresca Naldi, where lovely nonnas (grandmas) roll, shape, and cook pasta to order.  It's almost like a prepared food shop but for amazing pasta.  The winner (again) was Astrids pasta dish - spaghetti al limone con prosciutto.  A close second was my tortellini con zucca a rage bolognese.  Phil had a lasagne with artichokes that was pretty darn tasty, too.  After that we walked around the bustling city, enjoying the porticoed walkways and Saturday shoppers.  We eventually made it over to  Bologna university, the longest continuously operating university in the world.  We visited the fascinating museum at Palazzo Poggi where they had among other relics from the school, an amazing collection of wax anatomical models.  Before they had plastic they had an amazing artist who recreated every organ and muscle to allow medical students to learn anatomy. Most amazing was the life size replica  of a woman with fully removable organs. In a strange (or sexist?!) twist, they adorned the woman with a necklace and pubic hair - the male models had no such adornment.  They also had replicas of uteruses and fetuses in every conceivable state which allowed students to learn delivery maneuvers. Fascinating.  We finally made it back to Ferrara for dinner, a post-dinner aperitivo under an unreal Tiepolo sky, and our final visit to Al Romana.  Definitely the worlds best gelato. 

Ravenna

Oh what a day!  We spent the day in Ravenna, looking at the old Byzantine mosaics.  Photos just don't do it justice -- absolutely breathtaking colors and designs.  We can thank a crumbling western Roman Empire for giving us this gift so many moons ago.  We ate a local piadina (a sandwich made on mouth-puckeringly dry bread) and then headed home to Ferrara for pizza and gelato at al romana.  

Ferrara

After our bang-up day in cinque Terre we opted for a quieter travel day.  We headed over to Ferrara where we'll be spending a few days and stopped for lunch in Bologna.  It was a gem of a places called Gigina and seems like it's been in business forever.  Had a very old world French vibe.  The best dish by far was Astrids fazziolloto (huge ravioli) stuffed with potato, zucchini, and zucchini blossoms but liv won most exotic by tucking into a bowl of gnocchi with truffle sauce.   Amazing.  After arriving and unpacking we did a little exploring and visited the Este castle.  It was an impulse decision but a good one- kids  saw their first dungeon (Astrid aptly remarked that it smelled like norrbackas cellar) and drawbridges.  Very exciting.  Ferrara is a beautiful walled city and I took a long run around the perimeter park.  After dinner at the oldest wine bar in the world (Copernicus drank at al brindisi ) we found the ultimate gelato experience.  'Al romana' was sincerely the best gelato I think I've ever tasted.  Thanks to our airbnb host for turning is on to that!!! Another late night for the girls but well worth it!

Cinque Terre

 In spite of our late start and the throngs of tourists ( we later learned that the trains had been on strike the previous day) we had an amazing day exploring Cinque Terre.  We walked 8 miles with 115 floors of elevation and the kids were true rock stars albeit with 1 sprite (local variety called Gasozza) and 3 gelatos in them.  But still!  Some of the trails were closed so we had to do as the locals and cut thorough the terraced gardens ( ie straight up and straight down the mountain). We walked from Vernazza to Monterosso and then again from Riomaggiore to Manarola.  Spectacular ocean views and awe-inspiring garden setups.  A really great day that finished with amazing fish - the absolute best anchovies in lemon I've ever had)- at trattoria da billy in Manarola.  We didn't get into bed until 11 but all had a dusty, sweaty, happy day.