Romantic & Enchanting Venezia

Aloha Everyone,

Venezia (Venice) was founded 1,500 years ago as a refuge from barbarians. The city Is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Instead of roads they have canals and the biggest of them is aptly called the Grand Canal. Gothic churches and palaces line along the larger canals evoking the city's glorious past. Today some palaces are being used as hotels while others are decaying.  

This is J.J. and my 7th pilgrimage to a magical, romantic island city. Despite the rainy weather forecast, Venezia was packed with tourists. Annually, 15 million visitors flock to the city each year. We skipped popular sites and walked around enjoying the the city.

Venezia is small but very easy to get lost. This happened to us as we crossed one bridge to another. The truth is that there was a postcard perfect view waiting every turn. It was well worth getting lost.

Here are some facts from the tourism office guide booklet:  

1. There are over 450 palaces (palazzi) and over 300 churches. 

2.  There are about 150 canals and over 400 pedestrian footbridges spanning the canals.  

3.  There are over 400 gondoliers. Perhaps they work during the summer months. We counted less than three dozen.

At a small restaurant located along a canal, J.J. and I sat next to Andrew and Louise. They live in northern England close to the border with Scotland and are in Italy for a week-long holiday. Our lunch became special and memorable because of this chance encounter. We exchanged emails and promised to keep in touch.

Aloha -- Cathi

Padova, the University Town

Aloha Everyone,

The weather suddenly became cold after an overnight rain. I wore two bottoms and 4 tops to keep warm.  

Ravenna definitely will be one of our favorite Italian cities. We took another look at the inviting first impression of Ravenna as we exited the city. The station was absolutely clean.

Took a local train to Padova. Our transfer at Ferrara was much easier than Bologna. The challenge.was the distance between the train's floor and the station platform. In Ferrara, it was about 2 feet. We had to drop our suitcases then jump off. Not being able to find an elevator, J.J. and I had to lift our 2 suitcases up and down staircases.

Our first 2 nights accommodation in Padova is the B&B Hotel located near a residential and industrial area. In lieu of charming Italian ambiance, we have a spacious room with view and nice amenities including free WiFi in the room plus English TV channels.

We took a bus and ventured into the old part of the city for dinner.

University of Padova was established in 1222. Today, we were treated to their unique graduation custom. What we could surmise is that graduates dress up in an outlandish costumes while wearing a laurel on their head. It reminded us of Haku Lei where graduates in Hawaii don on their heads.

A large group of happy students were seated near our table of an open air restaurant. Following J.J.'s cue to inquire if we could take their photos, I jumped in and arranged them for our blog picture. With limited communication on both sides, we thanked them and left a couple of our blog site info cards. If one of you are reading this, "Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality!"

Aloha -- Cathi

Dante Museum & Special Meals

Aloha Everyone

Dante Alighieri, simply known as "Dante" was born in Florence to a landed aristocratic family. He was a poet, philosopher, an Italian "Shakespeare" who lived a life of luxury to poverty to incarceration and exile. His final three years were spent in Ravenna and his bones first hidden and later discovered are tombed in the former Monastery of San Francisco. Interesting footnote is that the Pope tried to get the bones of Dante back to Florence aided by such notable figures of the time as Michelangelo, but Ravenna prevailed.

Visual and audio presentations representing Dante's "Divine Comedy" through hell, purgatory and finally paradise is disturbing, thought provoking and peaceful. J.J. and I also revisited the tomb of Dante and took photos of the eternal flame. Now I have to add "Divine Comedy" as one more book to read again. I am sure this time I will get a deeper insight than I did when I read it for my high school World Literature class.

Basilica di Sant' Apollinaire Nuovo was the last of the 5 attractions we were able to access using the Combo Ticket. This 6th century church started as an Arian Church then transformed into the Byzantine style. Following our guidebook that explains, "Three ships in the ancient harbor and a palace where golden bricks were used to cover Arian figures..." captivated our imagination of the turbulent past and present when nothing was and still is sacred including one's place of worship.

Ca' de' Vén, a restaurant located in the old town with history and culture was our choice for lunch. Our grilled lamb and potatoes in herbs were absolutely delicious! www.cadeven.it. 

Tonight we went back to the neighborhood restaurant where J.J. enjoyed his Zuppa di Pesche for the 2nd time.

We sat together with Kim and Charlie who also have a Hawaii connection. They've lived on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island before moving to Nevada, then to Utah. Friendly and interesting couple with lots of travel stories. When Charlie mentioned about his mother's family origin is Sicily, J.J. and I were all ears.  

Aloha -- Cathi

A Fabulous Day Trip To San Marino

Aloha Everyone,

From Ravenna station, JJ and I rode on a 2nd class local train saving our Eurail tickets for a longer journey. We got off at Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast, then took a bus to San Marino.

San Marino is a separate country located in north-central Italy. It is among the world’s oldest and the smallest republics. San Marino sits on the slopes of Monte Titano. The Three Towers, fortresses dating back to the 11th Century, guard the fortified town. 

According to the 2015 Census, the population of San Marino was 33,020. With per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of $55,500, its economy is comparable to Denmark. Mostly ethnic Italian but languages heard today were Russian, Estonian, Slovakian and some English. Expensive goods-- perfumes, leather bags, shoes, guns, knives were being sold "tax free".  

Walking in the medieval walled town and it's steep, narrow cobblestone streets reminded us of Mount Saint Michel in France.

The cost for today's 10 hours excursion, not including a sumptuous lunch in a restaurant with a panoramic view of San Marino and gelato afterwards:

Round trip train for 2 - €19

Round trip bus for 2 - €20

The weather was bright, sunny and breezy.  It was a wonderful day for this unscheduled trip suggested by J.J.

Aloha -- Cathi