The Great Escape

  Aug 30 - Treviso to Padua (Padova) On arrival in Treviso our host Marco had given us some advice about the local fish market being worth a visit. So, because we were leaving today and we hadn’t been there yet, we were up bright and early to visit the ‘Isola della Pescheria’ (it’s an island on one of the canals) before catching the train to Padova.  However, it was not only before catching the train, it was also before 90% of the fishmongers had turned up for work as well! 😊 On arrival in Padova we were able to check our bags in early and so we then took off for a wander around town.  Walking around some lovely Piazzas we came across a food market, and it was just too good to resist, so a stop for roast pork baguettes and Prosecco was the order of the day, all very nice!.  On the move after lunch we visited the Palazzo Delia Ragione, well known for its frescoes. Built in 1218, and over 80 metres in length, the upper hallway here was used as the courts of justice...

  Aug 29 - Treviso (Day trip to Venice) Venice - Not on our original plans, however, once we’d booked Treviso you can’t be this close and NOT visit!  😊 It’s not that long since we were last here, 2018 (with the nieces), and so there wasn’t a lot that we absolutely needed to see, however, the one big ticket item I had to revisit was St Marks Basilica.  This multi-domed church on St Mark’s Square is absolutely stunning and is a must-see whenever visiting Venice.  Built between the 11th and the 13th centuries, it incorporates design elements from the Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine styles, all of which give Saint Mark's its unmistakable look and makes it the absolute focal point of the square.  The interior is also as spectacular as it’s five cupolas are decorated with magnificent Byzantine mosaics, made from gold-leaf, glass, gold-leaf, precious stones, and even more gold-leaf! 🤑 😊 We’d sort of planned that after visiting St Marks we’d have a look around one...

  Aug 28 - Treviso Nothing planned today except perhaps a walk around town, maybe lunch in one of the many piazzas, and even a glass of Prosecco or two in the sun, all not planned but this is what we ended up doing, it was great.  Our experience today confirmed our first impressions from yesterday regarding Treviso, that is that it really is a lovely place. With its winding cobbled streets, arched passageways, palazzos, churches, towers, rivers and canals, old town walls and bridges, cafes and restaurants galore, plus very few tourists, what more could you ask for? I know there’s no standout historical monuments here but apart from that this is Northern Italy at its best. Above right:  This is the ‘Fontana della Tette’, a water fountain built in 1559.  For three days during certain festivals the water was replaced with wine, ‘vino rosso’ from one breast, ‘vino bianco’ from the other! 

  Aug 27 - Verona to Treviso   A travel day today and hence we didn’t get up to much.  When checking in this afternoon our host host gave us a few tips on what to do locally. One of these was to check out the city walls, and the rivers and canals that are either side of these.  This turned out to be a great idea as, being a bit humid, the breeze along the waterways was more than welcome By the time we reached the city walls though we’d already decided that we were going to like Treviso. JEM had commented that “I don’t know what the criteria are for calling somewhere lovely but this place has got it”, I could only agree.  It could’ve been the canals, the cobbled streets, all the historical buildings, or all of the above (and more!), but I’m sure our first impressions will be confirmed. 

  Aug 26 - Verona Out for a walk about town this morning and alongside the arena we came across the props from last nights and tonight’s shows.  It made us think that, with a different show every night during ‘the season’ and the huge amount of stage props used, it must be a logistical nightmare to get everything ‘right on the night’.  One of the main purposes of our walk today was to visit Verona’s Basilica, San Zeno Maggiore.  However, once we got going, we ended visiting what seemed all of Verona’s other churches and cathedrals!. All pretty special in their own way but four in one day is probably overdoing it a touch!  ⛪️🕍 The Basilica, completed in the late 1300’s, is best well known for its Romanesque and stripey architecture, along with its reputation for being the wedding chapel of Romeo and Juliet! Our next port of call was to the San Fermo Maggiore church, also built in the 14th century, and renowned for its stunning wooden ceiling. It’s bit like an...

  Aug 25 - Bardolino to Verona Allowing for the vagaries of the Italian bus system, i.e. disappearing, late, and slow buses, it was quite a nice journey here this morning passing through one of Italy’s many wine regions.  Once in Verona, and checked in, we were off for a wander around town, our first port of call being the Verona Arena, a Roman amphitheatre built in 30 AD. We already had tickets for tonight’s Placido Domingo performance and just wanted to check out the place in the daylight.  On the way there though JEM saw an advert for Pucini’s opera Turandot, playing tomorrow night, so now we’re off to see that as well! 😊 Our next stop was to the Scaligero Bridge, a fortified bridge over the Adige River and named after a 14th century Lord of Verona.  Built with red brick and white marble, this fantastic looking bridge featured the world's largest span, at the time, of nearly 50 metres across.  Apparently the reason for its construction was to give the...

  Aug 24 - Bardolino (Day trip to Sirmione) It was our last day in the Italian lakes and so we decided to visit Sirmione a medieval town at the most southern point of Lake Garda.  Similar in many ways to the other towns we’ve seen around the lake, with it’s small piazzas and tiny cobbled lanes and alleyways, but with the big addition of a castle.  This Scaligero Castle, built in the 1300’s, is a fine example of a lakeside fortification and its internal docks are apparently the only surviving example of a 14th Century fortified port. The town itself was pretty nice however the narrow laneways were far too crowded and for some reason the local council have allowed cars inside the city walls causing additional havoc.  With the heat and traffic it wasn’t too long before we’d had enough and so we got the ferry back to Bardolino.  Once back ‘home’ we spent a leisurely afternoon lazing around by the pool, not something we’ve done so far on this trip. 

  Aug 23 - Bardolino We decided on a bit of a ‘coastal’ walk today and so headed south to Lazise about 5k away.  The walk itself was quite nice with some lovely views over Lake Garda and, in parts, some very picturesque properties and walkways.  Lazise itself is an old walled city, originating in the 9th century and is considered Italy’s oldest commune.  Apparently, in 983, the Holy Roman Emperor granted Lazise the right to fortify itself and these fortifications, the castle and city walls,  are the main sites to see today.  Unfortunately though there’s no access into the castle but the whole remnants are still pretty impressive from the outside. The rest of the town, similar in fact to Bardolino with its tiny alleyways, piazzas, and streets, was lovely to walk around before heading back home.