Padua

We took the train to Padua today.

We were met by our guide Angela. She walked us from the train straight to the old part of town.

As we crossed the bridge over the canal she explained that we could take the canal and river through a series of locks over six hours time and get to Venice. Just across the bridge was a memorial to 9-11 it is impressive the number of European cities I have been to that have a memorial to that day.


Our first stop was making reservations to see the Giotto Frescos. Then we went to the church very nearby.The church is very plain and again lovely.

We walked on to the university and watched the doctors graduate. Each of the doctor graduates wore a wreath of laurel leaves around their shoulders. Once they left the university square there were cartoons hung on the walls making fun of the graduate. We also saw a statue of the first ever woman to graduate from the university. She died young and alone because her family abandoned her and no man would marry her.

We walked through the market square and the ghetto area of town. We stopped at a cafe that has three rooms green red and white for the colors of the Italian flag. The green room does not serve food but the students and others are permitted to sit there as log and whenever the wished. It was originally built as an open air cafe but they have since glassed it in. The green room is still always open I believe.

One church we entered was bombed during the war and has been completely restored. The yhave rep laved many of the frescos and used computer generated cartoons from old photos. They then using the computer located all of the fragments that they had to allow them to reproduce the frescos. There was scaffolding in one side chapel and the artists were working on the walls. It was fascinating to see. Made me think I should try to contact Chris and serif he is anywhere near here.

We went back to see the Giotto frescos. The church was paid for by a Paduan for himself and his father who were usurers and trying to avoid hell. They are some of the first paintings to use perspective and the modling of faces using shadows. In order to see them we had to sit and watch a film while our body temperatures accla mated thrnvwe went in and were then permitted 15 minutes in the chapel.

We discussed the important topic of which Shakespearean play was in Padua and Verona. I checked up and learned the answer. It is the Taming of the Shrew.

Back to Verona and more Spritz on the piazza.

We went to a restaurant on the piazza. This was by far the best restaurant so far. I had a wonderful risotto and everyone raved about their meals. The chocolate dessert friend four and I shared was heaven. It was sort of one of those volcano cakes but the chocolate was so much better that the US variety.

We had wine, of course and slept well our last night in Verona.