Vicenza

What a wonderful surprise Vicenza turned out to be!

It took only a short time to get there AND there were very few tourists!  You just couldn't beat that!

Vicenza was founded in the 2nd century B.C and prospered under Venetian rule from the 15th to the end of the 18th centuries.  It is considered the Italian Capital of architecture and is often referred to as the "City of Palladio", after Antonio Palladio who was the architect responsible for the renovation of many buildings in the 1500's.  And Vieenza was certain to memorialize him for his creative thinking abilities and architectural talent.

When we first arrived, we headed to Santa Corona, because we realized that it would only be open until noon, and we wanted to view some of the famous paintings in the interior.

We certainly were not disappointed as we viewed Bellini's famous Baptism of Christ 

And  Adoration of the Magi by P. Varonese

There was also this lovely representation of the Virgin Mary with SS Joachim and Anne, her parents.

I've cropped the photo to feature the painting because these images are so large that you would miss the details with a regular photo.  

It was well worth making the effort to view these beauties, that's for certain.

Moving on, we walked past the Palazzo Chiericati, now an art museum,

and headed towards the Piazzo Signori and Piazza Elbe which adjoin each other.  If these names sound familiar, they were also Piazzas in Verona.

Here we saw the Bissara tower, which stands 82 meters high and has a beautiful motif featured on the front of the building.

the columns of St. Mark and the Redeemer

and the Loggia del Capitaniato

A short distance away, we viewed the Cathedrale of Piazza Duomo

It was not open for public viewing.

As we walked along, I could not help but admire the frescoes and medallions decorating the facades of the Palazzas.

Everywhere we turned it seemed that there was some fantastic building to examine

We stopped for lunch in a lovely restaurant, where I couldn't resist taking a photo of our friends under the Tiki masks

How entertaining is that?  

On the way back to our car, we passed a statue of Garibaldi

and the Torriene di Porta Costella

As you can see, the day was picture perfect, and we thoroughy enjoyed our visit to this lovely city.

Later in the day, Marty and I headed over to the Duomo in Cittadella to check out the interior paintings.  I spotted one that was painted in the 16th century by Jacopo Apollonio.

It was entitled La Madonna della Cintala con Santa Rita, & Santi Battista, Lorenza e La Trinita.

The painting itself is a little dark, but it surely amazed me that I was viewing something that was painted so long ago, and that it still looked so beautiful.  

Visiting this area of Italy has certainly been quite the learning experience, and Marty and I are thrilled to have been able to spend this week with Morena and Dennis.

Today we head to Venice with "the Cousins" as our tour guides.

It's going to prove to be an exciting and informative day.........I can feel it!

Arrivederci!!

Verona: the ancient city

As promised, this post adds a bit more detail to our gallivanting excursion to Verona and Soave yesterday.

With Dennis in charge of the transportation we arrived in Verona in about an hour's time from Cittadella. Just as we were neared the Old Town we were made painfully aware of the rows and rows of tour buses parked near the entrance.

Verona is obviously a favorite attraction.

And, it really isn't all that surprising since it is deep rooted in history and has an abundance of preserved buildings and streets to walk along.

 Or should I say push and shove along?

We began near the Roman Arena which actually dates from the 1st century.

Believe it or not, most of the stones are original.

Nearby, a golden plate on the sidewalk shows the Roman city plan.

The center of the grid represents Piazza Erbe which was our next destination.

People have gathered in this Piazza since the Roman times, and today was no different, for sure. 

Despite rubbing elbows with way too many tourists, Marty managed to get a photo of us in the Piazza.

A statue of St. Zeno, the patron of Verona stands in Piazza Erbe.

He faces the "House of Juliet".  This seemed to be a real draw to many people.

Somehow I managed to capture a photo without someone peering over the edge. 

Believe me.....it wasn't easy. Every time I would focus the camera, a different head would pop out.

This attraction is rather amusing as far as I'm concerned. Verona was only the setting for the play Romeo & Juliet.   Shakespeare was never in the city.  I realize this is fun, but I can't help but wonder how many people go home and think they've actually seen the terrace where a person named Juliet stood and cried out for her Romeo?

We escaped the piazza just in time.  We had spotted the woman with the flag and her minions following behind her.  

Whew!

Our next destination was the Piazza del Signori

 Of course, we couldn't pass on this photograph with Dante.

The Piazza is beautiful, with each of the palaces representing an entirely different type of facade.

Around the corner is the Scaligeri family cemetery.

These are 14th century Gothic tombs that are contained in a private burial plot near the Piazza Signori.

Walking along, we headed  towards St. Anastasia Church.  It  was built in the 13th thru 15th centuries.

The church is an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture and it was designed by two Dominican Friars.  

This church originally begun in 1290, is the largest church in Verona. 

I was amazed to see that I was walking on the original floor. 

And the interior is just breathtaking!

The Crucifix Chapel is the most ancient part of the Basilica as it is built on the site of the earlier smaller church dedicated to St. Anastasia.  The wooden cross dates from the mid 15th century.

There were over a dozen ornamental altars on either side of the church, each with their own particular devotion.  Here are just a few examples:

These paintings  were dedicated to the Dominican Saints

and this one to St. Martin.

Here you see the Descent of the Holy Spirit

There was an elegant gold gilded organ

 

marble statues

And amazing frescoes on nearly every wall.

The only thing missing was any type of icon recognizing the patroness of this beautiful church, St. Anastasia herself!

Exiting the church, we then walked to the riverfront area where we could see the Ponte Pietra

Isn't that an awesome view?

After a quick walk past the Duomo

                                         

we had completed most of the tour of Verona.  We stopped for a delightful lunch out on the cafe terrace.

and then it was time to head to our next destination.....

Soave

This place was awesome.  

No tourists!  

Wait......aren't we tourists?  No....we're travelers.

Loved the grapes hanging from the interior arch as we walked into the walled city.

And I soon learned from Morena that Soave is where they make Bolla Wine.  Which explains the wine-making theme.  Here Marty stands next to a grape press.

Dennis & Morena suggested that Marty and I walk around the town while they relaxed with a gelato, so we took advantage of the offer and climbed to the top where the upper castle stands.

There were some lovely views from that vantage point.

And......lots and lots of......

Grapes!

Awesome!

You just don't see that everyday, do you?

Nor this either.

We headed back to Cittadella where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at a nearby restaurant, celebrating Morena's birthday.

Marty and I had a blast....eating food.....drinking wine.....watching the Italians talk and laugh and REALLY enjoy themselves.

These are the moments that we hold special.  Great fellowship and fun.

And who cares if we don't speak or understand Italian?