I've been meaning to write this for a couple of days now, but have been too busy (or tired).
I'm once again in a no WIFI zone, so I'll have to deliver pics later.
On Wed, on the way back from our lunch in Modena, we stopped by Mandova. Beautiful, old architecture, grand piazzas with cafes, salumerias, pasticherias, finally the Italy we'd been looking for and craving. We spent a couple of hours wandering around, loading up on some provisions and having a drink outside, all without a tourist onslought.
Thursday it was time to go for me. Tom & Pauline were staying another day, but I lit out in search of Italy. Lago di Garda did give me a good send off by way of providing a high road along the eastern shore, over Monte Baldo, which has some nice roads and spectacular views of the lake and valleys. I had decided to go Vicenza, with the intent of taking the train to Venice.
Vicenza is a destination in its own right. It is filled with buildings by Andrea Palladio,
which are Unesco World Heritage (I really should have kept track of how many of those I tripped accross on this trip). The Basilica Palladiana is probably the most famous in the heart of Vicenza. It truly is a pretty amazing building and for this summer the rooftop is open to the public - and equipped with a bar. I cannot imagine a more spectacular place for an Aperol Spritz. I wound up chatting with a couple of Brits for a while and by the time I left to get dinner it was pretty late. At this point I discovered that the locals don't really seem to eat dinner. The bars were still jammed and serving snacks (this was about 9pm now). The only two restaurants on the piazza were filled with tourists. After fruitlessly scouring side streets for another half hour, I gave up and had a slice of pizza. Oh well.
Next day was Venice. I had planned on getting in by lunch time and then getting the last train back because I wanted to see the the city in the evening. Well, see isn't the right word. Experience, maybe. I didn't come to see, I just came to be there. I like the vibe. I really would have liked to stay over night, but couldn't figure out a way to make that work with the bike in tow. So I didn't have any sights on my agenda - those come anyway when wandering around, what was on my agenda though was lunch and cicchetti for dinner. I had a recommendation for lunch, so I made a beeline for it when I arrived at Venezia Santa Lucia, the main train station. Well, that was the theory anyhow. By the time I figured out the Vaporetto (water bus), got a ticket, wound up on the wrong side of the grand canal, found my way to a bridge and over to the restaurant it was 1:30. And it was closed for vacation. Ahhhhh! I was ravenous. Luckily, Lonely Planet had a recommendation right around the corner. Onwards. I had the 3 course menu along with a half liter of Valpolicella. When in Venice... I did have the meat menu, since most seafood menus include shellfish, which doesn't work so well for me. Suitably strengthened (and a bit buzzed) I wandered on. Venice is obviously visited by lots of tourists. By and large though, they tend to cluster around the famous landmarks and a few big streets. If you wander off through the myriads of side streets, you see very few of them. I love that. Once in a while, you trip over a little Enoteca and can stop in for a drink. Cicchetti are the Venetian way to eat dinner, or to have a snack any time. They are Venetian tapas. Some bars have a whole buffet, some just have a couple. They tend to run an Euro or so a piece and you can assemble a meal for very little money. I stopped in at Trattoria Alla Vedova, which is ancient and famous for their polpette (meatballs). Four of those, a plate of grilled vegetables, a quartino of vino rossa di casa and I was in business. While eating, I watched a number of people stop in, grab a polpetto and a quick glass of wine - there's a pitcher of white and one red sitting on the bar - and move on. Love it. I ambled around a bit more, found a local bar for a glass of Prosecco and grabbed the 9:17 train. It was a good day.
Today, I decided to go back to Valdobbiadene. I needed to chill after a bunch of really packed days. I found a fun moutain north of Bassano del Grappa for some good riding and set off. The ride was steeper than expected and there were some serious turns to be ridden. Found a nice trattoria in the hills and had some Bigoli with ragu for lunch. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting outside at Agritourismo Le Mesine, with a glass of Prosecco. It's very peaceful here, though it looks like the place will be packed for dinner. It's said to be even better than Riva de Milan. I'm looking forward to it.
Oh my. It's a wedding party. I guess peace and quiet are over.
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