(Padova, Italy)

There is more to Padova than laundry, pizza and gelato.  Our visit included two exceptional sights that attract people from all over the world.

The first was the Scrovegni Chapel.  Having already seen the Sistine Chapel in Rome and “The Last Supper” in Milan (as well as Orvieto’s Duomo just a few days ago), I was somewhat skeptical of another church full of art.  In this case, however, there was something special about the time when the art was created.

The artist Giotto was born in 1267 and created the frescoes inside the Scrovegni Chapel from 1303 to 1305.  Like Michelangelo, Giotto had many talents:  the crucifix shown in this post was also created by him.

The art is more than seven centuries old and is still in the place it was originally created. It predates “The Last Supper” by almost 200 years and the Sistine Chapel by more than 200 years.  Besides its great age, it is also remarkable because it is really the first example of modern art:  the realism of the art, the depiction of real people, the depiction of three dimensions and even the simulation of marble through paint had no real precedent.  In a way, the Scrovegni Chapel marks the beginning of the Renaissance.

The creation of the chapel itself also had an interesting story.  It seems that Mr. Scrovegni was a money lender charging high interest rates.  His son was concerned about how his father would be treated in the afterlife: with good reason, apparently, as Dante’s Inferno included the senior Scrovegni in one of the levels of hell.  In an attempt to buy forgiveness for his father’s sins, the junior Scrovegni financed the construction of the chapel and contracted Giotto to paint the frescoes.

Later in the day, we visited St. Anthony’s Basilica.  Once again, there was something special about this place that distinguishes it from the many other basilicas to be found across Italy and Europe.  This is the final resting place of St. Anthony, who lived from 1195 to 1231.  He was a gifted orator and apparently a prolific miracle worker. Pilgrims come from all over the world to pray here or to give thanks for prayers answered.  We saw a number of pilgrims while we were there…as well as a number of souvenir stands immediately outside!

What is unusual about St. Anthony’s Basilica is that St. Anthony’s tongue, lower jaw and vocal cords are still intact and on display in the basilica’s reliquary.  His body was first exhumed in 1263:  he had mostly decayed to dust but his tongue was still unspoiled and red.  When his remains were examined again in 1981, the above parts were still intact and have remained on display ever since.

A final point of interest is that the Basilica is actually considered part of Vatican City!  As with the main Vatican location in Rome, however, there are no border formalities.  After leaving the basilica, we wandered through the Prato della Valle (see photo at the top of this post) before having our customary late dinner.  We have gotten into this habit in Italy, as most restaurants do not open until 7:00 or 7:30 p.m.

Coming up next:  our cultural adventure winds down and the skiing begins!

(Padova, Italy)

To break up the journey from Orvieto to Madonna di Campiglio, we decided to spend a couple of nights in Padova (often referred to as “Padua” in English). This is a small university-oriented city just west of Venice that sees only a fraction of Venice’s tourist traffic. It was also the setting for Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”.

We were able to stay on the same train all the way from Orvieto to Padova. I quickly hopped off the train in Firenze (Florence) to take the worst travel photo ever – see above. Alas, upon arrival in Padova, our first impression was not great. As with many European cities, the train station is not located in the best part of town.  There seemed to be an awful lot of people just hanging around the train station.  It took a 15-minute walk to the true city centre for the city’s charms to become apparent. We really warmed up to the place after that.

Padova has three grand piazzas within a one-block radius. Although I am sure that these are even more vibrant in the summer, there was still lots of gelato and other similar treats on offer. While I took photos during both the day and the evening, I prefer the later pictures. It’s all quite medieval, but still very much alive. Just a few blocks away, all the high-end shops you can imagine (Prada, Gucci, etc.) are there…but we preferred the more unique shops that are supported by a large university population. I bought some music here as  well as a pyjama in the rare “extra tall” size.  More importantly for the short term, we also found a promising local pizzeria for dinner.

At Pizzeria al Duomo, I selected the Rucola e Grano pizza. The description promised rucola (rocket) and other toppings….as well as shredded Grana Padano cheese and a vinaigrette! I thought this was unusual, but it all made sense when the pizza arrived and I saw just how much rucola had been piled on top. No side salad was necessary!

The next day was a busy one and some of the details will  have to wait until my next post.  However, amid all of the food and culture, we also had chosen this as our laundry day.   Limiting our luggage was essential because I was bringing my ski boots from Canada, not wanting to risk blisters (or worse) with unfamiliar rental boots in Europe.

This laundromat was entirely self-service and we had an initial challenge (as always) when getting started.  Some other patrons took pity on us and gave us a hand with the vague posted instructions.  Once our laundry was in motion, my wife stood guard at the laundromat while I returned to a nearby take-out place we had spotted the night before: it was lunch time!   The place is called Capatoast and they specialize in…toast!  This was toast with a gourmet flair.  Mine had cooked local ham and cheese, porcini mushrooms and truffle sauce.   The sauce was strong – I could still taste it hours later.

After the laundry was finished, it was only fair that our labours were rewarded by gelato on the Piazza Signori.   We enjoyed it in situ on some strategically placed steps along with a bunch of students.  Stay tuned for more on Padova!