From our base
in Budapest, we took a one week trip, April 2 - 9, to the Veneto and Friuli region of Italy.
The area has always been shrouded by the touristic shadow of Venice, but there
is much beauty, history and culture here. The Romans established important
outposts to protect the trade routes of the Serenissima between Venice and
Genoa; and the Brenner Pass, servicing traffic over the Alps and northern
Europe. Roman ruins dot the cityscapes.
This
strategic importance continued under the benign rule of the Venetians; wealth
from agriculture, commerce and the spoils of war paid for the continual
beautification of the region’s cities. The palazzi and villas of Veneto’s
greatest architect, Andrea Palladio, are telling symbols of the leisured existence of the area’s
aristocrats.
TRIESTE
It is a six
hour, 550-kilometer drive from Budapest; we arrived a bit after five o’clock to
the Savoia Excelsior Palace on the Riva Caduti Per facing the Bay of Trieste.
The line is “that if you have nothing good to say, then just say nothing.”
Thus, there will be no description of the hotel, our room or its restaurant. We
were here for two nights.
After
unpacking, we had a quick outing before dinner seeing the expansive Piazza
dell’Unita d’Italia with its imposing city hall, and the somewhat tired Canal
Grande. Looking at a map, it is clear that Trieste was an important spot
coveted over the millennia by many a despot. The Austrian-Hungarian Empire
controlled the area for most of the 19th century, home base for its
navy. The spot’s natural inclination was to look east. The history is
captivating, but I will leave it be. But the final outcome of Trieste was not
really settled until the 1975 Treaty of Osimo and the 1992 affirmation of it by
the newly minted nation of Slovenia.
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| Castello del Miramare |
There were
many lovely sites, a well preserved Roman theatre, the hilltop fortress and
church of San Guisto, the Greek Orthodox St. Nicolo among many others.
Still,
the standout attraction was eight kilometers northwest of the city center, the
Castello del Miramare. It was built between 1856 and 1860 by architect Carl
Junker, along with exquisite gardens spanning 54 acres, for Hapsberg Archduke
Maximilian I. Its white exterior walls stretch right to the beautiful blue water of the
Adriatic.
VICENZA
We were up
early to a warm day, checked out and were off heading west to Vicenza, about a
2 ½ hour, 230-kilometer drive. Our actual destination was Villa Michelangelo in
Arcugnano, just south of Vicenza off the A4. The suite was a disappointment; a
vision from a bygone era, but not a good one. After unpacking, we drove the
short 30 minutes
to Vicenza for the day.
We found good
parking at the train station, south of the old city, and had a short walk up
Valle Roma to Piazza Del Castello. Here starts the Corso Palladio pedestrian
avenue that bisects the town. Lining it are some lavish Palladian villas and
public buildings; this was once one of the wealthiest cities in the world. We
were unable to visit the interior of the Cathedral, but did get into the Chiesa
di Santa Corona, a splendid Dominican Church with Gothic interior, built in
1261. The highlight here for me, though, was Teatro Olimpico, built in 1585 and
Andrea Palladio’s last work. It is the oldest roofed theatre in the world,
drawing inspiration from classical Greek and Roman playhouses. The famous
perspective scenery of the Streets of Thebes was designed by Vicenzo Scamozzi.
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| Teatro Olimpico |
Before our return
to the hotel, we drove to another Palladian masterpiece, the Rotonda, built in
1560. The perfectly symmetrical villa consists of a dome rising above a cube; it blends elegantly with its manicured hillside location.
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| The Rotonda |
Back to the
hotel about 5:30, we had a well-deserved Prosecco on the terrace and watched
the sun drop behind the hilltop. Dinner was down a strange corridor; a small
room made less cozy by a lightning storm that had started. The food and wine were okay, as was the
service, but I kept thinking I was dropped into an Agatha Christie novel. The
other guests included a quiet but suspicious German couple, retired; a jolly
English pair in their 50s, trying too hard to be stylish; and a lithe, skinny
woman multi-lingual but clearly Italian, alone; studying very one else a little
too intently. As far as I know, no one was murdered (or a least no one discovered).
We were
quickly to bed.
VERONA
Rain
threatened in the morning, but by the end of our 60 kilometer drive west on the
A4 a very nice day was presenting itself. We found easy parking near the rail
station and proceeded up the rather shabby Corso Porta Nuova to the Piazza Bra
and its Roman amphitheater. Built in 30 CE, it is the third largest in the
world; its interior is still virtually intact and still hosting many events.
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| Roman Amphitheater - 30 CE |
It was then
on to Piazza Erbe, with a compulsory stop at Casa di Giulietta, the fictional
residence of Juliet in Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” – a selfie shrine of
the highest order! More seriously, we took in the astounding St. Anastasia,
begun in 1290. Notable are two water stoups which are supported by i gobbi, or hunchbacks, the earlier
dating to 1495 – exquisite craftsmanship.
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| 1495 - Water Stoup |
We continued
to the banks of the River Adige, whose switchback in direction forms the
natural defensive perimeter to all but the south of the ancient city. Here lies
the grandeur of the Scaligeri dynasty and, from 1263, their 127-year rule of
Verona. The fortifications, bridges and the impressive fortress Castelvecchio
still exude their power. Following on along the Adige we made a final stop at
San Zeno Maggiore, a Romanesque church built in 1125 to honor Verona’s patron
saint, San Zeno. The bell tower, from 1045, reaches 236 feet; the amazing nave
ceiling, a wonderful example of a ship’s keel ceiling; and the 1457 altarpiece
of Andrea Mantegna.
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| San Zeno - 1457 Altarpiece |
Verona was a
highlight; a definite “must see.” Even our lunch was a pleasure; small
sandwiches served by a nice, polite and helpful young man. Look it up if you
visit; “Osteria Verona” on the Piazza delle Erbe, 34.
After the
short drive back to Villa Michaelangelo we had more Prosecco on the terrace; eventually
another dinner - still no bodies discovered.
PADOVA
Or in
English, Padua. The morning was foggy, but eventually cleared to sunshine;
Padova was about a 45-minute drive east. Parking was once again at the train
station, but this time the public lots seemed full. I found a private lot close
by, Garage San Marco, probably run by the Mafia. I joked that our rental would
be loaded on a lorry about 15-minutes after we left.
Our first and
most important stop was to the Scrovegni Chapel. Cappella degli Scrovegni was built
by Enrico Scrovegni, hoping to gain salvation for his father, whose great
wealth came from usury. The frescoes were painted by the master Giotto in 1303,
works of great narrative force depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the
Last Judgement, which occupies the entire west wall. We were extremely fortunate
to get tickets, each group of 25 visitors has 15-minutes to take in this
masterpiece. It is a miniature Sistine Chapel.
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| Cappella degli Scrovegni |
After the visit,
we continued into the heart of the old town, visiting the Palazzo della
Ragione, the medieval court of justice, that sits astride the grand Piazzas
delle Fruiti and delle Erbe. Exiting onto Via Manin we arrived to the Piazza
del Doumo and its 12th century church and the Palazzo del Capitanio with its astronomical clock, from 1344. Lunch was at
the iconic neo-classic Caffè Pedrocchi, the interiors much more of a delight than
the food.
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| Palazzo del Capitanio |
After lunch,
we strolled to Piazza del Santo and the Basilica di Sant Antonio (St. Anthony). The church,
started in 1231, is in Romanesque Gothic style, with eight domes and spires
of eastern inspiration – squint and it could be a mosque.
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| Basilica di S. Antonio |
The tomb of St.
Anthony is here, so it is a pilgrimage stop for people from around the world. The
tomb is an explosion to the senses.
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| St. Anthony's Tomb |
TREVISO
The weather
continued to be mild as we headed out to Treviso, 1 ¼ hours and 90-kilometers
east of the hotel, north of Venice. Despite comparisons to its more famous
Venice, Treviso’s fortified city has its own very distinctive charm. We parked
near the Domo di Treviso, visiting this 12th century church that contains some wonderful paintings by Titan and Il Pordenone. Via Calmaggiore
forms the backbone of the old town, with perpendicular streets crisscrossing the
many canals. The atmosphere is quiet and tranquil.
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| Canals of Treviso |
We visited
the iconic fish market, situated on an island of the Sile River before lunching
at Toni del Spin, risotto with asparagus – very good.
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| Toni del Spin |
A bit more walking and it
was back to Villa Michelangelo in Arcugnano; an abbreviated day of touring. We
had a nice bottle of Sütirol Alto Adige
Pinot Noir Riserva in our room looking out to the hillside, a 2011 Girlan “Trattmann Mazon” – fabulous! Dinner was
out of the hotel; it was a harrowing 10-kilometer drive to the hilltop we looked at from our hotel
room, and the "Trattoria Zamboni" – good basic food and wine.
We returned
to the hotel and watched the missile strike on Syria on CNN; an intricate piece
in Trump’s well thought through Middle East strategy. Depressed about the world, we were off to sleep.
UDINE
& TÖSCHLING
We were up
early and checked out of Villa Michelangelo after spending four evenings there.
We were heading to the small Austrian village of Töschling on the northern banks of the Wörthersee. We did, however, have one more city to visit in Italy,
Udine. This first stop was east and north of Vicenza, about two hours and just
over 200-kilometers.
This was to
be a short stop. Udine’s central square is Piazza della Liberta with some very
interesting buildings: the pink hued Piazza del Comune, Venetian Gothic (1450);
and the Renaissance Porticato San Giovanni and its Clock Tower (1527), crowned
by two bronze Moors who strike out the hour.
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| Clock Tower |
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| Piazza del Comune |
Further along
Via Veneto were the Oratorio della Purità and the Duomo, with its octagonal bell tower. Both house frescos
and paintings of Giambattita Tiepolo. Before returning to the car, we had cappuccino
at the Art Deco Caffé Cartarena, built in
1915.
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| Caffé Cartarena - 1915 |
We were back
in the car by early afternoon, another 1 ½ hour drive to our hotel, the Schloss
Seefels, part of Relais & Chateaux. This was our third visit here; it is a
wonderful, welcoming relaxing property on the shores of the tranquil Wörthersee. We had a relaxing late afternoon; dinner was excellent.
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| Schloss Seefels - View from our Terrace |
The following
morning after breakfast, we drove back to Budapest, the last leg of this
2,300-kilometer journey to a part of Italy that will be fondly remembered.
