Padua Affords Nothing But What Is Kind

"Padua affords nothing but what is kind," said William Shakespeare. Over 400 years later, that's still an accurate statement.

The plan for the day today was simply to drive from Florence to Ponte Di Piave, near Venice. Here we're staying at the Hotel Al Gabbiano (www.algabbiano.it). But it's really not that long of a drive, so we elected to kick in E5 apiece and take a side trip to Padua. Sarah Morris is great about making sure that we get to direct our own trip within the context of available time and distance. It costs E250 to bring a bus of tourists into Padua, but it was the bargain of the century.

(Photo: the main square and the "other" huge and amazingly gorgeous church - not St. Anthony's - in Padua)

Unlike Rome and Florence, Padua at this time of
year is practically deserted. It's a university town, and school's out for summer. There are a great number of pilgrims to St. Anthony's basilica, but other than that, we just about had the town to ourselves. It's a lovely classical Italian town, with narrow streets and interesting shops. I bought Jill a tea towel to ensure that I get a beating when I arrive home.

(Photo: a stream running through Padua)

The basilica is wonderful. They don't allow photography of any kind inside, so I have only the outside to show you. But inside there's art by Donatello and other great renaissance figures, and the combination of influences from the romanesque, gothic, and byzantine styles make it unique and visually striking. Also unlike the "big draw" cathedrals in Rome and Florence, pilgrims outnumbered tourists by a large ratio. It was almost silent inside because instead of chattering tourists, people were getting down to some serious prayer.

As a university town, Padua also has a selection of great bookstores. I didn't buy anything, but I was totally taken with the place. It's like Santa Cruz (where I went to school) as it would have been if the University was 1,000 years old.

Our great lunch food find of the day was the Pizza Cone - which is exactly what it sounds like. You order it like a pizza, and the guy takes a pre-cooked cone of pizza dough and fills it with your stuff - in my case, italian sausage, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese, and puts it in a little oven with a bunch of wire cone-holders. They rotate through the oven and in about 90 seconds your pizza cone comes out piping hot. It's the most fabulous way to have a slice of Pizza on the go.

(Photo: Aubrey Brown and Kate Zurschmeide on a tiny street in Padua)

Both groups of people who visited this place came back to the bus and said "We're going to open a franchise back home." Honestly, I think one of these could be a huge success on any college campus in America. I may work up a business plan.

As we collected to get back on the bus, I took more photos of beautiful old town Padua and there was a big fountain. Of course, it's still roasting hot here, and a dog was frolicking in the fountain and barking his fool head off at all the people gathered around, as if to say "Yo, dummies, get your butts in the water! It's lovely in here." So we all doffed our shoes and compromised by cooling our dogs in the fountain for a bit before we got on the bus for the
last ride of the day.

(Photo: Phil Platter)

As I said, we're at the Al Gabbiano in Ponte di Piave (look it up) - and it's a nice hotel. They've got free wireless internet included with your stay, so I'm blogging extra long tonight. They've also got a full bar, so I'm enjoying a Jack Daniels over ice. Some things from home are irreplaceable.

But some things are markedly better here in Italy.

There's a neighborhood grocery here in Ponte di Piave about a block from the hotel. I went there and it's about the size of a Circle K/Plaid Pantry/7-11, right?

So this tiny neighborhood corner grocery has got a
cheese and meat counter that would put the poshest - I mean the really poshest - grocery store in Portland, Seattle,
or the Bay Area to absolute shame. I bought
(for a total of 5 Euro) a couple wedges of the
most amazing locally produced cheeses you
never ate. One of them is called "Drunken" cheese - it's
a parmesan-type crumbly cheese, but more pungent and rich.
It's so-called because it's aged by soaking in the
fermentation sediment of the local wine.

Photo: Sarah Morris enjoys a gelato

Yeah, it's EXACTLY as good as it sounds.
It's unbelieveably rich and decadent.

Then I bought a wedge of this other cheese whose name I cannot remember,
but it's kind of a swiss or ementhaler-type flavor (gym socks) but creamier in texture, almost like a hard gouda. Yummy yummy yummy!

And the meats - they've got a dried smoked beef that's almost black, and lean as jerky. They've got smoked hams and sausage and salami and all kinds of good stuff. All at the ordinary corner grocery.

(Photo - Shawna Hackelman and Kim Essig)

Phil Platter bought some prosciutto and we got some nice crackers (with rosemary in them) and had a little antipasto out on the back deck before dinner.

Dinner was pasta bolognese, then veal in a nice sauce with roast potatoes, salad, and a shortbread with apricot jam on it. So we're all now happily enjoying our drinks of choice, checking our e-mail and getting ready for our 6 AM wake up call for the trip out to Venice tomorrow.

Ciao!

Kate Zurschmeide



Katie Platter and Megan Ferguson




Chris Long

Megan Schucht and Katie Platter

St. Anthony's

St. Anthony's

St. Anthony's and its square as you approach it