by Barbara Barton Sloane
Stepping into an ankle-deep puddle, I almost lost my footing and quickly had to grab the hand of an elderly gentleman who then ceremoniously led me onto a large wooden plank sitting atop several inches of water, courtesy of the Grand Canal. Walking the plank before I reached the hotel door, a fierce gust of wind blew off my hat and turned my umbrella into a bowl-shaped, useless thing. After this inauspicious start, if one were to look at me they’d see someone with eyes sparkling and a mouth turned upward in a silly grin. So why is this gal smiling? It’s simple – I’m in Venice, and I dare anyone, in any weather and under any circumstance, not to greet the site of this Wonder on the Water without smiling. Impossible. Can’t be done. My venture into the Veneto region of Italy did, indeed, start off soggily but soon the fabled sun that graces this region was out and my umbrella was in – back in my luggage, not to make another appearance for the rest of the trip.
Once ensconced in my room at the Luna Hotel Baglioni, I was quickly transported into a Venetian dream with a window that looked out on a canal, water softly plashing against the hotel’s walls. That evening, my travel companions and I had a special treat awaiting us. We walked a short distance to Piazza San Marco and stood transfixed by a luminous silver sky, mauve clouds scudding quickly across the Campanile, and of course, ubiquitous grey pigeons swooping overhead in gay greeting. We dined at the renowned Caffe Ristorante Quadri which dates to 1725. Over the years everyone from Stendhal, Proust, Wagner and Byron has dined here and in this pinch-myself moment, now me!
Cruising
The best ride one will ever have and one of life’s great pleasures – plying the waters of the Grand Canal. I had the feeling I was in a living Canaletto painting, the sky an impossible blue and surrounded by ancient palazzos, their colors soft terra cotta, cream, gray and beige. This great road of water was filled with vaporetti, motorboats and gondolas, the boat moorings like peppermint sticks jutting up from the water - a scene that will thrill even the most jaded world traveler.
One could say Venice has just about everything to wish for. Just
about. Built on water, the city, of course, doesn’t have much greenery, trees, parks or gardens. Enter Certosa, an island situated a mere 15 minutes by ferry from Piazza San Marco. This verdant refuge from the tourist-clogged streets of Venice is a tranquil escape. One night I stayed at the Certosa Hotel, a peaceful oasis in the lagoon. Certosa and its sister hotel/restaurant Venissa on the island of Mazzorbo, a few minutes by ferry from Certosa, are the creations of Gian Luca Bisol whose wine producing family goes back to 1542. Both hotels’ restaurants are managed by the incomparable chef Paola Budel whose culinary offerings are delicious and memorable.
Wherefore Art Thou
The city of Verona is 71 miles west of Venice, and is, of course, the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. A long-forgotten editor of one of the Bard’s plays wrote: “Verona, so rich in real history has an even greater charm for those who would live in the poetry of the past.” Hummm - live in the poetry of the past - that’s my kind of neighborhood, and the past is ever present in this, one of the great cities of Italy.
Our sightseeing took us, naturally, to Casa di Giulietta, a house the city acquired in 1905. Many locals believe that in the 19th century the house was a bordello, but I prefer to close my eyes and picture the dear girl leaning over her balcony, swooning over that Montague boy.
A visit to the Giardino Giusti, created in the 14th century, is one of Verona’s highlights. A wall of cypress trees created a cool and relaxing spot where we chilled after having made the challenging hike up to what is called the Monster Balcony for an incomparable view of the city.
Passage to Padua
This is a major art center of the Veneto. Standing below the imposing façade of Padua University, Italy’s second oldest, we learned that Dante and Galileo were once professors here. In the square, we heard a loud commotion, singing, shouting and laughing. Turns out it was a large group of the university’s students serenading a recent graduate in a traditional and bawdy fashion. The embarrassed girl was being marched through the square wearing a crazy costume, her head adorned with a shower cap, flippers on her feet, and carrying a sign that proclaimed her graduate status. The crowd sang something our guide loosely translated as “You’re a doctor now, big deal, go…….yourself!” All in good fun, but I suspect the graduate would be very happy when her “fun” was over.
The modest Chapel of the Scrovegni is one of the best reasons to visit Padua. Sometime around 1305, the artist Giotto did several frescos on the Chapel’s walls, and we stood enthralled before one of his most awe-inspiring, “The Last Judgment.”
An Architectural Delight
In the 16th century, Vicenza was transformed into a virtual laboratory for the architectural experiments of Andrea di Pietro known as Palladio, one of the great architects of the High Renaissance. Here we came upon the alabaster-white Basilica Palladiana shimmering in the sunlight. On our city tour, we were rendered speechless by one of Palladio’s greatest masterpieces, the Olympic Theater which was completed five years after the architect’s death in 1585. The trompe l’oeil renderings on stage are, themselves, worth a visit.
Medieval Marvel
In Treviso we strolled through this well-preserved ancient city gaping at the fantastically frescoed houses. We sat on a bench by a slow-flowing canal and enjoyed a spectacular lunch at the Park Hotel Bolognese, a villa of the late 1800s. Viewing Dante’s Bridge, we were told it was so named because Dante actually referred to this town in his “Paradiso.”
Enchantment Enhanced
The treasures of the Veneto are many, its charms incalculable. However, choosing to visit this region of Italy with all that it offers can be daunting, with the worry that one will miss some dream-worthy site. The Italian Travel Promotion Council (ITPC) is an organization that represents 20 major U.S. tour operators working with Italy and is committed to giving American travelers the best possible experience. Suggestion: to ensure quality, reliability and value, when planning your trip be sure that your local travel agent partners with one of the 20 tour operators affiliated with the ITPC.
Arrivederci
The time to depart Italy arrived but no final farewell for me. I preferred to say Arrivederci- so long for now, see you again. And by the way, that silly grin that adorned my face when I arrived – well, I’m still smiling, and when you visit the Veneto, you’ll smile too!
Veneto 411:
Hotels Restaurants
Baglioni Hotels, Venice & Verona Gran Caffe Ristorante Quadri, Venice
www.baglionihotels.com www.quadrivenice.com
Certosa Hotel Palazzo and Giardino Giusti
Isola della Certosa, Venice Verona
www.venicecertosahotel.com
Residenza Art Deco, Venice Villa Pace, Park Hotel Bolognese, Treviso
(for a private loft/apartment experience) www.hotelbolognese.com
www.residenzaartdeco.com
Hotel Savoia & Jolanda, Venice Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista
www.hotelsavoiajolanda.com Venice
www.scuolasangiovanni.it
NH Mantegna, Padua
www.nh-hotels.com
Italian Travel Promotion Council
www.ItalianTravelPromotionCouncil.com
Tel: 310-649-1684
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