On my days off I have made sure that I visit places easily accessible by train to make the most of my time here. It also gives me a chance to practice my Italian in authentic situations. I'm happy that I don't seem to be having to repeat myself which hopefully means my Italian pronunciation is improving. Here's a summary of recent jaunts - primarily by train.
I took a 2 hour train trip to visit Monfalcone, Palmenoa, Aquilia and Grado.The train trip from Terme Euganee to Montfalcone cost 9,90€ and took about 2.5 hours. Palmenoa is set out in a 9 pointed star shape and was foundered by the Veneticans (winged lion symbol everywhere) in 1593 to defend the eastern borders of the republic of Venezia from the incursions of the Ottoman Turks and the expansionistic intentions of the Austrian empire. It would have been lovely to have an aerial view of the town but a postcard will have to suffice.
Aquilia has interesting looking roman ruins but due to time constraints we opted not to stop but continue on to the beautiful port town of Grado. Entering Grado was similiar to entering Venice - a long road connecting across a lagoon with water each side. We wandered through some amazing back streets and saw three churches ( all catholic) within 40 metres of each other and then stumbled across a brass band playing in the street. Many of the road signs are also in German ( which I also noticed in several other places).
A day trip to Verona was interesting but a little touristy for my liking. Because it was the first Sunday of the month, entrance to many places was reduced to only 1€. Romeo and Juliet balcony ( built especially for tourists) was tacky but didn't cost me anything to look from the outside. Maybe I just wasnt in a romantic mood, being on my own:) Piazza Bra was a bustling food and drink market where I bought Miglion Misti - mixed bread crumbed balls with different fillings. Yummy! I especially liked the ground green olive paste ones.
On another of my days off, I met Daniela in Venezia - less than an hour away by train to Venezia Santa Lucia station. After wandering some back streets and visiting the university we bought a Hellovenezia 12 hour ticket for 18€ to use on the Grand Canal vaporetti ( water taxis). The lovely colourful island of Burano is beautifully presented with canal lined streets of vividly coloured houses. Gorgeous - especially on a warm, sunny day. We also stopped at the island of Torcella before changing vaporetto to go back to the train station.
My last Sunday was spent picnicking at Largo (lake) Garda. It was beautiful and we had gorgeous weather until a late afternoon thunderstorm. It was very picturesque and was about a 2 hour drive from Montegrotto. A boat ride to the historical centre only cost 4€ and gave another perspective from the lake itself.
Vicenza is one of Italy's best kept secrets. It was less than an hour away by train and was pretty without being spoilt by tourism. My favourite place was Basicilica Palladina( named after an architect who contributed a lot to the style of this town). It had beautiful free views and wifi too! Un buona giornata! ( a great day!).
On my second to last night, I went to the local sagra ( food fair) and wallowed like a pig in mud.lol. Five weeks of vegetarian food with very little meat, pasta or red wine ( unusual for an Italian family) had me scoffing meat and red wine like there was no tomorrow:) typical food from the region was on offer and I even tried a bit of horse meat which wasn't bad at all.
These are some of the Italian words I'll miss (Mi manchino queste parole) - Di mi ( tell me); vai ( oh, come on); ascolta mi ( listen to me); Capito? ; ho Capito; salve ( hi); exacto ; perfecto; un' attimo ( just a moment) ; mi Dio.
Arriverderci La Bella Italia a la Prossima Volte. Goodbye, beautiful Italy, until next time.
