2006 Heart of Italy II: San Marino, Veneto & Lombardy

DAY 9 Chianciano/San Marino


We transferred to San Marino after breakfast this morning, stopping for a “hamlet” visit by Lake Trasimeno. This was the site of a famous battle between Hannibal and Roman forces in 217 BC in which the Romans were defeated in an ambush. As we progressed on our trip we took the Old
Roman Road to Furlo Gorge.

We stopped for lunch at the Furlo Gorge Inn, a favorite hideaway of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, who stayed here often on trips between Rome and his hometown of Predappio. Earlier in our trip, Pilar told us about the two faces of Mussolini. Her father was a personal aide to Benito and assisted him with communications (The leader had a learning disorder). Pilar said he was a good man who did good things for Italy (like massive tunnel projects for the infrastructure), but he turned bad when he acquired too much power and it went to his head. Before eating we were treated to a local presentation on Mussolini in the dinning room where the dictator often visited with guests. On the walls were many photos of Benito and on a desk was a large bust of him with his jutting jaw. Our lunch included various antipasti snacks and melon. as well as red or white wine.

Sheer limestone cliffs dominate this breathtaking region. The area was once a solid mass of rock, but many years of river erosion have left us with this winding gorge. There was a rewarding drive to the Furlo Gorge (Gola del Furlo), enclosed by sheer rock faces.

At the narrowest point is the Galleria Romana del Furlo or Forulus (177m/584 ft), a tunnel 37m/40 yd long carrying the Via Flaminia through the rock. It bears an inscription recording that it was cut by the Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 76. Adjoining is the older Galleria Piccola del Furlo 8m/9 yd long (third century B.C.).

We continued on to San Marino, arriving in mid afternoon. Long before we arrived, we could see the castles of San Marino on the peak of Monte Titano from the bus.

San Marino is the third smallest state in Europe, after the Vatican City and Monaco—about a third the size of Washington, DC. A stonemason founded this ruggedly mountainous republic in the year 301, who wrested control of the district after its destruction by barbarians.

We drove along the outer walls of the city, stopping only to obtain the traditional permission from a guard (in blue and yellow) to enter the city. We stayed at the Grand Hotel of San Marino, which rises on the peak of Monte Titano, close to the Rocche and the Old Town Center.
From the hotel vantage point we could get a panoramic view of the valleys below.

After checking in at our comfortable hotel, we strolled around the city as Pilar showed us the way. We took Viale Onofri (map) to the wall arch -- First Tower of Cava Antica. From the arch I traced the wall up to La Rocca O Guaita. Further along I videoed a statue of Garibaldi with the Hotel Titano behind it.
From here we took P.le Domus Piebis past the University to a monument of allied bombardment of Germans here in 1944. A short distance away was an overlook offering a view of the Adriatic Sea. The Funivia that transports visitors to the heights here was in the foreground.

We returned via the State House where palace guards wearing traditional green and red uniforms were on duty.

I purchased chocolate bars at reduced prices and a bottle of Crème de Coffee to take home with me.

That evening we had our San Marino Welcome drinks and dinner at the Titano Hotel. House wine, lasagna verdi (green) al forno and roast pork rounded off a good day.

Brief history notes about San Marino Twice, in 1503 and 1739, papal forces invaded the Republic. In 1631 its independence was recognized by the papacy. In 1849, San Marino gave refuge to Garibaldi, the Italian patriot and soldier.Italy and San Marino signed a treaty of friendship and economic cooperation in 1862 (renewed and expanded several times). Volunteers from San Marino served with the Italians in World Wars I and II; Allied aircraft bombed the republic in 1944



DAY 10 San Marino/Balsamic Vinegar Discovery/Abano

An included breakfast was served in the hotel restaurant (right). Today to had to leave lovely San Marino and travel via Modena and Bologna to Abano.

We stopped at Spilamberto in the countryside of Modena to visit a balsamic vinegar museum.

The authentic traditional Balsamic vinegar is made from boiled grapes that must mature due to slow acetification. Natural fermentation thickens the vinegar through a slow aging process in casks made of different woods. We tasted the deep, dark, glossy brown syrupy substance at the close of our tour. Very pleasant taste.
















We stepped outside the museum and could observe down the street the Torrione Medieval and the Castel Nuovo Ragone of the 14th century.

George drove us to Modena where we partook an included massive “lunch” of wine, excellent homemade tortellini (Fred had seconds), roast pork, two kinds of potatoes, salad, various sausages, tongue (ugh) and cookies. Pilar offered cappuccino to those interested. George then drove us across the now very flat land toward the Po River.

We arrived in Abano and settled in our Hotel Helvetia. The view of the swimming pool complex and Euganean Hills from the room was wonderful. That evening Pilar took us on a walking tour of the town to help us locate necessary services (map). Our full day concluded with a walk down the hotel’s fashionable arcade to a welcome drink. Everything in the hotel was elegantly furnished in the fashion and gold/blue colors typical of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

DAY 11 Abano/Padua (Padova)

Today was the day for touring Padua or Padova (map), the town Shakespeare called “fair Padua,” the “nursery of arts” and setting for his Taming of the Shrew. Greeting us at the bus was Skipper Wood holding up the bus-seating chart for the day. George dropped us off near the Count Cavour Monument. The Count had been the key minister of Victor Immanuel of Piedmont Sardinia and the realpolitik mastermind for the unification of Italy.

We met our local guide here and tuned in our “whispers” to hear her presentation. She started us off with an introduction to the Caffe Pedrocchii. We walked through the structure that had opened in 1831 and became famous throughout Italy as the cafe that never closed its doors. Students had come here to debate the revolutionary politics of Mazzini. After exiting the other side, I took a video of the interesting facade from Plazza Frutti.

Next came what I considered the most important site in Padua (Padova): The University. Long a center of education, culture, and economics, the University of Padua on Plazza del Bo, founded in 1222, acted as an engine for the development of generations of indispensable scientists (Vesalius, Galileo), artists (Giotto, Donnatello), and scholars (Petrarch, Dante, Bembo, Speroni). We entered into the courtyard and saw above us the surrounding balcony with embellished ceiling. We were not allowed to use cameras in the lecture halls.

After looking around the great hall we were shown the original lecture platform  (above) built by the students of Galileo so that they could see and hear the popular scholar.

Paintings and crests of the famous scientists covered the wall space. Attention was drawn to the fact that many had come from other countries, such as William Harvey from England. A dissection table and instruments (saw, hammer, knives) were on display, From here we moved to the Sala di Medicini section. On display here were a row of skulls from former professors who had donated themselves to dissection that others may benefit.

Then we visited the university’s Anatomical Arena, established in 1594 and the oldest in the world. A scale model (above) helped us visualize the concept. Fabricius, the tutor of William Harvey, who went on to discover the circulation of blood, designed it. Other professors included Vesalius, author of the first original work on anatomy since Galen (1555), and Fallopio, discoverer of the fallopian tube. Across the hall was the real arena.

Exiting the University, we walked over to the bustling market district, Piazza delle Erbe, the Plazza della Frutta, and the Piazza dei Signori which saw many a joust in its day, and can still boast Italy’s oldest astronomical clock (1344) in the tower of the Palazzo dei Capitaniato built in 1599-1605.

For those of who were interested (and able), our guide offered to walk us over to the Basilica of St. Anthony. En route we walked by the house of Dante( right) and the oldest fountain in the city.

Sharing the large plazza in front of the Basilica was one of the key works of the Renaissance, Donatello’s Statue of Gattamelata (1453), and the first large equestrian bronze since antiquity.

Flanking the piazza opposite the statue was the Oratorio of San Giorgio. A large banner of St. Anthony with a child hung across the front of the Basilica.

Inside the church a mass was being conducted in front of the high altar designed by Donatello, (1445-50).

On the side of the basilica and to the left was the tomb of St. Anthony —he is buried in the Basilica that bears his name. St. Anthony was a Portuguese missionary inspired by St. Francis, who was shipwrecked in Italy en route to the heathen lands, but stayed in Italy until his death in 1232.

After our visit within the Basilica, we walked through the cloister area. From here we had excellent views of one of the more richly decorated churches in Italy -It has seven exotic Byzantine domes, two of them pyramidal, and several companili (bell towers) vaguely reminiscent of minarets.

We walked past the Museo Al Santo and crossed over a narrow canal to reach the Orto Botanico, the Botanical Garden of Padua, the oldest university garden in the world established in 1545.

The garden was originally devoted to the growth of medicinal plants, since they made up the majority of the “simples,” the remedies directly obtained from nature without any further concoction. For this reason it was named “Hortus Simplicium.” Over the centuries, the garden has become one of the most varied horticultural collections in the world. A palm planted in 1585—the year Shakespeare turned 21—is the oldest plant here. Herta was interested in one particular tree that dated to 1640..

We also saw statues one of Bonazzi), ponds, and lovely flowers.
















We were given time for lunch on our own so we headed back to Garibaldi Square. On the way we witnessed a strange proceeding that looked somewhat like an initiation. One young lady had been the subject of squished eggs and flour and had been doused with water and soda. The surrounding crowd was chanting “doctor, doctor.” Herta enquired in her Italian and discovered it was a celebration for a person who just taken exams and had earned a doctorate in languages. We then went to the restaurant recommended by Pilar, a cafeteria frequented by University students. The tomato pasta dish was excellent and cost only 2.6 euros.

We passed by the Altinate Gate as we headed for the bus.

Our bus took us across the canal (map) Via Savonarola to Bastione Savonerola (where the gentleman was burned for criticizing the Papacy and advocating Scriptural teachings) and then out Porta Savonerola to Abano.





Our Dine-Around dinner this evening, encompassing the entire group of “guys,” took place at the Lido Restaurant, only minutes from our hotel. I chose white wine, pasta and breaded veal.




DAY 12 Abano/Optional Mantua (Mantova) Tour

Our adventure today was an optional all-day tour to Mantua (Mantova, Lombardy), a town that has retained a cherished Renaissance atmosphere and maintained fabulous artworks. On the bus, we were all in our places, with bright happy faces. Upon arriving in Mantua, we first visited the Palazzo del Te, a grand villa built by Giulio Romano around 1527. Work began in that year when Frederico had Romano expand the stables to create a little palace for his mistress. The project expanded over the decades to become a guesthouse suitable for an emperor. Charles V visited twice. . A residence of Frederick II of Gonzaga, the villa is done in the mannerist style, a reaction to the excess of the High Renaissance.

We started with the entrance gate and found essentially a square house around a central courtyard,

Palazzo Te’s most famous attributes are its frescoes—nearly every square inch of interior plaster bears a painting. We were enthralled by the illusionist “dome” painting of Giulio Roman(two frescoes pictured right)

....and frescoes by Andrea Mantegna, who was receiving major commissions at the remarkable age of 17.

Better yet was the exploration of the cobblestone city, Mantua, remarkably situated among three lakes that surround and embrace her (map). We walked along the Via Roma with Roman arcades lining the street, until we reached the Basilica of St.Andrea.

We then went around to the north side for a shot of the buttresses and dome. A gentleman opened the door for us so we could view the massive interior, the altar, dome, paintings and columns. Back outside I taped the cloister side of the church and the tall entrance arcade.

Our next points of interest were the Palazzo Ducale

... and the Palazzo della Ragione (right).

The historic palace was somewhat obscured by the many makeshift booths in the market area of the square. More accessible was the Town Hall, clock tower, and the adjacent St. Lawrence Rotunda.

The latter was a chapel built in Lombard Romanesque style. The rotunda was actually a two tiered chapel built entirely of brick (cotto). A 15th century frescoe in the altar area was of St. Lawrence on the fire.





Pilar had us meet at a restaurant not too far from the Basilica for lunch. We were served wine, both red and white, and hard rolls. While we were waiting for the next course, Pilar posed for us. Then servers dished out a pasta dish, salad, chicken, dessert and expresso. An Italian tour group on tables near us started singing robustly. We countered with “You Are My Sunshine.” Everyone was friendly and in a good mood. Before leaving Mantova, I captured one last church on Plazza Surdello.

On our bus trip back to Abano, Pilar had Italian opera music played for us.

DAY 13 Abano

Today was a day off for free time (since the tour to Ravenna was called off). I took shots of a Greek fountain near the entrance of our hotel. Some of our Grand Circlers made use of the large swimming pool that is supplied with thermal water and is both indoor and outdoor, with a communicating passage. It was a good day to explore Abano. Abano stands at the foot of the Euganean hills, and together with Montegrotto, Galzignano, Battaglia, and Teolo comprises Italy’s largest and oldest spa complex. Archaeological remains found in Montegrotto prove the existence of an inhabited settlement dating to the ninth century B.C. The period of the Roman Empire brought with it an array of magnificent villas. During the twelfth century, the Republic of Padua dominated the city. It was Padua that reopened the spa and set rules for its use. In 1554, three doctors were assigned to oversee the resorts.

Herta, Skipper and I walked around the town on our way to a good lunch stop that the ladies had found earlier. A large fountain pool with two large reclining statues provided a good backdrop for a posed picture.

Having arrived at our destination, we indulged in a liter of red wine and three pizzas.

On the way back we looked for grand villas that were built in the late 18th century and later turned into hotels. Holidays here became high society fashion. During World War II, these large hotels would become headquarters for the German army and hen allied barracks. Today Abano has rediscovered its splendor, with many establishments offering a wide range of natural spa treatments and therapies.










DAY 14 Abano/Optional Vincenza: A Palladian Outing

Grand Circle offered an optional tour dedicated to discovering and marveling at the work of one of the most influential Italian architects of any era, the 16th-century master, Andrea Palladio, who was born in Padua. His style came to be called Palladian, Palladio was inspired by the clean, austere lines of Roman design rather than the busy ornamentation of the Renaissance. The style swept Europe, influencing Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren in England and Thomas Jefferson in America, whose designs for Monticello and the University of Virginia were inspired by Palladio.

We began with an outdoor viewing of the inimitable Villa la Rotunda (above), on the outskirts of the city, designed by Palladio in 1565, one of the most influential architectural designs of the past 500 years.

Inside the Vincenza city proper we viewed the Museo Civico PlazzoChiericati, a very symmetrical Palladian building.

From here we crossed the street diagonally to a Piazza Mattiotti a beautiful park like area that served as the entrance to the Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza.

After passing through the courtyard we entered the Teatro Olimpico, the oldest indoor theater in the world, designed by Palladio in 1580, the year that he died.




We sat in the bleachers as our guide explained the stage with three entrances, the illusion of distance and the gallery.

In the gift shop outside the theater, I taped a portrait of the bearded Palladio.

On Corso Palladio we admire several other Palladio masterpieces. On the corner of Corsa Palladio and Contra Corona stood the prominent Tempio of Santa Corona. First I took in the dome from the side and then concentrated on the front facade of this church. Then we went over to look at restoration work at Plazza Sesso Zen Fontana and the Palladian architecture of the Church of San Stefano. Close by was the Vincenza version of the Romero and Juliet balcony.

I was impressed with the ornate side view of the very Palladian Loggia del Capitaniato on the Plazza Signori. Students were sitting on the front steps were sketching drawings of the Basilica. Of course, the massive Basilica Palladiana in front of us itself was worth much attention. Since this was the last day of school, students were celebrating the event Italian style --with egging. Pilar said she had received a call from her daughter that day saying she too had been egged at her school.

Directly across from the Basilica (which was not a church) stood the Church of San Vincenzo Martiri. Beautiful masonry adorned the archway of the entrance










Lunch was on our own so we sought out a restaurant. . We came across a wedding celebration where the bride was posing for photographs. When the bride saw our interest, she came over and graciously posed just for us. After exploring the possibilities for lunch, we settled on the Gran Caffe Garibaldi, an outdoor cafe with a commanding view of the Basilica, I ordered the “maxi-salad” which was priced at 6 euro. With the coffee and service charge my bill came out to 10 euro.

Thus fortified, we checked out a statue by the Basilica that we thought might be that of Palladio. It was, so I taped him with the second floor of the Basilica in the background.








One last objective for our visit was to see the Cathedral di Plazza Duomo. The map revealed that it was only a short distance away. To the left of the Cathedral was an old structure with a large bell tower. I assumed it was part of the complex. We walked around the Cathedral, but all the entrances were closed. With our time used up, we headed off to the designated meeting spot to board our bus.




Tonight at our Hotel Helvetia, we enjoyed a discussion on “Italy Divided,” at which we learned about the North League, a controversial political party whose goal is to split the country into three Federal States. Pilar did not attend the session because she felt the speaker was an extremist. The speaker was soft spoken. At the end of her presentation she displayed “national” flags of the three proposed regions.

DAY 15 Abano/Verona/Como

After setting our bags outside the rooms and eating an early breakfast this morning, we ventured off to Verona, the setting for the most famous love story in the English language, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Approaching the Old Town, we encountered the Portal Nuova, the renaissance gate by Sammicheli. Pilar asked that we note the Autro-Hungarian symbol.

The first monument of note was St. Michael Church. From here we headed down a narrow street where Pilar pointed out some attractive Venetian windows. The most important site for the city was Arena di Verona on Piazza Bra - a 2000-year-old Roman Arena and it's still going strong.

The opera stage is the largest in the world. In the summer months the arena hosts opera and other performances (seats 25,000).

Evidence of a forthcoming production, large props, were all around us. From here we walked down Via Mazzini to Piazza delle Erbe (Herbs).




It used to be the Roman Forum but now it’s a wonderful open-air market surrounded by historic buildings with frescos and peppered with sculptures.

Our guide took us a few blocks over to see Juliet's House (Casa de Giulietta). Concocted in response to demand. The violent rivalry between the city’s nobility inspired the story of Romeo and Juliet (first written by Luigi Da Porto in 1529). There is also the Casa di Romeo that belonged to the Montecchi family (Shakespeare’s Montagues).

Left to ourselves for free time, I went back to the Piazza delle Erbe to look over the Casa Mazzanti (with many frescoes) brightened by the 12th century Torre dei Lamberti (note the Lion of St. Mark) and the baroque Palazzo Maffei.

I took the Via Rosa and the Via Garibaldi to the Ponte Garibaldi, a bridge over the Fiume (River) Adige. On the other side of the river were the Renaissance San Giorgio in Braida (1530), Santo Stefano and Castel San Pietro.

The Duomo (Cathedral, begun in 1139) was my next objective. Because of its size, I used my camcorder to record it in segments (i.e. Romanesque portal). A Sunday mass was being conducted inside. I stayed in the back to avoid distracting anyone and recorded the altar area where a director was leading the choir. Above the altar were colorful frescoes. Unfortunately, I never did get over to St. Anastasia, Verona’s largest church






Instead I went back to the Piazza delle Erbe for further perusal. I looked over the Casa dei Mercanti (House of the Merchants) that dates originally from 1301. It was restructured in 1870 to restore it to its 1301 form. After watching the activity around the canopied loggia Berlina, where malefactors used to be shackled and pelted with rotten produce, I ventured over to the Piazza dei Signori. a significant Central Square that had served as the seat of Verona’s government in its heyday. To do so I walked under an archway, the Arco della Costa, named after a whalebone hung in the arch.

The Palazzo del Governo here is where the Delia Scalas (or the Scaligeri) offered the fleeing Florentine poet Dante Alighieri shelter. Consequently, there is a large1865 marble statue of Dante in the square. He looked very severe (as if he had seen an inferno). Adjacent was the Loggia del Consiglio (1493).


With time running out, I cut short my wanderings and headed back to the Arena di Verona on Piazza Bra, where us Circlers were to assemble. Two performers in the garb of Roman soldiers walked around in front of the arena.

The Plazza Bra was a pleasant area to meet with its flower gardens and fountains -- and the ubiquitous pigeons. Skipper was there already and enjoying the setting. Vittorio (Victor) Emanuele, the unifier of Italy, was there too, as a statue posing prominently on his horse.














Once the entire group had gathered, we took a hefty walk to the city wall, past the city gate, to our waiting bus. As an extra treat (and for 14 euro each) Pilar had arranged for a private craft to take us across Lake Garda (map). Garda is the largest and easternmost of the Italian lakes and is a favorite summer playground. George dropped us off at Sirmione where a fascinating medieval castle, the Rocca Scaligera dominated the town. We took a hamlet and cappuccino break at an outdoor cafe in full view of the castle.

Our private craft and pilot was waiting for us at the dock. In the comfort of an enclosed cabin, we could view other pleasure craft and the romantic Grotte di Catullo ruins of a Roman bath complex. and the towering Dolomites to the north. As we passed close by the largest island on the lake, the Island of Garda, I taped the approach through the cabin front window of our craft. St. Francis had visited this island in 1221, and later in 1227; St. Anthony of Padua came here. Napoleon closed the monastery

On the western shore of the mainland we could see II Vittoriale degli Italiana, the home of Gabriele
D’Annnunzio (1863-1938) that was presented to the writer by Mussolini in 1925. Mussolini often visited him here. To the south was the Republic of Salo, a name given to Il Duce’s last dismal stand, the puppet “Republic of Salo” of 1943-45, formed after the Nazis rescued Mussolini from his prison in an Abruzzo ski lodge.






We reached the western bank of Lake Garda at the Porto di Gardone Sotto. Here we made an ice cream stop in pleasant surroundings with flowers and an accordion player to amuse us. Our bus driver George, who had taken our bus around the lake, was to meet us at the plush Grand Hotel (where Churchill stayed in the late 1940s).

Now we headed to Como (map). En route we passed through long tunnels that Pilar said were the legacy of Mussolini. In the city limits we visited one of the city’s world-famous silk factories, the Mantero Silk Factory. The city of Como is the world’s silk capital and has been manufacturing silk since Marco Polo returned from China with silkworms. International fashion designers regularly meet here with manufacturers to agree on fabric specifications and tailoring details. Then we checked into the Hotel Barchetta Excelsior conveniently located on the vivid and enormous Lake Como.

Armed with a local map, I set out to see the sites before dinner. On the waterfront, a musician playing a flute entertained crowds of visitors. To show the proximity of the lake to our hotel, I turned around and took a picture of the 84-room First-Class hotel and then the lake itself. Nice fountains in the park-like plazza.

Only two blocks to the east was the Plazza Duomo, where the chief monuments are all attached. The Torre del Commune and the white, gray and red marble striped town hall, or Broletto were both built in 1215. They in turn were linked to the magnificent Gothic Duomo (1396).

After videoing the complex from the plaza, I went inside the Cathedral for a look at of the Renaissance style elaborately decorated altar and baroque domed ceiling. I was also impressed by the exterior architecture of the north end of the Cathedral.

I then walked over to the main drag of the city, that our bus had traversed earlier, to recapture the tall thick city wall and the main corner tower.















We gathered with our fellow travelers and Program Directors for an included Farewell Dinner at the hotel. We toasted with wine. The fare included sausages on mashed potatoes covered with Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee sauce and culminated with a fruit salad.

Then came the hugs and tearful farewells -- and acknowledgments that The Heart of Italy was one
really grand experience.

DAY 16 Como/Depart

Ten of us had a 3:30am wakeup call with a 4:30 am departure. With our bagged breakfast in hand we quietly and sleepily headed on our 45-minute drive to the Malpensa airport.

Departure: Lufthansa German Airlines #4060 Milan Malpensa, Italy at 07:00 AM Jun 12, Frankfurt Intl, Germany at 08:25 AM on Mon Jun 12, 2006 Lufthansa German Airlines #3893Frankfurt Intl, Germany at 11:00 AM

Washington Dulles, United States at 02:05 PM on United Airlines #953 Washington Dulles, US at 05:05 PM Minneapolis/St Paul, MN at 06:56 PM on Mon 12, 2006 U A #7547 Seat 9D