Day 9 8th Dec 2023 Venice Post 1

Beautiful Venice 

P d G to Venice 8th Dec 2023 Overcast 2- 6 C (whole day)  

We finally reach the last quarter of this memorable trip. We have been really fortunate in that, barring from a few hiccups like no shows from travel agents and the bike shop closure on the day we were to go cycling, things had been pretty smooth sailing. Little did I know, that almost at the end of the trip would an tumultuous event happen to me in the train,that made me lose faith in the common good of SOME people. I had blogged about that incident in an earlier post, and if you have interest, please visit my post dated 

The agent has landed in Piazza Saint Marco 

After a hearty breakfast at the C House breakfast place, we took the 10.40am train to Venezia Santa Lucia station. There was some misunderstanding with an elderly lady but after some badgering, she eventually got up and left to another seat.

When we reached Santa Lucia station, thats where the fun starts. Now, as you know Venice has no driving roads. Canals and water transportation is the main mode of getting around. Of course you can walk, but lugging 20 kgs of big and mid sized bags across multiple bridges is no one's cup of tea.

We saw the same Bangla worker who carries or with his team or baggage handlers manhandles the luggage across the bridges at the water ferry station Ferrovia "A". We tried but unsuccessfully negotiated with him to provide the same service to our hotel. Apparently, it is not legal to do so nowadays. 

He offered to provide us a private boat ride to the hotel for EUR 60 which we declined. We motioned to the Ferrovia "A". Water taxis or ferries are numerous throughout the day and night in Venice, so our stop was San Zacharia, near to Piazza Saint Marco.

Apparently my Indian looking face gets me some privilege amongst the workers legal and illegal (smiling as I write this). A Bangladesh vendor selling trinkets sold us 2 day passes worth EUR 10 each and sent us on our way. We were very fortunate for this stroke of luck, because many tourists upon arrival will be muddled as to what exactly to do and buy what and from where.

San Zaccharia is about 30 minutes taxi ride from Ferrovia "A" so I make a mental note as it is best to leave with plenty of time for the water taxi on the 12th Dec - the day of our departure from Venice to Milan.

We reached San Zaccharia around slightly past noon, and find our accomodation for the next 4 nights (yes, the longest we have ever stayed in 1 place since 2016).

Locanda al Leon is all what the reviews make of it. Extremely central in location, it is "perfecto" in all senses, central location, near all the famous sites and restaurants and well managed by the Leon family and their staff. Marco is extremely professional and helpful in this regard.To reach the hotel, you alight at San Zacharia and walk about 100 metres towards Piaza Saint Marco before turning into a small and narrow side lane and leading to the Campo Santi Fillipo e Giacomo. It is just at the corner of the Campo.  

Locanda al Leon (4*)

Campo (Square) Santi Filippo e Giacomo   

4270, 30122 Venezie

The effects of global warming results in low lying places like Venice to become flooded and eventually go underwater 

 

Day 8 7th Dec 2023 Thursday Peschiera del Garda

Day 8 of Holiday

Thursday 7th Dec 2023 Very Sunny Day 15 C

This day was supposed to be the day we went cycling. Well, that did not work out as planned ! The place happened to be closed !

We woke up late, again. This is highly unusual for a high paced travel couple like us. But it did a world of good as far as our emotional and subconscious state of mind was concerned. 

As of Day 7, I had written in my diary, that by the time on Day 7, at Peschiera del Garda, I was totally relaxed and recharged and ready to go.

So, today, even though there was this hiccup, we were in high spirits and walked about 5km back and forth along Lake Garda. The lapping of the waters, the blue sky with the hint of sun, the ducks quacking in the distance, the feeling was of total peace. After another long year of business and managing issues, this holiday was the perfect antidote for me.

Peaceful Easy Feeling along Lake Garda 

We walked back to P d G and had lunch of salmon avocado sandwich, cheese sandwich and a couple of energy fruit drinks.

We had dinner at the nice Plumes restaurant back in town 

> Pork cheek with young potatoes and artichokes,

> Burrata cheese / Parma Ham / Pistachio Salad.

I recorded we did easily 20,000 steps today and went back to bed totally tired and happy.

Pistachio Salad 

Day 7 Part 4 Verona 6th Dec 2023 - Risotto Masi and Villa San Pedro.

Before leaving us, Stefano suggested we try the world famous Verona Risotto, (or rice) called Risotto Masi (cheese), it looks like brown rice with cheese on top, but I guarantee my readers, if you taste it your taste buds will go "Ooh Laa Laa". 

You must pair this dish with Amarone. If you do, you will be in the foodie heaven zone.

I can't describe the feeling but it is so sublime, the taste, sourish yet oh so tasty.

Risotto with Masi. 

Ostregheteria

Sottoriva 33 

After lunch, we waddled, yes it was a struggle after  such a magnificent lunch to get up to the Villa San Petro as suggested by Stefano. We were not disappointed to say the least. The view of Verona was stunning! The funicular  which brought us up must have been over a hundred years old and to take in the whole city was just something else. 

We made it to the top of the hill called Villa san Petro or Villa of St Peter. 

We took pictures of the mallard ducks along the way, as well as a couple of selfies across the bridge, such was the beautiful weather. I was totally relaxed and in the zone of perfect happiness.

Would we ever visit Verona again ? Yes, health and funds permitting. It evokes an old worldly charm and class which the big cities have long bypassed. 

It is a tremendous privilege to have come on a cool winter's day, experience the love of the Bard as typified in the statues and the balcony. Eaten the best Risotto in my life and viewed the beautiful trading hub of Verona.

Beautiful Bridges leading to Verona 

Carpe Diem ! 

Day 7 Part 3 6th Dec 2023 Verona - Romeo oh Romeo where art thou Romeo ?

Here is the post for the romantics and lovers of all ages. The birthplace of the playwright and author William Shakespeare's fertile imagination for a forbidden love for all ages between a boy and a girl (of course, I am an old school non woke conservative nearly old guy!) 

The ageless beauty Juliet in bronze. 

We went into the courtyard where Juliet would be hanging around disparagingly muttering those famous lines. This was pre smart phone mind you, so no emojies, sad or angry emoticons and missed whatsapp calls ! Legend has it, (this is definitely urban legend) if you go up to the statue and touch the left breast (uncovered), you will find true love !!

Juliet's Balcony 

Apparently the 'balcony' is a recycled sarcophagus (or old tomb of some preist) so its laughable thar people step into the tomb and wave to their imagined lovers out in the distance!  If only they knew the actual facts !

We then walked over to Romeo's family house and also saw the tomb of the top family which governed Verona in the 12th and 13th centuries. The della Scala family.

Della Scala House

Tomb of della Scala family 

 

Day 7 Part 2 Verona 6th Dec 2023

 

Town Centre

We ventured into the main town square which was packed with people out for their last minute Christmas shopping. Somewhere at the centre of the town square is an archway which hangs a WHALEBONE. The whalebone symbolises the medicine halls presence. I guess there are a lot of bones which are ground into fine powder in the last millenium (1000 years) for healing purposes. Please take a look below.

Entrance Arch of the Medicine Halls 

At the centre of the town stands a structure. On the steps are cut exact metric sizes of 1 piece of Verona marble. This is the benchmark for one standard size of marble and has been used extensively when buying and selling marble pieces and slabs.

 

One standard Unit of Marble Slab 

Again both of us are in awe and wonderment that such a powerful and rich country and city like Verona has had its glory days and now it is just another ordinary city relying on its past glory and stories to attract tourists from as far away as we have come. Cities rise and fall with their leaders and their management or mismanagement. 

We in Singapore had better take note of the ebb and flow of city states and their fortunes.

Beautiful Catholic Church 

Day 7 Day Trip to Verona 6th Dec 2023

                                                        Bridge into Verona City 

After an extremely quiet night, we had a nice breakfast at the C House Lake Cafe.  We then took the 10.58 am train to Verona to meet Stefano. He is based in Verona. A rather tall and handsome chap who spices his monologue with dark humor, we both took to him at once. ! As can be seen by their dressing and mode of transport (his was a foldy bike), Italians by and large are environmentally conscious.

So, lets get this fact straight. Romeo and Juliet is FICTION ! It was dreamt up by William Shakespeare and his play has been reproduced and copied in literature texts the world over making Verona a must visit for all those die hard romantics !

                                                        Arched Entrance into the old town

Verona is a fairly large town of 250,000 inhabitants with easily millions of visitors from near and afar coming over to visit the birthplace of Romeo and Juliet. In fact the 2 main things Verona is famous for are 

Romeo and Juliet setting

Marble

Verona has a collisseum which was built in 46 AD which was even before the one built in Rome. The Romans ran the city for about 1000 years and later, it was managed by a wealthy family, the Scaligeri,  after which the  Venetiens, Austrians and Napolean's army conquered it.

Italy became a republic in 1861 somehow managing to band together all the disparate families and their interests under a country's rule.

                                                                Verona Colleseum 

The Romans influence is clear in the form of numerous structures which are seen even today,

These are 

a) Torres (Gate)

b) Viaducts 

c) Arches

d) Clocktower

e) Winged lion statue (from the Venetiens)

Clock Tower in Town Centre

We were very fortunate that the weather that day was sunny and pleasant 10 - 12 C.That day when we went there were not that many foreign tourists but most were making a beeline to the Juliet's House to catch a glimpse of THAT balcony.

A funny but true story is tied to that balcony. I will elaborate on that in the next post.

Winged Lion of the Venetians showing they had occupied Verona some time back 

Day 6 Peschiera del Garda 5 Dec 2023

 

View from the Room at C Rooms Lake House 

This is the Highlight of our tour, as far as small towns go. Situated roughly at the halfway mark between Como and Verona is this gem of a small town called Pescheira del Garda at the very bottom tip of Lake Garda. 

The Lake is the unappreciated cousin of the more famous Lake Como and PSG is frequently bypassed as a whistle stop by many foreign tourists in favour of Venice, Verona and Como of course. We spent 4 gorgeous days there, simple, unassuming, inexpensive and oh so pretty sights of this small town of roughly 10,000 residents.

We took the morning train from Como to P d G. In my diary I wrote down one word to encompass that train trip "painless".

Peschiera del Garda at Lake Garda South East Corner

We arrived at the station at 1.15pm. The lift from the platform to the exit was broken down, so I had to lug the easily 20 kg (2 pieces). The service apartment I had booked for this portion of the trip was another gem. We took a taxi to the service apartment which was in the centre of town just beside the lake inside the town fortifications. The equivalent of this type of accomodation in Singapore is the Fullerton Hotel right along Battery Road. This is Prime Prime hotel location. Minimum Price for 1 night at the Fullerton ? Easily EUR 500 and above.

The price ? EUR 110 per night as I recall. Amazing. 

C House Rooms Lake 

5 Piazza Perdinando di Savoia

Peschiera del Garda City Centre

37019 P d G, Italy 

  

Ooh Laa Laa. These were my comments in my diary. From the room on the 3rd floor, we could overlook the small waterway or marina housing some small boats which I assume were to transport tourists out to Lake Garda during the high season. 

The scenery was beautiful. It gave me the impression of a small Italian town relatively unspoilt by the teeming masses of tourists who come at all times of the year and mess up the quiet character of the town.

Selfie at the small Marina outside the C Rooms Lake House 

We met at 2.30 pm Ms. Antonella, our expert tour guide, who gave us an exhaustive commentary of the town. 

PsG was originally managed by some prominent Italian family, like all other major towns and cities which makes up modern day Italy. The Romans, Venetiens, Austrians and Napolean Bonaparte with his French army conquered this town on route to Venice (He did not reach Venice) between the years of 1840 and 1850. Italy formally became a republic in 1861. So it was 15 years maximum of French occupation.

Barracks of the town, now an Administration cum Tourist  Centre 

There is a fascinating barracks first built by the Austrians as well as the moat which runs all around the town as added defence fortifications.  

Moat surrounding P d G town 

After 2.5 hours of the walking tour, we bade goodbye with Antonella who was surely very pleased to give these young elderly tourists value for money history tour of her town.

In the evening, we decided on this wonderful lakeside restaurant called Raffilu which in my diary entry was rated 5 star dining at 2 star prices. Compared to the many 'tourist traps' in bigger cities such as Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice, the price for this wonderful meal with the superb ambience is something to be truly appreciative of.

The video of Raffilu is posted below : 

Raffilu Dining 5th Dec 2023 

Raffilu

Piazza Ferdinando di Savoia 5

379019 Peschiera del Garda

Verona VR 

Italy. 

In fact, on this night, 5 Dec 2023, we were the only 2 diners, having a wonderful meal, with a wonderful ambience with a lovely lake view and background jazz music. A truly once in a lifetime, magnificent experience ! 

The plates we shared which were well above average :

>  Seafood Platter

> Al Dente Bigoli

> Octopus with Cream

Seafood Platter 

Al Dente Bigoli 

Octopus with Cream 

As I write this, I am starting to feel hungry !

Town Centre Lights