Friday, May 23, 2013
from Venice to Padova, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you! Join us on a summer tour in Provence, or in Amsterdam/Belgium
The piazza’s dry this morning – barely a trace of last night’s lake in front of the Basilica – and we walk across dry land to the water bus, first leg of our journey to Padova, about 30 minutes inland from Venice. Then we’re all aboard a train, arriving in the midst of a heavy thunderstorm to our destination – we can’t escape the water!
Our hotel, the lovely Majestic Toscanelli, is in the old Ghetto, steps away from an historic synagogue, and in an area with lots of arcaded sidewalks which we sure appreciate as we walk to lunch after checking in.
Kirk and I discovered Osteria dal Capo when we checked out the city in January, and once again we have a delicious meal of local specialties such as this tasty gnocchi.
Padova’s highlight is the Scrovegni Chapel, with its stunning frescoes of the life of Christ by Giotto – our must- see in the city before heading further inland to the city of Este, nestled in the Eugenean Hills.
The Auryn Quartet’s annual Chamber Music Festival begins tonight with a marvelous program of quintets with the addition of pianist Peter Orth. We enjoy chatting with the performers, who have also played at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, after the performance,
and stop across the street from the intimate church of Saint Martin, the home of the festival, for a whipped cream lavished hot chocolate before the trip back to Padova.
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we're interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We've visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and in the the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with you.