padua

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Today we are here in Padova, representing the first time we have gone some place new in Italy. Since Friday, we have been in Venice, that was just as wonderful as the last time we were there, and more comfortable.

Yesterday, we went on a wine tour of the Venezia Friuli region, with the Collio wines mostly. These are wines grown on collinas or aka hills. Friuli produces many white wines and a few reds. One is the sweet pignoli, which is developed from a disease on the grapes and can only be made in this area. Another here is the Tocai Friuliano, in which they have lost against the Hungarian Tokay to keep the name of their wine, a sweet white that will now be called Friuliano instead. We had a wonderful lunch in a small osteria in the countryside, eating the local food which is more typical of central Europe than Italy.

Padua is big and a little overwhelming. I am very tired. We have seen, so far, the Palazzo Bo (2nd oldest university in Europe), the Palace of Reason (old courthouse), many many piazzas (de Erbe, de Frutta, di Signorina), the Caffe Petrarchi, the Scrovegni Chapel, old Roman arena and soon to be visiting the famous pilgramage site of Saint Anthony, locally known as Il Santo.

Our hotel, the Methis, is very modern and trendy, like a W. Each floor is themed after an element. We are on Fuoco ... Fire. More later. This is boring, isnt it?

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