Italy 29 - Mantova a hot day and another wonderful castle

---

We had a plan A today and that was to go back to the Lake, board a boat for Sirmione the little town we could see across the lake and spend the day there. There is not a lot there apart from a small castle, some Roman remains and a few bars and cafes. The idea was to see the castle,the scavi (the remains ) have some lunch, waste a bit of time before returning home to Perschiera for tea time and a leisurely meal and passagiata.

We both could not agree on what time the boat left the harbour. I plumped for 8.30 and Glenn 9.05. One of us had to be right. On the way we saw a boat heading out and I thought that I was right and Glenn wrong however as we got closer we realised that I was the one wrong and the boat was still moored up alongside the quay. A few people were waiting and we joined the queue. Eventually the ticket office opened and the couple in front of us bought their tickets. Just as we were at the counter a boat came in and the ticket seller who was also the harbourmaster shooed us out and made us wait whilst he helped moor up the boat. Whilst he was away we got talking to the young couple who had just bought tickets and they told us that there was a strike called from 11.30 that morning until mid afternoon. They could get where they wanted to but we may not. When the harbourmaster arrived back it turned out that our morning crossing was Ok but the 3.00 afternoon one was likely to be cancelled or disrupted by the strike and we would not be able to get home until late in the evening if at all. So reluctantly we left without buying tickets. As a active trade unionist at home in dispute with our government over pay and pensions I can defend the right of the workers to strike but why did they have to chose today of all days and disrupt our plan of getting out of Peschiera?. It was now back to Plan B. We seemed to find ourselves having to resort to Plan B, Plan C and even Plan D.

Should that be train trip to Padua something we had been thinking of doing this week . Probably not another good idea because if the strike was by the transport union the trains would more than likely be disrupted too. Admittedly there would be more to do in Padua but there would still be the chance we could not get home.

Plan C – move. At least in the van you can do that. It does not take long to empty the waste tanks, refill the fresh water, take down the washing line and pay the bill. Another 32 euros for two nights stay plus tourist tax of 3 euro and 20 cents. In our present economic climate I wonder why Dave and Nick our great and illustrious leaders have not thought about taxing tourists to the UK. I am sure £1.50 per person per day would help our economy no end and reduce the deficit instead of refusing to pay me a pay rise and taking extra pension payments. I should have been a politician. I even think that they should consider asking visitors to pay for a vignette as they do in Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.

We moved on to Mantova just 35 miles up the road. The toll was a meagre 3 euros. The day was hot again and my ankles are swelling like balloons. I am not sure if it is the heat or the new blood pressure tablets I am taking. Due to our health service running out of money my GP just before my holiday refused to let me continue on what were expensive tablets for my blood pressure and cholesterol. Instead she went cheap and they have I am sure made my ankles huge and given me a nasty irritating hacking cough. Just the thing you need when you are on holiday. However, I digress. We stayed on our first Italian Sosta – an experience - Sparafucile a wonderful site set up by Italian motorhome enthusiasts club just outside the town of Mantova. It is a large purpose built site set amongst trees. The ground looked as if it were covered in snow as it fell from the trees. At first I thought it was the seeds from the trees but it looked like spun silk when it fell and I wondered if it were the cocoons of some strange moth or butterfly. It stuck to Suzy’s wheels like a blanket and walked in on our shoes. I heard later that every ten years this seems to happen. There were a few vans parked mostly Italians. There were electric points on each bay but these were sadly out of use. Available were grey water dumps, fresh water and beautifully clean toilets with toilet paper and showers. The cost 15 euros a night which you paid at the meter which this time we made sure we found as we did not want a repeat of Rothenburg. A lady did come round and checked for tickets and early the next morning the cleaner turned up to clean the toilets. If there had been electric the site would certainly have scored ten out of ten. It was a shame the electric was off although it did not spoil our pleasure of using the site.

We walked into Mantua a fairly long walk along a cycle track which brought us out just by the castle which is a wonderful sight. . Our first stop was dinner in a small restaurant on the main square opposite the ducal palace. The restaurant was empty and we ordered spaghetti, a coke, a small beer and a Caprese Salad made up of Mozzarella cheese and tomato covered in olive oil and pesto. 10/10 and eaten in a wonderful setting. Lunch cost 20 euros and was well worth it. Wewould have paid double for the pleasure.

The Ducal Palace was full of students and school children. This seems to be the norm this time in Italy. We paid 6 euro 50 entrance fee for the two of us. One reduced for being over 65. The nice lady on the desk made himself feel very good as she demanded his passport saying she did not believe he was 65. He had a smile on his face all afternoon. The palace complex is massive and the rooms absolutely stunning despite having no furniture. Words cannot describe the walls and the ceilings as each room seemed more stunning than the last one. It is disappointing not to be able to take photographs. We wandered from room to room taking in the beauty and feeling sadder and sadder than we had no pictures to remind us of our visit. A very powerful building built by a powerful family the Gonzagas. Luckily not a guided tour but what a shame we could not share the memory with you.

The temperature was rising and we sat for a while in the same restaurant as we had dinner having granitas – as usual lemon for me and strawberry for Glenn. 7 euros spent and well worth it to cool us off in the heat of the afternoon. Very cooling when it is hot.

Our last visit of the day was to Palazzo Te the retreat of Gonzaga where he kept his stables and his mistresses. The hype says that it is beautiful and worth a visit however the long walk was a killer in the heat and the building itself a bit utilitarian compared with the town palace. Neither of us liked the structure and inside it was less inspiring too, the ceilings less stunning and the walls bare. We both felt the 16 euro entrance fee was too high for what we saw compared with the cheaper Ducal Palace. What brings most visitors to the Palazzo Te are the erotic friezes and ceilings but even they bored us after our Ducal Palace visit. It you come to Mantova and wonder which building to see I would say go for the Ducal Palace and avoid the Palazzo Te. Its only interesting feature was the small museum which contained some Gonzaga pieces and an interesting Egyptian section with Egyptian sarcophagus and funeral artifacts.

There are river cruises and perhaps with more time on our hands we might have gone on one but somehow it didn’t seem top of our priorities. Picked up postcards for home and francoboli. The stamps seem the same as the last time we were in Italy, a grey envelope with red and green lines coming from it probably celebrating the 150 years of unification of the country. And then it was back to the campsite where a few more Italian motorhomers had turned up. Kathrein would not pick up any signal due to the tall trees dotted around the site. I guess you make your choice – go in the open air and swelter or go beneath the shade of the trees and in this heat there is no choice. The shade wins hands down.

A lovely day on a lovely site ................tomorrow where to ....Ferrara to see the castle on our way to Aquilea a little known Roman site.

---

Photos

Mantova
Our first view

Mantova
Our cooling granitas

Mantova
Suzy in the "snow"

Comments

[Home and Away]

Sorry to hear that you missed Sirmione...
Plan A would have been perfect. In our many trips to Italy, strikes were the number one cause of wrecked plans. The worst was when all gas stations were one strike for most of a week.