Italy 104 - Stra, the moons the same old moon, the flowers the same old flowers. a closed maze and a custard donut and apple strudle

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Day 5. "The moons the same old moon , the flowers the same old flowers" True words as we look out at night over a moonlight Lake Garda. It's the same moon I would look at back home if I were there. The flowers come later but they too are the same old flowers. The season is just a tad earlier here in Italy. Vines fill the fields with a promise of wine later in the year. Thistles grow on the roadsides. Much earlier than back home. They are more a late summer flower blessing our hedgerows. . There are even poppies out and they look a welcome red in the fields. The peas in gardens are four foot high and full of white flowers. I would not even have planted any out yet in my own garden for fear of the frosts that are still round the corner right up to the end of May.

We had an eventful night when the rain came in and pounded on Suzys roof. We were on a slightly grassy plot so we went out in the darkness and the rain to put our new thick plastic gripping mats under Suzys wheels. Having been stuck on wet ground a couple of times before we thought better to be safe than sorry. They worked as when we drove off we got off the wet and soggy plot easily. Worth the £25 for four.

The temperature is holding at about 19 degrees. There was a muggy haze on the lake as we left for Stra on the Brenta Canal. The villa we were visiting was a summer retreat for a wealthy Venetian who wanted to escape the city. We got there at 10 just as it opened. The car park was relatively small for such an important house. Already there were three coaches disengorging their herds of tourists. We found a little spot on the car park just right for Suzy and headed off for another Palladian house and its garden which had featured in Monty Dons Gardens of Italy. Arriving at the ticket office we did what the british do well - queue. Sadly the bus tourist had never heard of queueing and pushed their way in front of us. No amount of sighing, coughing and arm pushing would get them out of the way. The entrance hall was all pink and white marble, colunnaded and filled with statues. It reminded us of Caserta which we visited some years ago in the days before Suzy. Although not as ground it had some similarities. However Caserta was built for a king so had to be grander than this house.

Villa Pisani is known as the Queen of Venetian villas and for our 10 euros each we expected much. It is Baroque and heavily decorated on the side that faces the road at Stra. Begun in the early 18th century for one of the Venetian doges Alvise Pisani. Huge statues decorate the facade. The house itself is a maze inside as you snake round the building going into room after room. Sometimes a tantalising glimpse appears of the garden and the gatehouse which is another smaller copy of the main house.

Inside the rooms were very mixed. A huge billiards room. Some rooms with fantastically painted ceilings. Some rooms totally devoid of any furniture. A dining room with ivory furnishings on the table. A nursery of sorts. Huge open halls with pretty silk wallpaper. Napoleon acquired the villa and in one room is his bed. The problem with trying to look round were the guided tours. They were thirty deep and filled all the space in every room making it impossible to take photos and impossible to see what was in the room. The blocked the passageways and were rude as we tried to get past them. We escaped them only to come across more of them in other parts of the house. It was an impressive house and in some ways reminded me of many of the baroque houses back home. It was not a friendly house nor was it that impressive. Give me some of the others we have seen.

It began raining as we escaped the crowds and went into the garden. It had a large canal running from the main house right up to the gatehouse. A pretty thing surrounded by grass. Lines of horse chestnut trees lined the walkways. The grass was unkempt and looked nothing like Monty Dons programme. It seemed to have gone to seed. There were no formal gardens nor many flowers. The daffodils must have been a show but they had long gone over. The gatehouse was closed and barred to the public. Looking through the windows there was nothing inside to see . We headed for the cafe . Un espresso to warm me up, cafe latte for Glenn served in a long stylish glass. A piece of something that resembled apple strudle and a custard donut . We sat inside warming up and keeping out of the rain.

After finishing we found the rest of the garden . A bosco - an English styled woodland. White pavilions on grassy mounds. A number of pergola covered in pretty wisteria. The blooms hanging like chandeliers from the pergola. Beneath white and electric blue iris . On the floor the dying mauve petals of the wisteria which looked all the world like confetti at a wedding. This was truly the lovliest place in the entire garden. So English so the same old flowers just in a different setting. Our final stop the maze. We could see over the hedge and it looked inviting. We could see the tower in the middle. The seat where the man sits and directs lost souls to the middle and back out. However we were never going to get lost the gate was firmly shut and locked . In case of bad weather the little man was not going to sit in his ivory tower getting soaking wet . We had to make do with a look.

We headed back to the car park which by now had even more coaches in it and some horrific parking. If anyone wanted to leave they stood no chance due to treble parking. Luckily we could get out. Plan A had been to go to Grado and stay overnight going in to the town the next day ., Monday was going to be the medieval castle of Gorizia. However who wants to go to the seaside at Grado in the pouring rain., So to Plan B and we drove past Grado to Gorizia with the intention of doing the castle in the rain . We found the car parking at the bottom but it was marked bus parking. We saw a VW camper there and pondered whether to stop or not. I walked through the medieval gates hoping that the other side would be the ticket office where I could ask if it would be OK to park. Sadly all that was inside were houses and a hill. I walked up the hill eventually arriving at the car park at the top. Perhaps we could squeeze Suzy through the porte and up the hill and park. I found the ticket office but the miserable lady without a smile pronounced no English as I gestured a camping car. I tried in vain with parcheggio camping car and I even pondered drawing a map and Suzy. I even asked anyone else speak English . No response. We could not get Suzy through the arch as it as only 3 metres 10 high and that is very close to Suzys height. Not wanting to wedge ourselves in Gorizia and its castle got none of our money today and we moved back to the huge Villagio Europa camping site. A site Glenn had stayed at 41 years ago. Boy what a site . Huge and sprawling. it would have been hell with his statics, his hire caravans and chalets at the height of summer. It had fantastic showers, a closed beach bar, a lovely restuarant and a clean beach. Sadly it was regimented with beach brollies and just enough room for two sun loungers. We booked two nights and found a huge plot on our own. Anywhere would have been on our own. There were just a handful of people on the whole site.

Our meal for the night was taken out. The restuarant when we arrived was empty. A sprawling place just like the rest of the campsite . It had the potential at this time of year to lack any atmosphere but luckily another couple strode in and sat near to us. They were followed by two men with two children. At least we didnt feel like Billy No mates. We ordered a litre of the House White . Very nice too. We topped up our glasses as we ate proscetto ham with a cheese basket filled with sun dried tomatoes, a buffalo mozzarella salad with tomatoes and bread galore. Our antipasti was followed by secondi of grilled pork with asparagus sauce and gnocci cooked in asparagus. I have eaten gnocci with tomatoes and gnocci with cheese but this was a first. Asparagi as it in Italian is a staple product in the area around Grado. We were too stuffed for pudding so washed it all down with two espressos . What a lovely end to the day watching again that same old moon and those same old flowers.

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