Italy 66 - An oval ball, not quite what we expected. A maze of streets

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Ok today it's sport day. What do you know about the place we have just visited? I didn't know much but should have being Welsh and living in the land which adores the game played with an oval ball rather than a round one. Treviso is famous for rugby. Also for that lovely Prosecco wine and where Tiramisu was created. One of the my favourite Italian desserts I would eat it anytime.


We had planned to pack Suzy up for the day and visit in her but the thought of battening down the hatches to save our space on the campsite for our return felt a touch over the top. We would have to have put our table out in the middle of the plot, spread our two chairs out and even put a washing line up to deter would be parkers taking our plot. In the end we opted for the bus into Venice from outside the campsite at a cost of 5 euros 20 return ticket for the two of us and a train to Treviso.

We arrived in Venice a touch later than we expected and ran all the way to the station. We had minutes to spare and all the ticket booths were full . Like Tescos deli counter you needed a ticket to access them and this would take too long. We tried the fast ticket machine, entering in our destination of Treviso central which was going to cost 3 euros 30 2nd class each. Entering two tickets the machine then asked if we wanted return. Well that made sense didnt it? Not when I entered it in and the display returned back to the first screen. With time ticking by we tried again. This time succeeding with a one way ticket. Just need to put the cash in to get the tickets. 20 euro note tried. Wouldnt go in. Tried coins. Still no success . The hole remained closed and repelled all boarders. Next credit card. No joy. In the end tried hitting the machine and we must have found the right thing because the machine swallowed our cash and spewed out our tickets. We caught the train by the skin of our teeth. It headed out of St Lucia station and over the bridge to the mainland. A wonderful view is always to be had of Venice when you travel over the bridge. We followed the road we had come in for a little while before heading to Mestre the industrial heart of Venice where beauty meets the beast . It is so ugly. An industrial sprawl. The journey took around 20 minutes and was a relatively easy job .

The walk into town took us through the gaps in the city walls built by the Venetians. It felt a poor neighbour. Many of the shops were closed some because it was lunchtime and others extended closing. Using our map we tried to find the centro which proved difficult. The streets were fairly modern and we found ourselves going round and round in circles, past a church, past a big impressive town building but no sign of its medieval heart. In the end we had to ask a local for directions. We needed lunch and ate this in the only cafe we could find. It took up a large square next to one of the large banks. We found a seat and after a cold beer and panini felt refreshed enough to start to find the centro again.

When we found it it was actually quite interesting with large belltower complete with clock and the obligatory scaffolding which obscured the best bits. The church was closed so we were not able to go inside but it didnt look that interesting. Sometimes we miss some of the sites and this was one of them. In an extended motorhome holiday it can feel as if you see too many things. They say that motorhomers and caravaners visit things that fit into the ABC of the alphabet . Another bloody church. Another bloody chateau,. Another bloody cave. Well it is something like that. EVerything we see begins with C or so it seems. So we missed this C - the church.

We spent the rest of our trip trying to find the walls which defeated us. We crossed over many small bridges which traversed the pretty river but never found them. Our feet began to swell like balloons in the heat. 30 degrees and rising. We had been bitten by the little bleeders the mozzies and both looked suitably pimpled.

The main sights were definately the late Romanesque EArly Gothic church of San Francesco built between 1231 and 1270 used by Napoleonic troops as a stable. The Loggia dei Cavalieri which was a meeting place and used for games. The Piazza dei Signori with its Palazzo di Podesta built in the 15th century and the cathedral .

Leaving Treviso we had again problems with the train. The ticket machines we had mastered but the train was leaving from Platform 6 in one minute. Not enough time to print the ticket and run to the platform. By the time we arrived we saw the back of the train heading for Venice. We had to wait for the next one and what did we do pay for 2nd class and sat in the lovely leather seats upstairs in 1st class .

And so back to Venice and our campsite. We have mastered the route home. We know we need to see Villa Foscari and our stop is next. We have enjoyed our stay. Tomorrow Padua by bus our last stop and we may move campsites. Thsi campsite is not on ACSI yet and will cost 14euros for Suzy a night plus 7 euros each for us. We do get a 20% discount but have found another campsite with a swimming poor indoor and warm. Now that sounds inviting.

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