Discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary
Buon compleanno Wolfi e tanti auguri per il vostro anniversario da venticinquesimo a te e carissima Lodovica!
A fantastic party to celebrate two occasions – Wolfi’s 50th and 25 years of marriage from him and Lodovica, my lovely friend. Held at a beautiful villa in the countryside outside Verona, it was live music, food and dancing the night away.
Buon divertimento,
Isabella
View of the River AdigeMy first few days here, reacquainting myself with the city of love and beauty. I love my beautiful little apartment, in its private courtyard. Sunny days around 22 degrees, not too many people about. Ate delicous strawberries, drank an aperitivo at sunset overlooking the River Adige last night…perfect!
Solitude is a special gift, different to loneliness, which can be painful and hard to endure. Am enjoying my solitude, the glory of being alone, a time to be free from the demands of others…I’m so lucky!
vicolo Cavalletto, my street
My courtyard
Casaromeo, my apartment
Casaromeo
Summer fruit
Remember what Bilbo used to say: It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Hello everyone, Ciao a tutti
It’s just four days til I leave on another italian adventure! This time, I return to Verona to my favourite language school and to renew friendships, to Genova to visit old friends, also to the beautiful city of Lucca for a cookery course and a first look at Bologna, the food capital of italy.
I look forward to sharing photos of my summer adventures in italy. Hope you will come on the journey with me and I’d love to hear your comments too!
See you soon in Italy!
Isabella
The Republic of Venice was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, one of the “Most Serene Republics”. It’s an early start on our final day in the Veneto as Timo, a seaman at heart and would-be fisher wants to check out the fish markets. We brave the bucketing rain and icy wind and can’t believe the prices of the fish for sale.
The terrible weather meant that we didn’t see the market in its full glory but it was interesting to see varieties of fish (including a huge swordfish) we don’t find in the Adelaide Central Market.
Much later, when the rain reduces to occasional showers, we venture forth again, exploring the alleys and in the evening we enjoy a performance of the opera. A bit corny, but entertaining nonetheless.
Another chilly day greeted us as we stepped out of our lodgings. A ride along the Grand Canal on a vaporetto is a delight even though we are chilled to the bone. Bellissimi palazzi, all types of boats and of course the ubiquitous gondole.
In 1630 Venice experienced an unusually devastating outbreak of the plague.As a votive offering for the city’s deliverance from the pestilence, the Republic of venice vowed to build and dedicate a church to Our Lady of Health (or of deliverance). In 1631 the Baroque architect Baldassarre Longhena began to build the magnificent Basilica Santa Maria della Salute (The Basilica of St Mary of Health), one of the most beautiful churches in Venice and a symbol of theGrand Canal. It stands on a narrow finger of land between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di 
Grand palazzi line the Grand Canal…more than 170 buildings, most of which date back from the 13th to the 18th century. I think a return visit is in order, when the weather is kinder so that we can appreciate the magnificence.
Ciao for now, Isabella
Venice greeted us with rain accompanied by a chilling wind. This was a bad omen. A last minute booking at a B&B turned out to be our first italian disappointment in all the years we’ve been visiting. After Verona, where we had been received so graciously, our venetian hosts did not live up to expectations. The breakfast part of the B&B turned out to be a cafe 500m away where the cafe staff treated us with disdain and were extremely unhelpful. And it rained, and rained…The chilly wind drove everyone, including us, from piazza San Marco.
But, we walked — across the Rialto bridge to piazza San Marco and il Palazzo Ducale, the Doge’s palace, where we joined the queue of tourists seeking shelter from the cold and rain. An impressive, enormous building, it was the seat of the government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge (the elected ruler of Venice) it was the venue for its law courts, its civil administration and bureaucracy and — until its relocation across the Bridge of Sighs — the city jail.
A ride on a vaporetto with the chilling wind in our faces was our experience of the Grand Canal. Dinner that night, although tasty, was served by sour-faced waiters, which spoiled the experience. Then it was a fast walk back to our room and bed, with the hope that the next day would be better.
Buona notte, Isabella