…and Away We Go!

We’ve gotten used to staying in smaller, compact cities. Now in Italy’s fourth-largest city Torino, it feels a bit overwhelming but not in a bad way. We are very happy with our somewhat funky, somewhat gritty neighborhood. From our bedroom window we look over the rooftop of a church.

The streets are busy with traffic and just around the corner is a piazza with a large statue. The piazza is lined with small restaurants nice for a casual meal, a coffee or an aperitivo.

The skies have been gray and the haze we experienced in Cremona turns out to be an air quality problem for the entire region – not something we expected being so near the Alps. In spite of that, we have been content with wandering around the city. There are some nice walkways and the leaves on the trees are beginning to change.

So far, we haven’t visited a museum or a palazzo in this city.  We did go inside the Duomo where the Shroud of Turin is now kept.

We learned that “The resting place of the Shroud is within Turin Cathedral (Piazza San Giovanni), in the last chapel of the left aisle, under the Royal Tribune. Under normal circumstances, the Shroud cannot be observed directly, as it is preserved within a special “conservation case”, which in turn is enclosed in a large metal box.”

Pasticcerie are on every corner.  We like to window shop for pastries and think that these crostatas look more like homemade than some displayed in fancier shops.

Italian food is wonderful, but often we find that restaurants in many smaller towns are limited to traditional Italian food. Torino is unusual in that it has embraced many types of foreign cuisine, and is willing to fuse traditional Italian food with influences from abroad. In our neighborhood, we have a restaurants serving Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Argentinian food, as well as many variations of Italian cuisine.

Nearby is a seafood restaurant (A6 Sciamadda) with excellent calamari;  a ravioli shop (Ravolihouse Torino) where you can choose your own ravioli shape, filling, and sauce; a restaurant that specializes in baked potatoes with exotic fillings (Poormanger); and a very good Chinese noodle shop which we liked a lot. Last night we opted for a wood-fired pizza from Speedy Pizza – just like the name suggests it was ready quickly and only €7.50.

The nearby department store was setting up for the holidays today.

We are feeling relaxed here…we like having an apartment and this one at Residenza dell’Opera has worked out great. We have one more full day in the city before we take a bus to the airport in Milan. We will stay in an airport hotel and will hopefully be home Saturday afternoon. Traveling in Italy is always fun and this has been an excellent get-away.

We hope you’re having a good week! Cheers!

We didn’t have a lot expectations for our visit to Cremona but it turned out to be one of our favorite cities. It’s colorful, easily walkable, and it has many nice restaurants and shops.

On our last full day there we climbed the steps of the Torrazzo di Cremona to the very top!

Along the way, there were explanations of the function of the clock and the mechanisms that were used to stabilize the tower. It also served as a place to stop and catch our breath.

The steps got progressively more narrow as we climbed closer to the top and at certain points we had to wait for a green light to insure that no one was coming down as we were going up (or vice versa). The views all the way up were incredible…especially as we got above the tops of all of the towers of the city. The skies were hazy as there was a forest fire somewhere in the distance but still we could see far and wide. We didn’t linger at the top and carefully made our way back down.

Around town, we found the home and workshop of Antonio Stradivari. It’s marked by a statue of him in front of the house. We learned that the violin that is a part of the statue is constantly removed by vandals and replaced only to be removed again. So, today he sits in front of his workshop with a look of bewilderment about his missing his violin.

Saturday morning we took the bus to the Cremona train station for our journey to our last stop on this trip, Turin (Torino, in Italian).

We took a train to our connecting station, and got off to wait for our next train. We checked the departure board to find our track number…the train to Turin was leaving on Track 7. Just before the posted departure time, a train arrived and we hopped on…as the train doors closed we realized that we were on the wrong train…going to Milan Central Station rather than to Turin.

Milan Central Station is huge, very busy and currently being renovated, which adds to the confusion. We were able to change our tickets to a later train, boarded the correct train and made our way to Turin in the late afternoon.

We are staying in an apartment a little out of the city center. It has lots of space and a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. We think we’ll be happy here for our 6 night stay.

Turin is a larger city compared to those we’ve visited on this trip…we’ve been here before but are anxious to explore other areas of town.  Hoping all is well with you! We enjoy our travel adventures and mishaps, we also miss family and friends while we’re away. Sending our best wishes! ❤️

The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivarius was born in Cremona. There is a violin museum (Museo del Violino) with details of his life and excellent displays explaining how violins and other string instruments are constructed…an art form that is unbelievably complex. One room that is designed with special lighting and carefully monitored temperature and humidity settings displays one Stradivarius cello and 11 violins made by Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarneri.

These instruments are taken from their cases and played on a regular basis -each one about three times a year.  Sometimes they are used in a performance in a concert hall in the museum but we weren’t lucky enough to be here during a scheduled concert.

Below is an example of a violin maker’s workshop set up in the museum.  Around the city  you will see many actual workshops (liuteria). We learned that a luthier is a craftsperson who builds and repairs string instruments. These craftsmen (and women) still use the same tools and materials that their ancestors used 300 years ago.

There are several music schools in Cremona and we see many students to walking around the city with their instruments.

We got a closer look at the astronomical clock on the Torrazzo di Cremona (the bell tower). We need a little more time and better glasses to work out the details but it is definitely a masterpiece.

The weather has been mild so we have walked everywhere. Today we walked to the Ala Ponzone Museum.  Another palace filled with treasures….like this massive work by Jacopo Ferrari.

A work by Caravaggio;

and art inside and outside.

We took a break for lunch at a traditional trattoria…El Sorbir.

After lunch, several customers were stocking up on jars of pickled vegetables…made in-casa, possibly a seasonal item.

The food was excellent but the highlight was the chocolate budino with zabaglione cream sauce – a very rich chocolate pudding in a sauce flavored with Marsala wine. A dessert to be savored.

Back to the museum after lunch, we saw works by a Cremona-born  painter and printmaker Sergio Tarquinio celebrating his 100 year birthday.

Our last stop before we left the museum was the stunning listening room, set up for an event being held later in the afternoon.

Cremona is a wonderful city and we’re having a great time here. We will have one more full day here before we leave for Turin on Saturday.

The Ducal Palace (Palazzo Ducale) in Mantova, is a  complex of buildings that once served as the residence of the mighty Gonzaga family. Rooms in the complex  go on and on…over 500 rooms, courtyards, gardens, and galleries highlight centuries of art, history, and architecture.

Flowery frescoes all around the palace.

Nearby is an archeological museum with many artifacts from the region and well-presented exhibits with explanations in English and Italian. Sunday we spent a good portion of our day exploring these museums.

On Monday we learned that the poet Virgil was born near Mantua.

The staircase below leads to a quirky museum about the life and works of Virgil.

Leaving the museum we caught a glimpse of the sun setting over the city.

We had a good 4 night stay in Mantua. We learned a lot about the Gonzaga family, the poet Virgil, ate pumpkin-filled pastas, and caught up on laundry.  On Tuesday, we took a short bus ride to Bozollo and then transferred to a train for the final leg of a 2-hour trip to Cremona. The train was sleek with three different levels. It was bound for the Milan Central station and Cremona was an interim stop. Tickets for the trip were €6.70 each…a deal!

We arrived in Cremona late in the afternoon. Our hotel, Albergo Duomo is in the city center.

The Duomo and nearby tower are impressive.

The tower next to the Duomo of Cremona is the Torrazzo di Cremona which is 112 meters (367 feet) tall, it is the highest medieval tower in Italy, and one of the tallest brick bell towers in Europe. The Torrazzo was completed in the early 14th century.

At its base, the tower houses an atronomical clock . The clock’s face is painted with zodiac signs and celestial imagery, displaying the movements of the sun and moon relative to the constellations.

Much to our surprise, Wednesday is market day in Cremona…they seem to get larger in each city we’ve visited.

Cremona is an elegant city with many sights. We have a few more days to explore before we leave for our next stop Torino.

We knew that our travel day on Friday would be challenging due to the transportation strike.  We left our apartment in Padua at 11:00 a.m. and arrived at Hotel Broletto in Mantova at 7:00 p.m. On the way, we encountered many other travelers who were experiencing difficulties. Our day was long but we had a solid plan (reserving seats on the private FlixBus), that worked to get us to our next stop, Mantova on the same day. What would have been a 2-hour train ride turned into a 8-hour slog. On the positive side, people were kind but weary and most accepted the inconvenience without much complaint. Along the way I got to practice my Italian speaking with an elderly Italian woman from Sardinia who was leaving Padua after a 10 day hospital stay for cancer treatment. Her nephew was with her to help her travel back home. We met a young couple from New Jersey who had only been married five days. They were delayed getting to Venice but just happy to be together. And at the train station in Verona we met a young woman trying to get to Modena to begin her residency training in gynecology.

Our bus had a several hour layover in Verona and we saw a train going to Mantova earlier than the bus. We bought tickets and waited for the train which was canceled at the very last minute.  Luckily we still had our FlixBus tickets and we got money back for our unused rail ticket. All just an example of the importance of flexibility in travel.

Mantova is another stunning northern Italian city with a Duomo, clock towers, and many palazzos. After a long day of travel we had dinner at Osteria della Fragoletta. One of the traditional dishes in Mantova is tortellini filled with pumpkin, served here swimming in butter and topped with a sage leaf.

Dessert was a torta with ricotta and chocolate on an orange cream sauce decorated with tasty kumquats. All very good!

We were grateful for our friend Ted’s suggestion of visiting Palazzo Te while here. Here’s one description:

”It’s a  16th-century villa built for the Gonzaga family. The place is full of wild frescoes and mind-bending art — especially the famous Chamber of the Giants, where it feels like the walls are collapsing around you!”

Each room has stunning frescos by artist Giulio Romano, most depicting scenes from mythology. It’s an absolute treasure.

Around town there was a Saturday market with artfully displayed fruits and vegetables.

And a hat shop!

There are porticos…many with tables and chairs for snacks and aperitifs.

Speaking of apertivos…sometimes a Hugo Spritz and a bowl of chips is just the right thing!

We have on more full day here but still much to see! Now we’re off the tour the Ducale Palace! Hoping all is well with you!
Cheers! S & L

Padua is full of great art …these are just a few examples.

From the Basilica of St. Anthony;

The ceiling of the sacristy, where the priests prepare for the service is beautifully painted.

To the Prato della Valle; a grassy park with a ring a statues.

To the Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower) in Piazza dei Signori;

Last evening we visited the Scrovegni Chapel

The frescoes in the small chapel were painted by Giotto. We were required to purchase tickets in advance and we picked an evening time slot.  To preserve the paintings, only 25 people are allowed to enter at a time.  Before entering the chapel, we are required to sit in a special room with controlled air flow to acclimate our clothing to conditions that protect the art works. While there, we watched a 15 minute video that explained the history of the chapel and the meaning of the frescoes which depict Biblical stories. We were fortunate that only 7 people were in our group so we had plenty of room to explore the space. Each group is only allowed to stay in the chapel for 15 minutes.

It’s a stunning space.

It’s still warm and sunny during the day but chilly in the mornings. Flowers are still in bloom.

Shop windows are decorated for Halloween.🎃

Today we visited Palazzo Bo where Galileo taught for many years. It was such an interesting tour. This is the lectern he used when he lectured to his students.

Tomorrow we move to Mantua. It could be a rough day of travel due to the transportation strikes. Fingers crossed!

Padua is a larger city compared to those we’ve been in so far on this trip. There are many things to see and do. We are slow travelers so we’re making our way around the city at a snail’s pace. Tuesday we went to the market in Piazza del Frutti filled with produce, meats, cheeses, jams, and so much more!

We bought a sandwich and found a quiet place to eat our lunch but the persistent pigeons thought we should share.

We were excited to find that the Civic Museum very near our apartment has an exhibition of photography by Vivian Maier. She lived in both New York City and Chicago and took candid photos of people going about their daily lives.

She wrote this about her photos:

Her photographs in the exhibition were very well presented;

The photographs are wonderful and a reminder of days gone by.

We are enjoying our lovely apartment, which is so cozy that we like to linger longer than we probably should. We’ll be checking out more around the city today and we have tickets to visit Scrovegni Chapel this evening.

We will be in Padua until Friday but another transit strike is scheduled for that day. We hope that we have a solid plan that will get us to Mantua…fingers crossed!