Italy and Beyond

This is 2 days in one post. Yesterday morning, we all checked out of the hotel in Verona.  We boarded our buses and headed off to Dolo, which is a small town not far from Venice.  Dolo is on the River Brenta and drains into the Venice Lagoon (Adriatic Sea).  Many Venetians, back in the day, built villas along the river - their summer homes.  So we saw lots of those while we drifted down the river on a tour boat. A couple of examples:   It was quite a pleasant float, although it was hot until the sky clouded over.  Then it wasn’t bad. Of course there are several bridges which need to be “moved” while this big boat is floating.  There are 2 guys that open the first one, then move to the next one by driving their van down the road to reach the bridge before we get there.  Keeps them busy! We stopped for lunch at another villa.  Beautiful spot.  And that was our farewell lunch.  One group was going on to Venice, one group was going home...

 There was another excursion with the group today to Vicenza, but we chose to not do it and just stay behind and relax.  We had breakfast, then I decided to head out to check out a couple of spots I hadn’t seen, or photographed, so I did that. This is what Verona claims: Another piece of the still-standing Roman architecture at the arena.  We are going to be in there watching Aida tonight! I decided to head up to the top of the hill where Castel San Pietro is.  Fortunately, there is a funicular up. These are some shots from the top, looking over Verona.  I’ve marked where the Roman amphitheatre is.  At one time, it was on the outskirts of the town (when built by the Romans).  So everything between the river and that arena was originally developed at that time.  Things have been updated and changed since, obviously, but the plan of the town is similar.   The river is called the Adige.    And the funicular down I returned to our hotel...

 Today was a walking tour of Verona.  If you will recall, this is where Romeo and Juliet lived.  But it has a famous, old Roman arena where plays, usually opera, are performed at night. This was offered for breakfast - a giant-sized container:   There are a few people out there who would love it. So we gathered outside our hotel this morning to have our guide guide us to another guide’s meeting point.  Before we left, we had this picture taken of 3 of us:  Eleanor, Tim and me. The 3 of us attended Park Street Collegiate in Orillia (obviously Tim at a much later time than Eleanor and me).  Eleanor is sending this photo to the music teacher we had as we all played for him in the high school band, and he remembers us. This is advertising for the opera, Aida (which, by the way, we’re seeing tomorrow night).  Nice job. And this is the old Roman arena in Verona.  Something to learn…the word “arena” is Latin for “sand”.  The floors of all the R...

 Sorry, I’m late posting this - again. Yesterday morning we were up and at ‘em early. Just waiting outside the hotel for our buses. Pertaining to our concert last night, someone in the audience sent this message to us:   “ Good evening.  I attended your beautiful musical show in Cavriana this evening.  I was truly moved to hear the perfection of the instrumentalists and the great commitment they showed.  As I listened to the music I observed the impassive and concentrated faces of the musicians and I understood once again that as long as there are these angels playing AND as long as we have an audience that loves this great gift that is music, we will no longer have wars.  Thank you for the warmth you have sent us.  See you soon!  Joseph” Beautiful message.  They actually want us to go back next year :/ Today was a drive to Mantua with a tour of part of the old town, then to Verona, where we’re staying for the next 3 nights. When we arrived i...