On Tuesday, March 19 Ryan and I returned from an 8-day trip
through Northern Italy.
Our
journey began on Monday, March 11 with a flight from Frankfurt to Zurich. We
had a 5-hour layover in Zurich, which allowed us to take a train into the city
and explore. This was my first train ride since our move to Germany.
 |
| largest clock face in Europe |
We walked down Bahnhofstrasse and
enjoyed the Swiss shops. We
meandered through old town and enjoyed some picturesque views of the city. We
walked passed St. Peter Church, which has the largest clock face in Europe.
After visiting Fraumünster church we took some time to enjoy lake Zurich. Unfortunately
it was hazy and we were not able to see much of the Swiss Alps around the lake.
On our way back to the train
station we stopped at Sprüngli to enjoy some
delicious Swiss chocolate. Before we knew it we were back on a plane and headed
for Venice. It was dark by the time we landed in Venice, picked up our rental
car, and drove to our hotel in Vicenza. That evening we met a very friendly
Italian who took us to a local restaurant and introduced us to lots of delicious
Italian foods. We sampled mozzarella di bufala, pizza, bread, and pasta with
duck.
 |
| Houses in Zurich |
 |
| Zurich |
 |
| Delicious Swiss Chocolate |
 |
| Mozzarella Di Bufala |
On Tuesday Ryan spent the day
working, while I tagged along. He was able to meet local people and visit the
sites for his progressing Vicenza projects. Tuesday evening we met up with our
new Italian friend, Flavio, and his family. We enjoyed another wonderful
evening of Italian cuisine.
 |
| Gondola in Venice |
Wednesday morning we headed to
Aviano, Italy where Ryan has more projects. Here Ryan was to meet up with
engineers from the Corp who had flown in from Omaha, except the engineers were
stuck in the Frankfurt airport because of a snowstorm in Germany. We took the
afternoon to visit a nearby city called Pordenone. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the
city, sampling gelato (Italian ice cream), and visiting an Italian grocery
store.
On Thursday the
engineers from Omaha were finally able to get a flight and make it to Aviano.
Ryan spent most of the day discussing projects and answering questions. I was
able to wander around the Aviano Air Force base shopping while he was working.
After Ryan said good-bye to the Nebraska team we headed back toward Vicenza. On
our way back we took back roads and stopped in a little canal town called Sacile.
 |
| Piazza San Marco |
Friday we were
up bright and early to catch the train from Vicenza to Venice. Ryan and I were
both extremely excited to explore the famous water city. In Venice we spent the
day walking and riding the waterbuses trying to take in as much of the city as
possible. We walked through the famous Piazza San Marco is the
primary public square of Venice. In The Piazza we admired St. Mark’s Basilica
with its Byzantine mosaics and multi-colored marble pillars and grand mosaics.
This cathedral has been a status symbol for Venetian wealth and power from the
11th century. Next to the Basilica is Doge’s Palace, which is an
excellent example of Venetian Gothic style architecture. Although under
renovation we were able to get some great views of St. Mark’s Campanile is the
bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica. The tower reached its present day form in
1912. Lightning and fires have been the cause several renovations throughout
its history.
 |
| St. Mark’s Basilica
|
 |
| View of Church of San Giorgio Maggiore |
 |
| Doge’s Palace |
We were able to step inside Santa Maria Della Salute. This
Roman Catholic Church and minor basilica is one of the “plague-churches”. In
1630 Venice experienced a devastating outbreak of the plague. The church was
built and dedicated to “Our Lady of Health”.
 |
| Dome of Santa Maria Della Salute visible in background |
 |
| Inside Santa Maria Della Salute |
 |
| Rialto Bridge |
We enjoyed views from and a walk over the infamous Rialto
Bridge. This is the oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal. The stone bridge
was completed in 1591. Interesting fact: The engineering of the bridge was
considered so audacious it was predicted future ruin, but the bridge has defied
critics and is one of the architectural icons of Venice.
 |
| Bridge of Sighs |
The Bridge of Sighs is another famous bridge in Venice that
we were able to discover. This enclosed bridge made of white limestone connects
the prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. The bridge was
built in 1602 and received its name as a suggestion that prisoners would sigh at
their final view of beautiful Venice through the bridge window before being
taken down to their cells. These are a few of the many sights we were able to
enjoy while we were in Venice. There was so much to see and do we could not
have possibly taken in the whole city in one day.
 |
| Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge |
 |
| Balcony From Romeo and Julie |
Saturday Ryan and I made a short road trip to Verona. This
city was made famous because it is the setting for William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We did the tourist
thing and went to Juliet’s house to take pictures of the famous balcony from
Shakespeare’s play.
 |
| Verona
Arena |
Our favorite attraction in the city was the Verona
Arena. The arena is a Roman amphitheater famous for its large-scale opera performances. The building was
constructed in 30 AD and could host more than 30,000 spectators. After an
earthquake in 1117 the structure’s outer ring was almost completely destroyed. Today
the arena continues to house opera performances and multiple rock concerts have
been held here as well. This structure is the 3rd largest coliseum
in Italy and is one of the best-preserved ancient structures of its kind.
 |
| Inside Verona Arena |
After leaving Verona we drove to the stunning Lake Garda. To
give you an idea of the size of Italy’s largest lake it is 10 miles wide, 32
miles long, and 1,135 feet deep at its deepest point. Intrigued by the
massive lake we drove along its southern shoreline and explored several lakeside
cities. One of the cities we visited was the ancient fortified town of
Sirmione. We were drawn to the picturesque Scaliger castle dating from the 13th
century. The city itself is situated on a small peninsula that juts out into
Lake Garda. The castle was built as a port fortification for the Scaliger
family fleet. We enjoyed meandering around the exterior of the castle taking in
the views, watching the ducks swimming in the moat, and walking over the
drawbridge into the rest of the city.
 |
| Scaliger Castle |
 |
| Lake Garda |
 |
| Villa Capra “La Rotonda” |
Sunday our plan to explore the city of Vicenza was
challenged by cold, rainy weather and a race that blocked our entrance to the
historic downtown area. Despite these roadblocks we were still able to take in
a few of the cities historic gems. The Villa Capra “La Rotonda” is a
Renaissance villa designed by Andrea Palladio. The home was built in 1567 and
was to be a retirement home for Vatican Paolo Almerico. The design of the
building was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and is one of Palladio’s best
know legacies to the architectural world. The design of this villa has been the
influence for buildings in England, Palestine, Poland, and our very own White
House.
 |
| Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico |
The Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico is a Roman Catholic
and minor basilica, which stands at the tope of a hill overlooking Vicenza.
This church was built in 1428 during a terrible plague. Construction of the
church was completed in 3 months with the belief the Madonna would rid the city
of the plague if the church was built in her honor.
On Monday we set out for the Venice airport to return the
rental car and catch our flight to Zurich. Once we landed in Zurich we had a
3-hour layover before catching our final flight to Frankfurt. After boarding
the plane we learned the engine would not start ultimately canceling our flight
and causing us to spend the night in Zurich. We were redirected on the next
flight leaving early Tuesday morning. We finally made it home around 9:00 on
Tuesday morning.
 |
| Canal in Venice |
 |
| Gelato |
 |
| Pasta with duck |
 |
| Venice with Bridge of Sighs in background |
