the carnivale is over

So, here we are at Fiumicino airport, Rome, all set to leave Italy #sadface

Campo di Marte was a great station to leave from - calm and peaceful cf Firenze SMN

We have had a fantastic holiday here - amazing weather, beauriful sights, delicious food, copious drinks...

G on platform 24, Roma Termini

Looking forward to our short stop in Tokyo.  All I can really offer today are some limited travel picks and some excellent advice, courtesy of trenitalia

Never mess with the doors #ouch

ciao

stuff we've loved in Italy (a short list)

- peanut butter gelato - who knew it would take til the last night in Florence to find it? #yum

getting stuck into my ice cream #asyoudo

- our first afternoon in Rome - after wandering about Trastevere for quite some time lost - then finding the apartment and moving in - and sitting down at Ombre Rosse for the first of many spritz - and realising - crikey we're on holiday - bliss

- cycing in Rome and cycling in Lucca - both days lovely - probably should've cycled more - bikes here are awesome - often old rattlers worth less than their padlocks - perfecto

- Venice, Venice, Venice

- my birthday in Cinque Terre - best spaghetti vongole and a wonderful day sussing out the towns along the coast

- fetching up in various parts of Italy to the tunes of Lorde and Pauly Fuemana - global citizens, eh? 

- i'Gottino - our first night there the barman was so accommodating and brought us the most generous "leetle snack" to go with our drinks.  Alas it's Monday and they're closed or we'd have finished our evening there - but everyone needs a day or two off...

- Venice, Venice, Venice

- geocaching - as ever it caused us to find places we wouldn't have otherwise - everyone should add it to their holiday must do lists 

- John Grisham's Bologna - our pilgrimage along the porticos was a blast - as was our day trip to Parma - highly recommended

the view - Fiesole

- making like Lucy Honeychurch and heading up the hill to Fiesole (and Siena, and Lucca, and the other day trips).  Lovely - views, lunches, Giottto frecoes, you name it

- G Childs, travel companion extraordinaire x

G Childs - travel buddy par excellence

- see yous all in Tokyo

- PS i have a tan 

i will seriously be rockng that tan - under my tights - when we get back - hah!

a long story about the coffee and the room

we like it at forte 16 - that's the name of our apartment.  like all the apartments we've stayed at, there is a bit of a kitchen, complete with pots, plates, cups, saucers, etc.  This one even has a dishwasher (a first).  

Forte 16 kitchen

But what forte 16 doesn't have, is stuff for making coffee or tea.

This startled us a bit, given the cups and saucers, and also because our place in Rome included a stovetop espresso maker and copious amounts of ground coffee; Venice, a machine in our room; Bologna, one along the corridor - you get the picture.

Geoff duly toodled off for a chat.  Could we have something with which to make coffee?  No, not included in our apartment.  Hmmm.  Why ever not?  Short discussion ensued.

Forte 16 have now supplied us with a coffee machine (nespresso styles) and a microwave - also previously absent.

nespresso machine - now with pods

happy now, we make two coffees.  Less happily we discover that there were only two pods.  now gone.  We go back for a further chat.  They will sell us (sell us - I kid you not!) pods for 0.50 cents.  Hmmm.  we buy four.

Last night on the way to our cooking class we walked past the nespresso store.  Today we went back. Ten pods for 3.70.  Ok. no more 'cost price 0.50' pods from forte 16 thanks v much.

But the nespresso shop - what a kurfuffle - you have to get a ticket and then go to the appointed counter, but we don't know this because we are stupid foreigners.  So after lots of hmming and hawing about what type of pod we want - as there are dozens - we go to the counter - but no ticket - back to the door for the ticket.  Sod that.  Talk to the demo man and cadge a coffee while we wait.  Attempt to flog a packet of sugar to take back home (there is none of that in our apartment either) as we have started taking sugar in our espresso - at least we're not smoking so only a few bad habits picked up in Italy - success - one packet of sugar lifted - and we emerge, equipped.

welcome to our store, please take a number

The nespressos are pretty good, but large on waste, so we'll be sticking with the big ol' pavoni on our return.  and yes, it's not far to a caffe, but sometimes you just want a drink in your room.  god knows what will happen if we decide we need a cup of tea...

cooking class

jo Nicol told us about the cooking class she had done when she was in Florence.  Sounds good, we thought.  And it was.  We chose pizza and gelato partly to get the low down on a decent base, partly to support my campaign for a halladale road ice cream machine, and partly because G wasn't keen to spend a whole day at school - and this one started at 6pm.

That meant we had plenty of time to (a) do our washing (previous post), (b) check out David at the Accademia - very impressive, not too many people - don't know how we managed that - no photos allowed, (c) have another nice lunch - pics already posted of caprese and ravioli - and (d) have a nap.  With all of those items ticked off it was time to meet up at Florencetown HQ.

Clearly the first part was not going to be great - a bunch of strangers hangs around waiting for the beginning and G and S regret involvement in this group activity not of our own devising.  Anyhoo... finally we were underway and off we trotted through the streets of Florence, following our chef to the kitchen.

The walk was good as we found a couple of new places to check out later.  The group included a family with a toddler (girl in pushchair) and two unruly primary school-aged boys.  Watch out, we thought.  But, they were great.  As soon as we left the boys stopped being terrors and wandered along happily with the chef.

Possibly we'll have to settle for a smaller ice cream machine than this one...

Once there, god knows how, we found ourselves at the same table as the boys.  Parents were elsewhere in the room.  Potential downside - having to help them and/or not being able to stop them flood the table with their flour/water wells.  Actual upside - fewer adults to share the bottles of wine in our part of the room.

The boys were great - got stuck in - and the chefs (and their mum) sorted out their dough.  The kids had a great time and did a pretty good job all up.

We also did a pretty good job.  G was praised for the consistency of his dough and my pizza was the roundest - finally got the shaping technique sorted.  Yay.

Very good dough, Geoffrey...

The gelato part was more demo than class, but I'm happy to report that the sampling was very hands on.

The class was extremely fun and we did learn some stuff as well.  All up, time and money well spent.  Thanks for the recommendation, jo :)

Lost and found bar - covers band - loud but good

Even tho we'd had plenty to eat (pizza and chocolate gelato) we still had room for a quiet drink at I'Gottino and then a coffee at Lost and Found, where a duo was playing pretty useful (but very loud) covers.  

All in all a good day.  Suddenly there are only a couple more days til we up sticks for Tokyo.  How did that happen?

oh Siena

Yesterday we went to the Museo Galileo and then to the Boboli Gardens.  The museum was a welcome change from art, tho (as the trip advisor reviewers mentioned) there is rather a lot of scientific equipment on display - and not a lot to do with it.

G with the largest telescope he could find

There is a small interactive area near the end - Te Papa it ain't - which G and I enjoyed.  Especially as a couple of the things needed minor repairs.  We happily devised schemes for finding the missing ball, re-attaching the bell that had fallen off, as well as enjoying the experiments on offer - mostly to do with speed, velocity (is that the same thing?) and stuff like that.  Alas, my scientific knowledge is still well under par...  Or, in golfing terms, I guess, well over...

Siena - lovely

I have just looked at facebook and Penny has reminded me that we forgot to look for Galileo's *actual* finger.  big disappointment.  not sure how we come back from that...

Boboli gardens - also lovely

The Boboli gardens were lovely - not stunning, but large and relatively tree-y.  Not huge amounts in the way of cultivated gardens, but very enjoyable and relaxing.  And, also, the weather remained fine throughout giving G plenty of opportunities to comment on the lack of thunderstorms.  Well, I could only go by the forecasts, couldn't I?

In the end we covered a fair few kms - which had not entirely been our intention - but so it goes when wandering about Italian cities.

best fountain, water feature, thingy, in Siena IMHO

Thursday we jumped on a bus to Siena.  It's a lovely town and we found it easy to while away the day, touring a couple of churches (inevitably), the inner city, bits of the wall, stumbled across a fabulous water feature - remnant of the town's early industries and need for water distribution, etc (tanning I think) - and circumnavigating the old fort which, troublingly, now contains a Luna Park.  Just like the one in Sydney only smaller and lamer (I think).  Then, back on the bus and off to G's new favourite place, I'Gottino.  It is just round the corner, very humble, and generous with the drinks.  What more could a traveller want?

washing day (again)

Today is washing day (again) - hopefully the last one before home - although that realisation is a bit depressing too - and then we're off to see David, before a cooking class - nothing too fancy, pizza and gelato.

being a single language barbarian and what you learn in queues (yes, queues again)

In Florence, of course, we have to visit the Uffizi.  Aware of the crowds, the queues, the need to book, we have organised our tickets online.  However, that does not mean an easy stroll into the gallery.

No.  We arrive well ahead of pick-up time and work out which of the several queues is ours.  Turns out we have to go across the way to the other building so we can turn our printed voucher into printed tickets.  That done, we may proceed to the next queue and, after various security procedures, enter the museum.  So, book ahead and earn shorter queues.  Still, there are compensations.  We fell into conversation with a young woman in front of us during queue number one.  She is an American, who speaks Italian, working here as a guide, between art history degrees.

We talk about the difficulties of being single language barbarians abroad, and how next time (yeah right) we must study the language before leaving home.  She has learned Italian to help her art history studies.  Soon she will move to Chicago to begin a doctoral programme.  Meanwhile, she lives in Rome and educates other single language barbarians like us (well, currently 13 college students from Michigan), as they take in the sights.

We talk of the different accents and dialects around the country, and she tells us there are Roman words and phrases that would be unacceptable in Firenze.  

-- If I said those things here someone would probably punch me in the face, she says.  

Suddenly we are at the front of the queue and the time seems to have been well spent.  We wish her well - and she us - and we will never see her again.

We do see quite a few paintings and sculptures in the Uffizi, though.  I suppose the Botticellis are the highlight for me.  Certainly the bloody tour groups aren't.  Geoff is now a winning partner in derby style pair blocking (still no elbows allowed) as we navigate the mobs.  We may only speak the one language but at least we're not being herded around the city like sheep, following umbrellas, flags, flowers, sticks of various kinds...  We also saw paired visitors strung together by their shared audioguides.  I can't see that working for us either ;)

Actually, another highlight was a cool painting of Leda with a very old and lecherous looking swan (can't remember by whom), and her babies hatching from eggs.  I hoped to see it as a postcard or similar in the shop, but no such luck.  No photos allowed at the Uffizi - hence the boring blog with only one picture - the merry go round at the piazza della repubblica (between the Duomo and the Uffizi).  

No, I didn't have a ride. But I did admire it from afar...

There were a few rain showers today, mostly they happened while we were indoors, or we could take ourselves into a shop or cafe to wait it out.  Like Auckland weather, methinks, gets muggier and hotter, then rains and cools down, and then it gets muggier and hotter... 

Ok, I'm an idiot.  Of course there are pictures (yay interweb) and the artist was Francesco Melzi - after a lost painting by Da Vinci, apparently.  Anyway, here it is:

I recommend embiggening it so you can better enjoy the details

Tomorrow, we're off to Siena.

Queuing up

This morning approx half the tourist population if Italy snaked around the piazza waiting for the Duomo to open. Crikey, we thought, and headed elsewhere.

Later, about 4pm, we strolled in for a look. No queue. Feeling smug. 

Porto Venere and Florence

being in Levanto felt like a holiday from our holiday.  Beaches, sea, postcard pretty towns, boats, etc

A view from the Castle, Porto Venere

the weather was actually slightly cooler due to being coastal - but still plenty warm enough for a swim, and to enjoy wandering around the different villages that make up the region.

yes, it's a total tourist circus.  goodness knows what it's like during the high season - train stations etc were bedlam.  So, we took to the sea and went to Porto Venere.

There is a great boat service up and down the coast although only a couple of times a day from Levanto so we couldn't afford to be late for the 10am sailing.  All those gorgeous postcards of the cinque terre are clearly taken from the sea - you definitely get the best views of them from there.

Vernazza, from the boat

Within a few minutes of setting off the boat had slowed and there were dolphins.  Lovely.  Plus, every time one popped up the whole boat went "aaahh"

Geoff made friends with a woman from Brisbane and they chatted about this and that until we arrived at Porto Venere - just south of Cinque Terre and within view of La Spezia, the major town for the area (which we didn't visit).  The way it sits around a harbour with all the houses jumbled up the hills did rather put me in mind of Wellington.

Turns out Byron spend a fair bit of time in this area, including a famous swim from the grotto (Byron's grotto) beneath Chiesa San Pietro, across the bay to visit Shelley (or something like that).  Anyway, we had a couple of hours to see the sites (2 x churches, 1 x castle ruin with lovely garden), grab a bite (just a humble lunch today) and jump on the boat back to Monterosso, with actual beaches, for a swim.  Yay. Swim in the Med = happiness.  It was so salty and clear - lovely to float around and not think of how polluted it probably actually is...

Beach at Monterosso.  Our boat is in the background.

Grabbed a short train ride back to Levanto as the last boat didn't leave for ages (crazy crammed but only a short ride through the tunnel), a quick geocache celebrating the history of alpinism in the area, and then home for a freshen up before dinner.  Yum.

It was the UEFA champions league final so people all over the place were glued to their teles - just like when we were in Spain a couple of years ago.  It seems (tho I may be wrong) that both teams were from Madrid but the final was held in Portugal. When we were having our coffees ATL was ahead of Real but we didn't stick around to see the end and I still don't know what happened.

Our hosts at La Dolce Vita were lovely and included station pick up and drop offs as part of the deal, which saved us the hill.  Both times we tried to get into the driver's side. Duh.  Valeria was a lovely host and her husband also - he is a train driver when he's not helping her look after guests.  

Train to Florence was text book - Levanto to Pisa, then Pisa to Florence - easy.  Florence was a bloody oven.  Nearly fell over from the heat immediately.  So we hopped in the taxi queue - smart move - and high tailed it to our brand new (as it turns out) apartment.  Best views in Florence (they reckon) and for free from the fifth floor.  I put that on Facebook, twitter and instagram (just to be sure).

Ravioli with cheese and pear.  Delicious.

We found a place to do our washing - no mean feat on a Sunday afternoon - and after forty winks, toodled into town for dinner.  We had a lovely meal - bodes well for the rest of the week, if not our waist lines.

happy birthday to me

Beth and her choir sang me happy birthday in italian - that was a cool start to the day.  Well, yesterday, actually, so the birthday month concept is definitely gaining in strength.

We had a compulsory sleep in as breakfast is served FROM 8.30am.  Enjoyed that - also better temperature for sleeping last night, and much quieter than Bologna, so a relatively good sleep :)

The rain kept on somewhat overnight but today was almost cloudless, super blue and lovely.  Mid-twenties I'm guessing.

It's pretty nice here...

We bought our Cinque Terre tickets and train hopped from place to place, seeing beaches, boats, cafes (of course) and lots of amazing views to gawp at through the throngs of visitors that are everywhere like plague.

Also, lots of generally sitting and enjoying and contemplating the loveliness of it all.

We had delicious seafood and pasta for lunch at Manarola and, barely hungry, very tasty pizzas for dinner back here at Levanto - according to Valeria, our host, the 3 Arches does the best pizza in town - and who are we to argue?  I would certainly go back (if we weren't off to Florence quite soon).

Birthday lunch

We had our best seafood so far last night at La Rino (also Levanto) - might go back tomorrow.  This is our shortest stop so we are trying to make the most of it.  

There are huge numbers of people here visiting Cinque Terre - goodness knows what it's like at the height of summer.  It's officially still shoulder season at the moment - with a number of places not open til June - although we have plenty of options here in Levanto.

Beach selfie with Geoffrey, Riomaggiore

Finished the day with a spot of geocaching.  Turns out there was one conveniently located at the church just round the corner from our digs.  Nice.  So far we've managed to knock at least one off at each place we've been: Rome, Venice, Bologna, Levanto (in case you've forgotten).  It's a travel momento that is both cool and geeky.  Well, at least one of those... but it's my birthday, so let's stick with both.

Church round the corner, San Andrea

Tomorrow we plan to take to the sea and go to Monterosso Al Mare.  It has quite a beach - so if it's as warm as today I may jump into the Med and swim.  We will see.

Anyway, so far, 46 is pretty ok.  Thanks for the various bday wishes.  It's been a good one.

bad habits

i am muttering, from time to time, didn't we have a lovely time the day we went to Parma... It's annoying me nearly as much as Geoff...

But we did.  Parma was fantastic.  The Baptistry (Battistero) was worth all of its three star rating in the Frommer's guide.  Full of amazing frescoes and angels and sculptures - lots of pink marble - and a singular, octagonal focus on baptism, dating from the 12th century.  Incredible.

The Battistero from the outside; looking up at the dome, couple of angels...

Then, having steeped ourselves in medieval churchy stuff, we headed off for what turned out to be our yummiest lunch so far (and most of our lunches have been fairly tasty).  The restaurant is called Borgo20 and we highly recommend... In fact we've even debated a day trip back to Parma from Florence for a repeat visit.  That will probably not happen but, you know, high praise.  I had carpaccio of sea bass.  Geoff had a selection of local meats and cheese.  We shared fiordilatte with balsamic. We enjoyed a bottle of Lambrusco and finished with coffee.  We sauntered out happy and well fed - but not too much.  A lovely way to finish our trip.

pink angels at the Museo Diocesano

But wait, there's more!  

Dinner.  After a train ride home that had more in common with a nasty sauna box than transportation, we staggered back to our apartment and regrouped (ie, snooze, shower, etc).  Off to dinner, down the long road, past the two towers, further, further, then around the corner to Antica Trattoria Spiga.  It was a bit quiet when we arrived, but we didn't let that put us off, and we had a very tasty last meal in Bologna.  Fried courgette flowers and salt cod to begin; delicious tortellini with sage butter; a beef and beer stew; semi-freddo; coffee.  Yum.  Waddled home - fortunately it was about 2km so we have worked off one of the courses (maybe).  Oh, and more Lambrusco. 

the gold angel is the original (I think) from the top of the Battistero, plus mosaics, etc

Also was lucky enough to find a very fetching birthday gift - the ring was made in Florence (by Elena Camilla Bertellotti - she has a website) - and is just gorgeous - kind of a Giotto blue set in some very tasty bronze.

All in all a cheerful day, and Parma was a revelation.  Tomorrow we're off to the Cinque Terre.

pilgrimage 101

so today we walked along beneath the 666 porticos to the basilica of the BVM di san luca - and down again.  But really more in the footsteps of John Grisham than that other book...

Via San Luca - Heading back down...

There was a beggar at the top and we were so impressed at his athleticism and enterprise we gave him all our small coins (not much, it has to be said).

Pastoral views from the top of the walk

Immediately after that I found a handy lighter and sighted a particularly lovely looking pigeon.  

Karma?  Maybe...

Cute speckled pigeon - well I thought so...

Also, on our way back down the via san luca, which is considerably more relaxing than the journey up, we decided to scrap Assisi and stay longer in Florence.  That means fewer journeys with luggage and more chances to enjoy day trips.  

handy and attractive lighter - well, you never know...

This further led to a complete change of accommodation in Florence - another apartment, of which we've become very fond - living in apartments, that is

G resting near the bottom - nice shirt!

So much excitement - and all as a result of our small pilgrims' journey up the hill.  And, all before lunch.   Which might be somewhat indulgent given that we've knocked off at least 8kms so far today.

Tiramisu. No juice

Wee bit dry?

Ciao Bologna

We are on the Bologna train listening to some querulous Americans worrying about their luggage.  Well, when I say we, I mean me, as Geoff is still trapped behind them as they hurl their bags around and whine like babies.  Now he's (the American) sticking his super large bag right over my head - as opposed to above his.  Hopefully if it slides off it will fly across the carriage and hit the people on the other side...

This train is going to Napoli - we are only a few stops down the line and should be there in time for lunch.  We are probably ready to leave Venice, even though it's been fantastic.  Feels like it's time to move along.

Well, ciao Bologna!  Once again we've landed on our feet with a fantastic apartment, only a short-ish (20 minute) walk from the train station.  We have also now discovered a bus stop right outside that will take us back to the station on Thursday.  Even better.  

no boring old room 252 here - we are in MM. Actually, now i think of it, our apartment in venice was San Barnaba

Our apartment - whose name is Marilyn Munroe - we had hoped for Audrey Hepburn but there you go - she's across the hall - is airy and spacious, with good storage, an excellent bathroom, kitchen facilities and skylights/blinds that operate at the touch of a button.  It also operates on keycodes so no extra luggage (ie, keys) to carry around. I say this as our Venetian key was a whopper (see below).

Geoff gets stuck into some local research - NB MM pics in the background

We only stayed in long enough to unpack and change, then took off for Piazza Maggiore at a fast clip.  Then turned around and headed off for Piazza Maggiore at a fast clip.  It was only a temporary disorientation...

We had lunch at La Linea - melanzane alle parmigiana for me and lasagne bolognese for G.  Possibly a spritz and a birra in the picture somewhere as well.  Thus equipped we were ready to ascend the tower.  Once upon a time there were dozens of towers all over the city,  Now there are two: le due Torri.  Asinelli - the taller of the two - is 102m and involves approximately 500 steps. 

Room with a view - Asinelli Tower

 It also has an incline of about 2.5m.  A leaning tower, in fact.  Views from the top are excellent.   I will post more pics on facebook etc - just a couple here.

Asinelli selfie 

We are enjoying an espresso (we have to go all the way down the hall to get one here, cf Venice in our apartment) and catching up on correspondence and generally having a rest before launching forth once more.

Tomorrow we plan to walk up the very long covered portico to Il Santuario di San Luca.  Hopefully it will help us walk off the delicious food we expect to devour in La Grassa :)

Bonus pics - Venetian key and unexpected Bolognese frogs...

Enormous venetian key

Colourful frogs

day trip to Padua

Well, flashback to Art History 101 - or maybe 110, or 123 - anyway, I'm pretty sure I wrote an essay about one of the Giotto frescoes I went to see today.  That would have been c1989. The Cappella degli Scrovegni houses a nearly complete cycle of Giotto's frescoes, painted over a two year period (1303-1305) when he was, they say, at the height of his artistic powers.

A helpful map of Padua

Anyway, it was awesome.  You have to book ahead, then sit with the other (up to 25) people in a special air conditioned room watching an instructive video for 15 minutes, then they let the last group out and let you in, for another 15 minutes of wandering about the chapel.  AMazingly the next group in comprised four people.  Hmmph.

Sculpture garden outside the museum and chapel - lovely mix of old and new

It's hard to focus on the totality of the thing, but there was the coolest little piece showing a bloke's legs sticking out of a fish - Jonah? And the trompe l'oeil marble was great.  The lapis ceiling was so beautiful... and the monochrome pieces around the church - justice, prudence, etc, were lovely.

This sculpture is called Galaxy and it's by Angelo Rinaldi (2009)

So, big drop of culture in Padua. 

We also had time to wander about in the gardens, though not the botanical gardens (oldest in Europe), be bossed about endlessly by the Italian speaking docents in the rest of the museum (so bossy, so Italian, so old), and also enjoy the haughty service at the world famous (?) caffe Pedrocchi.  We gave their signature coffees a big swerve (apart from costing an astonishing 2.50, they also involve some kind of green milk froth - urrgh) and stuck with standard espresso and a lovely crema catalana, just because.  I felt a bit of pressure ordering, as the preceding people had caused the manager dude at the till a lot of grief, to the point that he gave me the complicit eye roll just before I started ordering.  Talk about pressure.  That's because even though my due caffe, and si, and grazie are becoming slightly more fluent, that's still about the extent of my Italian reo.  Sigh.  What it is to be a single-language barbarian.

 Caffe Pedrocchi was the bees knees...

We sneaked onto the fast train back to venice, even though we only had four euro tickets (as opposed to 15-20 euro tickets).  I felt terrible guilt and feigned sleep throughout in an effort to avoid a conversation with a guard.  Plan worked, but I think largely as the ride from Padua to Venezia SL is very short and they have mostly lost interest at that point.

It was fun to do a day trip, but by crikey it's a marvellous thing to arrive back in Venice.  It really is a crackingly good town.

The bells are just going bonkers again, as if to remind me that it certainly is that much awesome...  We toodled out to get a few supplies and stop for a last spritz or two - tonight at the orange caffe - where we witnessed the most athletic bird life (pigeons are real dare devils in this town, and the sparrows are feisty too) - a few hen parties (not actual hens, unfortunately), and the general passing wonder that is locals and tourists out in the late sun.  Saw my first/only venetian skateboarder in the person of the girl in the pink pants.  Yay her.

Skater girl, Venice - alas the skateboard is obscured

Also, we are staying near the fabulously named San Pantalon, which I can't help but translate as Saint Pants.  Could that possibly be the case?  Hoping... The skater pic also reminds me that the woman in orange on the left was part of a group of about five who seemed very cool and quite like a venetian book group out for a few drinks and a chat - the only discernible difference between their book group and our book group was that they were all smoking like chimneys (and possibly not discussing SL).

chip stealing sparrow, San Pantalon (or thereabouts) Venice

So, tonight we pack, tomorrow we leave for Bologna, half a dozen venetian glasses in tow (what were we thinking?).