A Romantic Rumble

I know I am in the city center of Padua when I hear the familiar rumble of car wheels rolling over the cobblestone streets. The soothing sound accompanies my steps as I walk under the porticos and along sidewalks while going to work, shopping and strolling from café to café with friends to have an aperitivo in the early evening.

Over the summer, many of the streets have been repaved because of special underground work that was done while the Paduans were on vacation at the beach. The city enjoyed a couple of months with very little traffic and few cars.

Now in September, the summer's work is being finished along Via Zabarella, seen in the picture below. The workmen carefully place each stone down, hammer it into the sandy mortar and fill in the gaps. A sober and elegant fan pattern emerges from the cobblestone design.



Each time I leave Padua for an extended stay elsewhere, such as re-entry to the US, I can't wait to come back to the deep, long, rolling, medieval sound of Padua's streets.

Mare e Monti e Mercato

Sea and Mountains and Market

Yesterday I said goodbye to my father who is returning to USA. In his ten days in the country, we were able to explore the mountains, countryside and swim in the sea.

My husband, F, and I challenged his stamina and legs by climbing the Tofana di Rozes (3225 m/9033 ft) in the Dolomites under a glorious autumn sky.


We sent him golfing on an ambitious course at the foot of the Eugaean Hills, west of Padua, where the the woods and water seemed to "eat" his golf balls. Deeper into the hills, we had him feast on galletto , a small delicious chicken, for dinner that night.

We drove him to the Adriatic Sea to sit under a rainbow umbrella in Sottomarina near Chioggia to enjoy one of the last days of summer on the beach in total September relaxation.



In the middle of these trips dotting the Veneto map, we left him on his own in the center of town to discover what the city of Padua could offer him for this, his fourth trip. Watching the market close up shop at midday was reported to be the highlight while there were also impressive paintings by Tiepolo, Titian and other great artists that awaited him in the Eremitani museum that afternoon.

I believe it is important to sometimes leave my guests on their own in Italy so they can discover something with their own eyes. When I am at their side, some people may only focus on what I explain to them but importance is subjective so it is good to have the person decide on his own focus for at least a while. For my father, the market provides the local/foreign intrigue that he is looking for.

Readers, thank you for your patience and gift of time that you let me spend with my father.

Ciao, Dad. Alla prossima!
(See you next time!)

Pictures: climbing the last leg of the Tofana di Rozes; the view of Lagazuoi and Marmolada from the summit; Golf Club Montecchia from their website; online announcement from Bagni Arcobaleno in Sottomarina.

Friday's False Friend

eventually v. eventualmente

Eventually means "in the end" for English speakers while a similar word, eventualmente, is a way to express the idea of "possibly" for Italians. Use the Italian words "alla fine" when you would like to convey the English meaning.

Eng) I eventually got back to writing my blog after spending a week being a tour guide for my father.

It) Alla fine sono tornata a scrivere il mio blog dopo aver passato una settimana in cui ho fatto la guida turistica per il mio padre.

Spending Time with Dad

Since my father has come in from abroad for 10 days, my blogs have been suspended for a few more days. I only get to see him about once a year so I need to take advantage of the time I have with him now.

He also needs A LOT of help getting about town with a language and cultural barrier. These are situations where roles are reversed and the parent becomes the "kid" who needs to be attended to by his "expert" daughter.

Vieni con me, Dad. Ti porto in giro.
(Come with me, Dad. I'll take you around.)

Friday's False Friend

college v. collegio

It's back-to-school season. Are the dedicated sales on in USA? College students have hit the books and younger pupils are doing the same. Be careful about how you use the English term college because, for us, it refers to university. In Italian, a similar word, collegio means boarding school or the on-campus lodging provided to our university students.

Think plain "university" when you want to say college: università.

Eng) My son started college last week.

It) Il mio figlio ha cominciato l'università la settimana scorsa.

The Neverending Story of Construction in Italy

For years, I have been listening to the sounds of restoration or construction. It began in Venice, when the building across the canal had work done for over a year as the owners remodeled the house. Then I moved to Padua.

In the first apartment, you could say I had a respite. In reality, I exchanged construction noise for car traffic and sirens. I was living on a major thoroughfare next to the hospital so not only did I enjoy rush hour traffic and pollution, but I also had sirens outside my windows at least 3 times an hour. The sirens could even be heard during telephone conversations with friends and family in America.

Once I got out of that situation and found a nice residential area to call home, the construction began again. For the first year, a new small condominium was being finished next to our house. No sooner was that project finished, than the property directly across the street decided to resume 20-year-old project for another larger building, including condos and commercial space.

The demolition of the old pillars began two years ago and the building has finally finished this summer. I can't believe the construction is over! There aren't the big trucks blocking traffic anymore. Our neighborhood parking spaces have been given back to us. The big box is standing and ready for occupancy with a big banner hanging with per informazioni (for information)and a telephone number.

It had gotten to the point that the sound of a jack-hammer was like a lullaby during my afternoon naps, when I could take them. Having silence is odd now.

Below is a picture of the project from our front lawn. What do you think? Would you want to live there? I must admit that although the area is great, this building doesn't look very inviting to me with its "pool" blue paint and bulky, restricted terraces. The condo has been named L'Ancora (The Anchor) and there is a big anchor as the focal point of the landscaping area in front. Padua only has canals and two rivers that run through or around it with virtually no boat traffic so I don't understand the symbolism.



My husband and I are making bets on what the commercial spaces will become. Will we get a take-away pizza joint? That would be convenient. Will a new perfume shop do business there? Or a small supermarket or green grocer? I guess we will find out by the end of the year. We haven't seen anyone move in yet. For now, the construction company has set up its offices in the second-floor office suite.

In the meantime, two new demolitions and new housing projects have started further down the street. The trucks are back in the neighborhood. It is just neverending.... but at least we can't hear their noise.

Funny thing is that my husband and I are looking to move again. Who knows what projects lurk around the new property. Maybe this time we will be the ones making the noise, especially if we find a house to fix-up.

Feature Seascape

A storm rises over the Adriatic at the end of summer.