Day 15 June 6, 2023
Today was an easy day as we started to do some packing before heading to Padua for the day. It’s only a 25-minute train ride so we got there about 11:30. We went to the Basilica of St. Anthony. Friar Anthony of Padua was Christ’s perfect follower and a tireless preacher of the Gospel and is buried here. Construction of the Romanesque/Gothic church, with its Byzantine-style domes, started immediately after St. Anthony’s death in 1231. He was sainted within a year of his death and for nearly 800 years, his remains have attracted followers to Padua.
We walked around for a bit, grabbed some lunch, which was spaghetti with clams and polenta with shrimp. The shrimp was not what we were expecting, but we both dug in and ate it all. The shrimp literally looked like baby ones, but they were cooked whole. John and I looked at each other and went for it. The texture was, shall we say, crunchy, as you are eating the shell/legs/antenna, etc. They weren’t bad, but it was knowing what you were eating that we paused on. I googled it and it’s schie, which are small gray shrimp usually fried crisp or used in stews.
Our next stop was to the Scrovegni Chapel for a 3 p.m. tour. To protect the paintings (frescoes) from excess humidity, only 25 people are allowed in the chapel at a time. Every 15 minutes, a new group is admitted for a 15-minute video presentation in the anteroom, followed by 15 minutes in the chapel itself. The frescoes were painted by Giotto di Bondone and his assistants from 1303 to 1305. He painted the entire chapel in 200 working days over two years. Fifteen minutes is not enough time, in my opinion, to admire the work in this chapel. It was beyond amazing! We took as many pictures as we could, but it will not do it justice.
The weather decided to not cooperate (rain) so we headed back to the train station early and was hoping to catch an earlier train back, but no luck. We got back to the room, reheated some leftovers plus cooked up a few fresh shrimp that John got from the fish market this morning, and called it a day. Tomorrow, we head to Manarola for our next adventure!!!!
Miles walked – 6.71 Ciao!
