We’ve spent our first full week in Padova and have lots to tell – from our departure from Torre Orsina to our visit with friends from Germany and all of the meals and sites in between. Padua is a compact city, with narrow twisting streets lined here and there with shady porticos which offer temporary relief from the midday sun. Memorizing the map of the city isn’t easy, but that’s why I brought a Cinzia with me. They’re ever so handy, especially where navigation is concerned. We’ve just finished a lunch in our apartment which consisted of a perfectly ripe melon, similar to cantaloupe, with thin slices of tasty cured meats purchased from the bottega around the corner. The grumpy fellow that mans the deli counter, and occasionally the produce section, is starting to warm up to me after seeing me in there four times in just a week. Having been fed, I can spend the afternoon banging away on my keyboard while the rest of the city lays down for a little pisolino (nap).
Last week, David and Laura gave us (and our luggage) a lift to the Terni train station in time to catch the 10:56am train south to Roma Tiburtina before switching to the Frecciarossa – a modern, fast train which only makes stops in Firenze (been there - 2011) and Bologna (done that - 2014), before arriving in Padova. The Frecciarossa was a bit more money, but two tickets for only €126 was well worth it. Renting, driving, navigating, parking, and refueling a car is too much of a headache. The Frecciarossa zooms along at upwards of 250 km/hr, allowing us to relax and enjoy the scenery. The doors and windows are well sealed, so going in and out of tunnels is easy on the eardrums, outside noise is greatly diminished, and the air conditioning keeps us cool and comfortable. The reserved seating provides us our own area, with high-backed seats, folding table, trash receptacle, power outlets, and free WiFi. The TV monitors show us maps of where we are, what station is next, and our speed while the announcer broadcasts all of the important information in both Italian and English. There’s also a food car which we took advantage of for a light lunch while aboard.
We arrived in Padova later that afternoon. Maria, the woman we’re renting from, suggested taking the tram from the station. Tickets are only €1,30 each and drop us off a few blocks from what will be our home for the next two months. She buzzes us in and gives us a quick tour. The stove/oven and the clothes washer/dryer cannot be used simultaneously as they’ll draw more power than she’s paying for, so she shows us where the circuit breaker is in the apartment as well as her panel in the basement. Apparently this has been an issue with previous tenants. She shows us how to operate the air conditioning unit, log on to the WiFi, and work the keys to the gate, building door, front door, and our back door. We have a ground level unit that opens up on to a community backyard. (Oh, did she mention the unmarked switch that turns off the power to the stove and fridge, or the switch by the door that turns off the doorbell? No. We’d discover those on our own.) Everything looks as advertised, but I tell her that I won’t really know until I cook a few meals. She assures me that the kitchen has everything, so I test her and ask to see the cutting board. She produces one that’s only just larger than my hand. This won’t do. You can barely use it to cut a melon, let alone prepare a meal. She says to contact her via email or WhatsApp if we need anything. I pay her the €1.520 balance, sign a few papers, and give her a $200 security deposit explaining that it’s more than the €150 she requested and since we’ll be departing for the U.S. immediately after checkout, I’ll have no use for euros.
Our good friends, Richard and MiKyong, are coming to see us from where they’re stationed in Germany. They’re due to arrive the same day we are, so Cinzia is busy unpacking and putting away our luggage while I run to the bodega around the corner to pick up something for apertivo. It’s a small store, but seems to be well stocked – especially the deli counter. I grab 3 etti of Prosciutto San Daniele, a stick of some type of salami with garlic, a big ball of fresh mozzarella di bufala, a huge hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a wedge of soft and stinky local cheese, assorted olives, tiny marinated artichoke hearts, sweet white grapes, Italian plums, and a bottle of red wine. Mikyong contacts us saying that they’ll arrive around 7pm. Perfect. I have time to cut everything and prepare the plates. Unfortunately, I was spoiled by the beautiful old razor-sharp knife of Gioacchino’s and am left with several cheap, unsharpenable knives (yes, I’m saying that’s a word). I try using the stone Gioacchino generously let me have, but the metal is soft and will not keep an edge. The salami comes out a bit mangled, but it’ll do.
Rich and Mikyong arrive on time with a case of Diet Coke in hand. I love you guys! Apparently Italy is transitioning from delicious Diet Coke to nasty Coke Zero, and this case came from Germany (probably from the Base Exchange where it was bottled in Atlanta). Cinzia has the table set and we all have a seat as I uncork the wine and have a chance to use our new copper sottobottiglia. We tuck in to some of the best Italy has to offer. “Tuck in” just sounds so comforting. The San Daniele is fantastic as is the mozzarella di bufala and artichoke hearts. Soon we realize that it’s 11pm and decide to meet here tomorrow morning at 9pm to explore the city.
Our good friends, Richard and MiKyong, are coming to see us from where they’re stationed in Germany. They’re due to arrive the same day we are, so Cinzia is busy unpacking and putting away our luggage while I run to the bodega around the corner to pick up something for apertivo. It’s a small store, but seems to be well stocked – especially the deli counter. I grab 3 etti of Prosciutto San Daniele, a stick of some type of salami with garlic, a big ball of fresh mozzarella di bufala, a huge hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, a wedge of soft and stinky local cheese, assorted olives, tiny marinated artichoke hearts, sweet white grapes, Italian plums, and a bottle of red wine. Mikyong contacts us saying that they’ll arrive around 7pm. Perfect. I have time to cut everything and prepare the plates. Unfortunately, I was spoiled by the beautiful old razor-sharp knife of Gioacchino’s and am left with several cheap, unsharpenable knives (yes, I’m saying that’s a word). I try using the stone Gioacchino generously let me have, but the metal is soft and will not keep an edge. The salami comes out a bit mangled, but it’ll do.
Rich and Mikyong arrive on time with a case of Diet Coke in hand. I love you guys! Apparently Italy is transitioning from delicious Diet Coke to nasty Coke Zero, and this case came from Germany (probably from the Base Exchange where it was bottled in Atlanta). Cinzia has the table set and we all have a seat as I uncork the wine and have a chance to use our new copper sottobottiglia. We tuck in to some of the best Italy has to offer. “Tuck in” just sounds so comforting. The San Daniele is fantastic as is the mozzarella di bufala and artichoke hearts. Soon we realize that it’s 11pm and decide to meet here tomorrow morning at 9pm to explore the city.
After a quick stop at a caffé we head to the Basilica di Sant'Antonio. It’s a Franciscan church, so the outside is unadorned. The interior is fairly simple, at least compared to the large basicile of Roma and Firenze, but the tomb of Saint Anthony is ornate. A line forms to enter that alter of the tomb where the faithful can pin notes/photos for the saint on a corkboard and even place a hand on the rear of the tomb and pray. It’s quite a sight. Only one other side alter is ornate. This one is made up of a big, colorful mosaic. The rest of the church – side alters, floors, ceiling, main alter, etc. are fairly unremarkable.
We sit outside at a restaurant for lunch. Rich and I share a pizza of guanciale and artichokes along with a seafood salad. Ok, but not great. On the walk home we spot a pasticceria and buy a Sacher tort for dessert and a Torta del Santo for breakfast the next morning. (This is one example of why Padova is known as “the city without”. Their famous saint’s name is often omitted as everyone knows they must be referring to Saint Anthony.) We heading back to our place to eat the Sacher tort, decide to take a rest, and meet up again later on for dinner. Cinzia finds a place on TripAdvisor with great reviews, but their small menu offers dishes of either horse, ass, or vegetarian (you pick the lesser of these 3 evils – harder than you think, right?). We wander around a bit and find a busy piazza encircled by restaurants and bars all offering al fresco dining at tables in the piazza. I spot a menu that looks promising and we grab a table for four. Rich and I split a pizza and the girls split an antipasto of meats, burrata, and warm pockets of freshly baked bread with Aperol Spritz to drink. This light dinner is perfect after all of our eating previously in the day. During dinner we were told that they have friends driving in from Vicenza the next morning, so they might not see us again before driving back to Germany on Thursday. We say our goodbyes back at the house hoping that they’ll find a way to break away from their friends before tomorrow’s dinner. I have faith in Rich.
We sit outside at a restaurant for lunch. Rich and I share a pizza of guanciale and artichokes along with a seafood salad. Ok, but not great. On the walk home we spot a pasticceria and buy a Sacher tort for dessert and a Torta del Santo for breakfast the next morning. (This is one example of why Padova is known as “the city without”. Their famous saint’s name is often omitted as everyone knows they must be referring to Saint Anthony.) We heading back to our place to eat the Sacher tort, decide to take a rest, and meet up again later on for dinner. Cinzia finds a place on TripAdvisor with great reviews, but their small menu offers dishes of either horse, ass, or vegetarian (you pick the lesser of these 3 evils – harder than you think, right?). We wander around a bit and find a busy piazza encircled by restaurants and bars all offering al fresco dining at tables in the piazza. I spot a menu that looks promising and we grab a table for four. Rich and I split a pizza and the girls split an antipasto of meats, burrata, and warm pockets of freshly baked bread with Aperol Spritz to drink. This light dinner is perfect after all of our eating previously in the day. During dinner we were told that they have friends driving in from Vicenza the next morning, so they might not see us again before driving back to Germany on Thursday. We say our goodbyes back at the house hoping that they’ll find a way to break away from their friends before tomorrow’s dinner. I have faith in Rich.
Sure enough, after our relaxing morning, Cinzia gets a message from Mikyong saying that they’ll meet us for dinner. We pick another highly rated restaurant/pizzeria. It’s a busy place, but we manage to get a table without having made a reservation. Cinzia and I decide to split the lardo antipasto and I go with the cavatelli with clams and broccoli. For dolce Rich and I share the profiteroles while Cinzia introduced Mikyong to a sorbetto – an after dinner drink made with lemon gelato, prosecco, and vodka. Order a sorbetto the next time you’re in Italy and be aware that in some regions this is called a sgroppino. After our official goodbyes, we’re ready for bed.
We’re finally on our own in a new city and hit the grocery store to stock up. The markets here are opened daily with vendors setting up in the piazza selling fruits and vegetables. The indoor stalls house the butchers, bakers, and mongers of both fish and cheese. Veal is on top of our menu, but I fail miserably as my veal marsala falls flat. This is when I notice that our kitchen lacks some useful utensils, like a cheese grater, serrated bread knife, tongs, and a pasta server. Again, Padova lives up to its name as the city without. I send an email to Maria asking her to purchase them for us, along with the knife and cutting board, or I can find them myself. A day or two later a bag containing a cutting board is hanging on our doorknob. The next day we buy a cheese grater and pasta server. (So far nothing else has appeared on my doorknob.)
One of the next nights we make spaghetti carbonara with guanciale. Delicious – but I can’t make a diet of only this or we’d have to buy all new wardrobes. Is the spaghetti all'amatriciana that I made last night a better alternative? What else can I make with guanciale? We threw in a few fennel and orange salads, bruschetta, and a tomato salad to make us feel healthier between boards of cured meats and cheeses. The biscuits with Elda’s homemade marmellata prugne make a perfect breakfast too. We even make our own Macedonia to balance out all of the gelato I’ve eaten and plan to eat. We make it just like Flavia did with plums, peaches, percocche di sicilia, pears, banana, sugar and a little lemon juice (the banana really makes it).
One of the next nights we make spaghetti carbonara with guanciale. Delicious – but I can’t make a diet of only this or we’d have to buy all new wardrobes. Is the spaghetti all'amatriciana that I made last night a better alternative? What else can I make with guanciale? We threw in a few fennel and orange salads, bruschetta, and a tomato salad to make us feel healthier between boards of cured meats and cheeses. The biscuits with Elda’s homemade marmellata prugne make a perfect breakfast too. We even make our own Macedonia to balance out all of the gelato I’ve eaten and plan to eat. We make it just like Flavia did with plums, peaches, percocche di sicilia, pears, banana, sugar and a little lemon juice (the banana really makes it).
What do we do back in the apartment? Cinzia has tried her hand using the washer/dryer a time or two. It doesn’t seem to do a good job of either and takes most of the day to complete one small load. We picked up cards to play burraco – not the professional American acetate cards, but the thicker cardboard Italian style. This setup is from Modiano and costs €15. Cinzia’s getting better. We also get a bunch of channels on the TV, so we can keep up with the cooking shows on ALICE and watch the various game shows, like the new “Guess My Age”. A couple guesses the age of 7 somewhat random people. They have six “help lines” that they can use, like which famous person was also born in that year, or what movie or song was released then. They get one guess and lose increasingly more and more money from their €100.000 bank for each year they are off. On the 7th person they get 4 guesses and must guess the age exactly in order to win whatever is left in their bank. Each incorrect guess cuts the bank in half. Contestants either walk away with less that €10.000 or oftentimes nothing at all. The show I’m really looking forward to is Miss Italia which airs next weekend. It’ll be a bloodbath.
Cinzia will be making dinner tonight – a first! She’s making risotto with artichokes. Should be good.
Cinzia will be making dinner tonight – a first! She’s making risotto with artichokes. Should be good.
Ok, what else? We’ll start to plan some day trips next week. Venezia, Vicenza, and Verona are all close, and less than €5 by bus or train. There’s also a one-way cruise through the canals from Padova to Venezia which stops at several palazzi along the way. I think we’ll do that when it gets cooler. We’re also planning on visiting my uncle later this month when he’s vacationing at Vigo di Fassa in the dolomites. Oh, and my little brother is visiting us later in October. Should be busy here. More later. Enjoy the photos and videos.