Had a nice visit back with Claudio and Paola in Vicenza Monday evening. We shared some good red wines, olives, and cheeses over conversations of culture and life. Paola cooked an excellent vegetarian dinner including a cauliflower souffle that was yummy.
Tuesday, while Paola was at work, Claudio drove us to Padova, a university city about 45 minutes east. It is famous for having the largest public square in Italy. The old inner city and pedeatrian shopping area was constructed with arcades, typical of cities in the Venetian empire. It was a cloudy day, so the pictures aren't so great.
We went back to Vicenza to pick up Paola and drove to Bassolo de Grappa, about 45 minutes north east into in the foothills. Unfortunately we arrived after sunset, which is getting early here, so I didn't get the best sense of the city. The town is famous for its grappa and medieval wood bridge. From there I took the train back to Aviano and to the base. Tomorrow I start the process of trying to get back home.
