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Notes on Venice, Bassano del Grappa, Garda, Cremona & Milan (Sept 2016)

Notes on Venice, Bassano del Grappa, Garda, Cremona & Milan (Sept 2016)

Old Jan 7th, 2017, 03:04 PM
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Notes on Venice, Bassano del Grappa, Garda, Cremona & Milan (Sept 2016)

It has been three months since my husband & I returned from our trip to Italy. It is only now that I finally have time to sit down and write about our trip that was geographically, culturally and gastronomically diverse. It truly was a delight for the senses!

Here's our itinerary:

September 7: Leave Vancouver, B.C. for Venice
September 8-12: Venice
September 12-17: Bassano del Grappa
September 20-24: Cremona
September 24-28: Milan
September 28: Fly home

Andiamo!
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Old Jan 7th, 2017, 06:13 PM
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Looking forward to this report. We loved Bassano de Grappa!
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 09:13 AM
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Our plane landed at Marco Polo Airport at 07:30 as scheduled. After picking up our luggage, DH & I walked out to the arrivals hall where we located Venezia Water Taxi Company. After a long travel day, we felt it was worth the splurge to take a water taxi to the hotel.

It was a thrilling ride from the airport, across the open water and along canals, big & small to the Locanda Orseolo. Gigi greeted us the hotel's canal-side door.

Now, there's no elegant way to scramble from the boat through the door opening. Gigi offered his hand to pull me up and DH - at least I think it was DH - gave me a gentle, guiding push from behind. We had arrived!

It was lovely to back at the beautiful Locanda Orseolo. Igor invited us into the breakfast room where we had coffee & a light breakfast.

www.locandaorseolo.com

As anticipated, our room was not ready for us. After freshening up a bit and a quick change of clothes, we set out for a walk in hot, sultry Venice.

At that time in the morning, the crowds had not yet materialized on St Mark's Square. It was pleasant to just wander through the narrow streets and look into shop windows. Even though it was our third visit to Venice, it was going to take time for us to re-orient ourselves.

We located Raggio Veneziano on Campo S. Stefano. Here, I was able to find a leather handbag that was big enough to carry my spectacles + other essentials but elegant enough to take to dinner. I travel with my Longchamp totes, a large one for the airplane + a small one as a day bag. I like to change purses in the evening. There were so many wonderful choices. The 'City Charm' purse was perfect! I loved the shape, the size and the charm made of semi-precious stones & Murano glass beads which added a bit of zip to an otherwise simple bag. By the way, I used it every night during the trip!

www.raggioveneziano.com

By this time, travel exhaustion was setting in. We do recall going into a church where we bought Chorus Passes. We don't remember stopping for lunch. But we definitely remember being shown to our gorgeous guest room back at the Locanda and settling in!

Later, we asked Lorenzo at the front desk to make a dinner reservation for us at Rosa Rossa. How difficult would it be to find a restaurant that we've been to before; with Lorenzo's instructions; and a map reminding us of the way? We left the hotel at 19:10 for our 19:30 reservation. We arrived at 20:00! We blamed our waywardness to being tired and to the heat. The only reason we arrived when we did was due to the kindness of shopkeepers whose advice & help progressively got us closer and closer to the restaurant! Our meals were good but we felt the service was uneven. Wish I could say that we made it directly back to the hotel after dinner. But thanks to our state of being lost, my Fitbit recorded 10,211 steps even though it was a travel day!

We went to bed exhausted but smiling. We were in Venice after all!
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 12:24 PM
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH

It was lovely to see Barbara, the charming owner of the Locanda Orseolo this morning. It had been several years since our last stay here but she welcomed us warmly. She & her staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay.

As we set out on this hot day, we were happy to be heading away from St Mark's Square with its growing crowds. Today we were heading to the northern most sestiere of Venice called Cannaregio.

Here, we found a historical neighbourhood that is primarily residential. It has pictures
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 01:10 PM
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It's mandatory to get lost in Venice at least once!
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 01:37 PM
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Oops! I accidentally hit the 'submit' button.

To continue ...

Here, we found a historical neighbourhood that is primarily residential. It has picturesque canals, quiet piazzas, shops and secret corners waiting to be discovered. We found ourselves just wandering and taking in the pleasures we came upon along the way.

We stopped at Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, found a place to sit in the shade of a tree. Decided that it was in time for lunch. So we went to Ghimel Garden, a kosher, vegetarian restaurant located on the campo. We entered to find a shady courtyard setting. We enjoyed a simple lunch and a lovely reprieve from the heat of the day. While it was tempting to linger there longer, we had some churches to visit!

www.ghimelgarden.com

Sant'Alvise, a 14th century church had a rather plain brick exterior. We entered to discover a church with a single navel, a unique hanging choir and a highly decorated trompe l'oeil painted ceiling. It was hard to believe that this ceiling was flat!

Madonna dell'Orto was not on the Chorus Pass but it was worth the small fee to enter to see paintings by Jacopo Tintoretto and the church in which he is buried.

We couldn't miss visiting Santa Maria dei Miracoli, my favourite church in Venice! The exterior is laid with pretty coloured marble and the interior of the church is small & lovely. A marble staircase leads up to the main altar where an image of the Virgin Mary by Niccolo de Pietro hangs. It is said to have performed miracles. Santa Maria dei Miracoli is like a tiny jewel box.

We returned to the Locanda hot, red-faced and thirsty. Cooled down sufficiently to have our second shower of the day and readied ourselves for dinner.

Because the location of Vini da Gigio was in Cannaregio where we had been today, we felt confident that we would find our way there with Igor's superb directions and our trusty map in hand. We even stopped at Do-maghi, a pretty shop that sold glass objects that were primarily red in colour. Eye-catching displays, for sure!

It turned out that we did walk past the fondamenta on which Vini da Gigio was located ... sigh! We turned around and back-tracked. We arrived at the restaurant hot & sweaty but actually on time! Our reservation was under 'Gioia' which is Italian for 'Joy', my first name.

The restaurant was packed. It had a congenial, lively atmosphere ... just as we remembered. We decided to return here after a very memorable dinner on our last trip - a bit risky, I know. But it didn't disappoint. Our meals were superb. We shared an insalata caprese. DH had gnocchi with lamb + panna cotta with almond & carmel. I had tagliolini with spider crab + panna cotta with nougat & chocolate sauce. Beverages included a 1/2 liter of the house wine, water & coffee. The service was very good.

www.vinidagigio.com

We strolled through St Mark's Square on the way back. Groups of people were drawn towards the music of the bands as they took turns playing on this beautiful evening! The moon was shining down on us all tonight.


Next: a boat ride to Torcello
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 03:52 PM
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HappyTrvlr: We also loved Bassano! It is an attractive, interesting city. We ate well. And the people were lovely, too!

sundriedtopepo: Being lost in Venice often leads to unexpected discoveries & encounters. Hopefully, one always reaches the intended destination as we did ...eventually!
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Old Jan 8th, 2017, 08:25 PM
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Correction: The church of Sant'Alvise had a single 'nave' NOT 'navel'. The auto-correct feature on a device can sometimes inject humour where it's not intended! ;-)
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Old Jan 9th, 2017, 04:19 PM
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH

This morning, we talked to Barbara & Gigi about the wisdom of making a reservation for lunch on Torcello. Being Saturday, they thought it would be a good idea. The first two restaurants Gigi called were booked for weddings and would not be open for lunch service. Barbara had heard that Taverna Tipica Veneziana was a casual place that served typical fare. We were fine with her suggestion.

So, with our vaporetto passes, we walked to Fondamenta Nove to catch Vaporetto #12. As it turned out, this vaporetto went all the way to Torcello - no change in Burano required. We sat next to a window through which the sun would eventually shine. After a while, we moved forward to the open part of the boat. Here, we caught the cool sea breezes - much better. Note to self: sit in the middle section of seats. Most passengers disembarked at Murano and Burano. By the time we reached Torcello, there were just a small group of us who got off.

We walked along Fondamenta dei Borgognini next to a canal and stopped at Ponte del Diavolo for a photo-op. We passed by historical buildings, restaurants and grassy fields as we continued on. We learned later that much of the island is a nature reserve accessible only on walking paths.

We entered the small 11th century church of Santa Fosca. It is surrounded by a five-sided portico in the form of a Greek cross.

We purchased a combination ticket to enter Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta and to climb the Campanile. The impressive 11th-13th century Byzantine mosaics in the Basilica plus the pretty views from the top of the 12th century campanile were worth a short visit.

As we walked back towards the Taverna Tipica Veneziana, we noticed two venues that were setting up for wedding parties and two restaurants that were virtually empty. In contrast, the Taverna had a long line of people waiting to order (cafeteria-style, self-serve). Tables were set in various configurations under umbrellas and they were filled with families & folks enjoying their meals. This looked promising!

DH stood in line to place our orders and I secured a table in the shade. While my margherita pizza was fine, DH's fish & chips were a 'mystery'. We think it was an anchovy spread between two slices of bread that was deep fried. Well, at least the drinks were cold and the atmosphere was pleasant!

We rode back to Venice on seats in the (shady) middle section of the vaporetto. We caught cool breezes from all sides. We tracked the sun as it moved from the right side to the left side of the boat all the way back. We learned a good lesson today!

More to follow ...
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Old Jan 9th, 2017, 08:55 PM
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH continued ...

Happy to report that we made it directly to La Zucca in Santa Croce tonight aided by Igor's succinct & clear directions: Just follow the signs to Ferrovia!

Dinner was fantastic! Everything was fresh, flavourful and artfully presented. DH had gazpacho soup (perfect on this warm evening); chicken with spices on couscous; and tiramisu. I had eggplant with smoked burrata cheese (creamy & delicious); pork & ginger stir fry with steamed rice; and a (spectacular) semifreddo with frozen strawberry grape + a coulis. We went with a half-liter of the house red wine + bottled water. Good, attentive service. Cozy, attractive dining room. What a lovely evening it was!

www.lazucca.it


Next: Ca'Rezzonico, the museum of 18th century Venice
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Old Jan 10th, 2017, 03:04 AM
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Enjoying your report! I love Venice.
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Old Jan 10th, 2017, 09:21 AM
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH

Breakfast at the Locanda Orseolo - what a lovely way to begin the day! It is served in a beautifully decorated dining room by its cheerful staff. A generous & sumptuous offering of breads, fruit, meats & cheese, cereals & juice is set out on a long table. A hot breakfast can also be requested. Best of all: the coffee - served hot & strong. This morning, DH had fried eggs and I indulged in a crepe with apples.

It was a pleasant vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal to Ca'Rezzonico located in the Dorsoduro. The original palace was completed by the Rezzonico family in 1758. Through the 19th century, a succession of aristocratic owners lived in the palace. In the 1880's, it became the home of English painter Robert Barrett Browning. His father, Robert Browning, the poet died in his apartment on the mezzanine floor in 1889. In 1935, the City Council of Venice acquired Ca'Rezzonico to display the collections of 18th century Venetian art & furnishings.

It was a fascinating glimpse of 18th century Venice. Its palatial rooms were filled with ornate furnishings; paintings & tapestries; gorgeous chandeliers of Murano glass; and objects. The beautifully inlaid tabletops were particularly eye-catching. As well, the various sets of china were stunning, especially the unique Imari dishes. On the third floor, we saw Egidio Martini's private collection of paintings (15th-early 20th century). Wonderful!

We spent about 2 hours walking through C'Rezzonico. Surprised by how few people were in the museum today. We stayed and had an uninspiring lunch at the museum café. Later, I purchased some postcards and a book about Shakespeare & Venice as a gift for my cousin in Skira Bookshop.

We ventured out into the heat of the day. Decided to walk over to the Church of San Polo. Along the way, we bumped into Igor who was heading to Ferrovia and then home after his shift at the Locanda. We chatted and said our 'good byes' but not before confirming the direction to the church. Yes, even after 4 days in Venice, we still managed to get ourselves turned around, But we were close. When we arrived at the Church of San Polo, we discovered it was closed! We had taken too long to get there - sigh. Intending to walk back to the hotel, we came across a vaporetto station. It didn't take much convincing to ride back!

That evening, Lorenzo wished us 'good luck' as we headed out for dinner with our map + directions in hand. We had a reservation at CoVino. We walked along Riva degli Schiavoni towards Castello. Astonished to see a cruise ship that close-up sailing out on the Grand Canal. It was HUGE! Thinking it was our destination, we stopped at Al Covo. It turned out that we were going to its 'little sister' just a few streets away.

CoVino is an intimate restaurant with only 7 tables. It had a warm & relaxed atmosphere. The food was stunning! We both had the 3-course meal. DH selected a wine pairing with each course. He had melon, fig & ham; sausage + ratatouille with curry; and a lemon curd dessert. I had risotto with potatoes & oysters; the same sausage dinner as DH; and crème brule. Our server was knowledgeable about the food & the wine. He was personable and efficient. He made the dining experience enjoyable & fun!

Over dinner, we talked about how different this trip had been different from our other 2 stays in Venice. It really was lovely to be here and to see things in an unhurried way. We were able to visit one main sight each day and never had the urge to squeeze in more! We also got our Murano glass Christmas tree ornament, Santa steering a gondola - a charming souvenir. Naturally, we looked ahead to our next stop, Bassano del Grappa in anticipation. In fact, other than Venice, the rest of our trip was going to be new territory for us.

www.covinovenezia.com

Not surprising, it was a slow saunter back to the Locanda Orseolo for us. We just didn't want this night to end.


Next: Our travel day to Bassano del Grappa
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Old Jan 10th, 2017, 12:50 PM
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Saraho: Thanks for following along. Venice really is a special place, isn't it?
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Old Jan 10th, 2017, 02:34 PM
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH

This morning we learned that there was a 24-hour transit strike! We had planned to take a vaporetto to Piazzale Roma where we arranged to pick up a car. Plan B: Barbara called for a water taxi to pick us up at the Locanda and take us to Piazzale Roma. It was an unexpected expense but oh, so worth the ride down the Grand Canal! It was amazing to see this part of Venice from the water.

It was a mad house at the small Europcar office - folks standing with luggage while others stood in line to speak to an agent. We had reserved a car in advance and our Fiat Panda was ready for pick-up. We loaded our luggage in the trunk and took time to familiarize ourselves with car; plugged in on our GPS unit; and prepared to drive into Italian traffic. One small thing we forgot to ask: What kind of fuel goes into the car? Fingers crossed that it would be evident when we stopped for gas! But now, we were on our way to Bassano del Grappa.

About 1.5 hours later, we arrived in Bassano del Grappa. The GPS led us directly to Hotel Brennero. We double parked in front of the hotel and unloaded the car. Received directions to the private garage. Checked in when we returned. Then, it was just a few minutes wait for our room to be ready.

First impressions of Hotel Brennero: good location just outside the old city walls ... well-worn furnishings in the lobby ... eclectic collection of posters & pictures ... clean ... dimly lit bedroom ... bright, modern bathroom ... intermittent WiFi ... personable & helpful owner, Zaccaria. I was totally charmed by Zaccaria who spoke a combination of Italian and English to us. My years as an ESL teacher sure came in handy!

www.hotelbrennero.com

We popped out for lunch. It was 32 degrees Celsius but mercifully, Bassano lacked the humidity of Venice. We went to Bella Capri on Via Jacopo da Ponte for pizza and the requisite cold beer + bottled water. It was very good. After lunch, we did a quick & brief walkabout of the town. We looked forward to a more leisurely visit in the coming days.

More to follow ...
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Old Jan 11th, 2017, 07:57 AM
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH continued ...

We chuckled to ourselves as Beniamino, Zaccaria's son explained & mapped out our route to Ristorante Cardellino. It would be easy-peasy to locate ... having just come from Venice! Distances were shorter and the streets more orderly here in Bassano.

The décor was pleasant & homey at Cardellino. The atmosphere was relaxed & convivial - a place for families, couples & visitors. Our meals were very good. DH had wild mushroom pie; roast beef (cold, thinly sliced) served with a generous portion of creamed potatoes; and a plum pudding. I had the wild mushroom pie; bigoli (pasta) with duck ragu; and semifreddo with nougat & chocolate. We ordered a pitcher of pino grigio.

www.ristorantecardellino.it

It was a pleasant evening to walk through the town back to our hotel.
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Old Jan 11th, 2017, 09:11 AM
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You had me at "bigoli (pasta) with duck ragu"

I was told that some people use Bassano as a base for Venice and surrounds...I like your approach, though, spending relaxed time in each place.

Are you planning to try some grappa? We've had some samples of pretty good grappa, better quality than the leftover that it started out to be.
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Old Jan 11th, 2017, 03:52 PM
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Hi sundriedtopepo:

I was told that some people use Bassano as a base for Venice and surrounds. >>

I can see why some people would consider using Bassano as a base. One of the reasons we chose Bassano was because it has a train station. We thought it would be good to have the option of doing a day trip to Padua, Treviso or Vicenza by train. As it turned out, we took a few excursions by car instead.

No samples of grappa for us! Though we did spend some time looking through the window of a grappa shop near Ponte degli Alpine. We were amazed by the selection!
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Old Jan 12th, 2017, 09:32 AM
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TUESDAY, SPETEMBER 13TH

Bassano del Grappa is an attractive medieval town situated at the foothills of the Venetian Prealps. It is not on the usual tourist's radar but we found it to be pleasant, comfortable & relaxing. But there was activity throughout the town particularly on its two main piazzas. So, it was not too 'sleepy'. Today was a day to wander and discover the wonders of Bassano.

Here are some highlights:

Viale del Martiri is a tree-lined street on the edge of town with a panoramic view of Monte Grappa and the valley below. The street was named for 31 partisans who were hung from these trees during WWII. Each tree bears the name and image of a martyr. This was the first clue we encountered of the historic significance of Bassano and the region.

The covered wooden bridge over the Brenta River was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio in 1569. Over the centuries, the Ponte degli Alpini has been damaged or destroyed - the last time during WWII. It was restored in keeping with Palladio's design. There were lovely views of the town along the river's shores. We walked across the bridge and into what appeared to be a primarily residential area. We didn't venture too far.

Piazza Garibaldi is marked by its central fountain, Torre Civica (Clock Tower), the Chiesa di San Francesco, shops & restaurants. The Chiesa di San Francesco was beautiful in its simplicity and for its barely-there frescoes.

Piazza Liberta is smaller than Piazza Garibaldi and contains the Chiesa di Giovanni, restaurants and shops. The Chiesa di Giovanni was closed but La Bufanda, a hat shop on Piazza Liberta was not! I tried on a few hats for the Fall. There were two challenges: how to transport it home and deciding which one I preferred! We seemed to cross this piazza often during our stay!

Approximately 6,000 WWI soldiers were moved from provisional cemeteries to Tempio Ossario as their last resting place. A very good photographic exhibit told an evocative story of war, hardship and resilience.

To be continued ...
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Old Jan 12th, 2017, 02:19 PM
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH continued ...

Trattoria Al Caneseo was located on a side street off Piazza Garibaldi at Via Vendramini 20. The small restaurant was divided into two areas where tables were positioned snugly, side-by-side. It was cozy! We were glad to have a dinner reservation as the restaurant began to fill up and soon, people were being turned away.

Used to mulling over a paper menu, we had to be alert as the server told us the daily primi & secondi offerings! DH had pasta with porcini mushrooms + pork medallions with onion & mushroom gravy. I had pasta with pumpkin & chicory + braised veal with polenta. We shared an order of grilled vegetables & potatoes with our main meal + a ricotta with pear dessert. As well, we had the usual array of beverages: wine, water & coffee.

The food was good. The atmosphere was lively. And it was all at a 'reasonable' price. Before we left the restaurant, we booked a reservation for Friday, our last night in Bassano.


Next: Monte Grappa
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Old Jan 12th, 2017, 04:32 PM
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Apparently gnocchi is a specialty of the area, and is reportedly very good. Waiting to see if you tried it...
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