Melinda

I have just been told by a friend that two places I did not have on my 3 week Italy itinerary are musts: Padua and Ravenna. I know one has Fra Angelico murals and the other has mosaics. How long would I have to allow to see both? Are they more accessible from our post in Siena or while we are in Venice?

richard j vicek

Good afternoon, Melinda <BR>Assuming you are interested in the Giotto works in the Scrovengi Chapel <BR>and also the Duomo's medieval frescos <BR>by de'Menabuoi also might look at the <BR>Caffee Pedrocchi since 1831. In Ravenna,Mosaics at San Vitale, the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia the Battistero Neoniano and Sant'Apollinare Nuova and also S. Apollinare in Classe <BR>just south of Ravenna..Really would <BR>do Padua was a day trip outof Venice, <BR>it is 30 mins by rail and Ravenna with <BR>an early start out of Venice, get all <BR>in and then continue to Siena, would <BR>think four hours in Ravenna would take <BR>care of your needs. <BR>Richard of LaGrange Park, Ill..

Paulo

If you don't have a car, Melinda, and if you don't plan to spend a night in Ravenna just forget it. By rail it's way out of the way (relative to either Siena or Venice). Just to have an idea, the train service between Venice and Ravenna takes something around 3½ hours and between Siena and Ravenna 5 hours. <BR> <BR>If you have a car, things look brighter. The nonstop driving time between Siena and Ravenna should read 2½ hours and between Venice and Ravenna, 2 hours. <BR> <BR>Recently there was a report that the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua is closed. Though there are other goodies to be seen in Padua, Giotto's frescoes are undoubtely the highlight and if they're not to be seen it would take a lot off the visit. <BR> <BR>Paulo

artlover

the giotto's in padua (padova) were close to a religious experience for me and i've looked at a lot of art. be sure to make a reservation. visitors to the chapel are closely controlled; only a few are allowed in at one time and then only for 15-20 minutes. it's well worth it. padova has a lot of other interesting sites. it's about and hour from venice by train. you can see the giotto's have a look around and be back in venice late afternoon.

jahoulih

Here's the e-mail I got on May 15 with regard to my Sept. 9 reservation at the Scrovegni Chapel: <BR> <BR>"Dear Customer <BR> <BR>We are sorry to say you that Cappella degli Scrovegni is closed to <BR>restoration since 6 may 2001. We refound you the ticket price as soon as <BR>possible. <BR> <BR>Best regards <BR>TicketOne S.p.A." <BR> <BR>I had intended to spend half a day in Padua; in light of the above, would someplace else (Parma? Ferrara? Mantua?) be more worth while? I'll be coming by train from Bologna. <BR>

Paulo

I'd stop in Ferrara, Jahoulih. Visit the fine Duomo and take a stroll along Ercole 1o. d'Este. Then play it by ear. You may either follow on to Padua for 2½ hours (Chiesa degli Eremitani and St. Francis Basilica) or continue in Ferrara to visit a couple of palaces and the castle. <BR>Paulo

richard j vicek

Good evening, Melinda <BR>Here are a couple used many times. <BR>DA RAFFAELE, Ponte Delle Ostrege, $$$ <BR>about two blocks west of the Pza S. Marco, just to left of second bridge. <BR>BAR EL TEATRO, Compo San Fantin, $$$ <BR>located in same square as La Fenice <BR>Opera House being rebuilt. Two blocks <BR>NW of Pza S. Marco. <BR>AL GONDOLIERI, San Vio, 366 Dorsoduro <BR>$$$ Located south over the Accademia <BR>Bridge and about a block to the left.. <BR>Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..

Mariarosa

Hi Melinda and Jahoulih! We visited Ravenna as a day-trip from Ferrara. By train, Ferrara is in a direct line from Venice (about a couple of hours away from Venice), and Ravenna is about an hour away from Ferrara, also by direct line from Ferrara (If you are coming from Venice to Ravenna, you have to change trains at Ferrara). You can see all of the mosaics in Ravenna in 5 hours, as Ravenna is not that big (If you don't have a car, take the bus to S. Apollinare in Classe). The mosaics are spectacular, but once you see them, there's not much else in Ravenna, so it is an ideal place to visit on a day-trip. <BR> <BR>We enjoyed Ferrara tremendously. It is one of those cities in Italy that is often overlooked. The beautiful Castello del Este, in the smack center of town, does not have much on the inside, so it can be visited in 1 hour or less (make sure to see the prison cells and the patio with the orange trees). The tourism office gave us great literature of the area, including a series of walking tours. Our favorite walking tour was "Medieval Ferrara." There are many completetly reserved medieval streets and buildings and the walking tour gives tid-bits on the buildings and their former inhabitants. There are many palazzos in the city - big buildings where the duke's family lived). We visited a couple of them. The Schiavoni had great murals - worth a stop, if you have the time. You can dee it in 1 hour, including the time to watch the video in English that explains the murals. We also biked on top of the medieval walls, which was fun. The food in Ferrara was probably the best that we had in Italy (we did not go to Bologna though). I can highly recommend the Trattoria de la Mandolina. Enjoy!