Old Haunts: Padova

We took the train from Rome to Padova on Sunday. It is extremely pleasant to travel by train in Italy. They are dependable and clean. The boys spent their time on devices and I read, reminding everyone to look out the window from time to time as we passed through Tuscany. 

Arriving in Padova, I found it so quiet compared to Rome. There are less pigeons, less cigarette butts, and almost no scooters. There are huge areas that are car-free. We walked to our apartment, which is a two bedroom. This means we have some space to relax that isn't anyone's bed. As soon as we put our stuff away we were out the door to go visit some favorite places.

We strolled down the main area pedonale (walking area), checking out which stores were still there post COVID. There are very nice shops, like Dolce & Gabbana and Swarovski, as well as toy stores, pasta shops, etc. When we got to the Prato della Valle, the first thing the boys wanted to see, there were scuba divers there from Venice searching for something in the water. We never found out why they were there but there were huge crowds. Ethan was very disappointed to find that the fountain in the middle of the square was removed. 

Dave had called and asked for a reservation at our favorite pizza place, Al Borgho. They said they didn't have any tables available. We walked by there anyway, and were greeted with hugs from the owners. They were more than happy to give us a table for 8:00. We headed back to the Prato to have a spritz (pre-dinner drink). This was at a bar that was right around the corner from where we lived while we were here. The owner took a minute, but she did remember us too. 

Dinner was awesome- just as we remembered. The service was great, the food was excellent. Ben has been very health-conscious, eating salads for dinner the past two nights. Ethan ate less than half his pizza, but was forgiven. After dark, Dave and I went for a walk and had a digestivo (post-dinner drink) in the Piazza dei Signori. 

Today (Monday) has been a lazy day for us. We slept in, and Dave and I went for a run. Dave is cooking dinner in the apartment and we will just hang around here. We are contacting people we knew when we lived here to make plans for the rest of the week.

The old apartment entrance. The building has been redone; the owner sold just after we left in 2019.