Arezzo-Venice-Padua

Three days after my hike in the Cinque Terra, I'm finally able to navigate stairs. I like to think that I'm in pretty decent shape, but my legs have been a mess! I've taken things fairly slowly the last few days. I arrived in Arezzo around 1:00 on Friday, planning to spend the afternoon before heading to Venice (and break up the long trip). I walked through the town, made it to the park at the top, and found myself wondering why I was rushing. Arezzo is stunning--ancient but clean, perched on a hill surrounded by rolling green hills and portions of an old roman aqueduct. The hostel I stayed in was in the middle of a huge, landscaped country estate. I was the only one there for the night (the place probably sleeps 200). The sunset over the town was a rich, deep purple.

Arezzo is known for its jewelry, of which there was little to see, and Pierro della Francesca's frescos in the Chiesa San Francesca, and yes, you should go to see them. The colors and the subject are vibrant. I visited several churches and the local museum, but what I enjoyed the most was wandering around the town and observing the buildings and the locals. Despite its age, Arezzo still feels like a real, living place. If you're in the area and have a car, I'm recommend using the town as a base to other cities in the area (Assisi is quite close).

I was worried that a day and a half in Venice wouldn't be enough, but frankly, I'm ready to leave. I found myself struggling to find reasons to like the town (I didn't like it on my last trip either), and finally gave myself permission to say that it's just not one of my favorite places. I visited the Galleria dell' Accademia (fantastic), the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (I'm not a huge fan of modern art, so it didn't do much for me), and the Galleria Ca'D'Oro Franchetti (not particularly interesting in and of itself, but the audioguide gave a useful history of Venice), and wandered for several hours through the various Piazzas and over bridges. Venice is dirty, massively crowded, and feels like it's just out to make a quick buck.

So, rather than continue feeling put out by the town, I took a detour this afternoon to Padua, a city I really do like. Like Arezzo, Padua feels like it's still real. The architecture is stunning, the people are friendly (there was a marathon through the city this afternoon, and I enjoyed watching the runners and their supporters cheering them on). I only visited a limited number of sites, including several churches; the majority of my afternoon was spent wandering and eating. I've been on a pizza kick for the last few days, mostly Pizze Napoletano, which has tomato sauce, cheese, capers, and anchovies. Today's was the best--they used slices of fresh buffalo mozzarella instead of the usual grated.

I'm off on a night train to Budapest soon--new culinary adventures await.