A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
On Wednesday, DiVoran and I walked into Mogliano Veneto so she could see the small part of the town we were staying in close up, and pick up some fresh fruit for our train trip to Rome the next day. We had a lovely time visiting the many shops and the open-air town market. We stayed around the apartment most of the rest of the day, visiting the furniture shop down stairs, packing our suitcases and resting. After work, Marcia took us to Mestre, which is located on the mainland across the Lagoon from Venice to show us the many sights of that interesting city.
According to legends, Mestre was founded by Mesthles, a companion of the mythical hero Antenor, a fugitive from Troy who founded Padua. The true origins of the city are uncertain, although it is known that a Roman fortress that existed there was destroyed by Attila the Hun sometime in the 5th century, and rebuilt later around the 10th century. In 1152, a papal bull by Pope Eugene III recognized the Bishop of Treviso as lord of Mestre, citing the existence of the church of St. Lawrence.
The city had many lovely stores and shops, but since we were expected to meet Marcia’s friend Erkia for dinner, we restricted our site-seeing visit the Clock Tower in Piazza Ferretto, and the 17th century Cathedral of St. Lawrence.
In a country that is widely known for its vast number of breathtaking and awe-inspiring cathedrals, this is one of the most beautiful in northern Italy.
After all that walking around Mestre, we were ready for some good Italian food, and Marcia took us to the Da Roberta’s Ristorante, which was one of her favorites. She was right, the food was outstanding, and our last visit with Marcia and Erkia was memorable.
The next morning, after breakfast, Marcia and Erika took us to the train station and it was “arrivederci” to our truly grand friends for a wonderful guided tour to some of northern Italy’s most beautiful cities. It was hard to believe our visit to Italy was almost over. Our 1st class train trip to Rome took us 5 hours. Lunch on the train was nothing special, but a new and different experience. We had stops at Padua, Bologna and Florence before arriving at the Italian capital.
After leaving Florence, our route took us through some of the most beautiful countryside with castles, ancient arched bridges and through at least 30 tunnels (the longest being 23km). 
Here again, the train trip gave us time to study up on the location of our lodgings and some of the points of interest we planned to visit in Rome.
At the train station information booth, it was suggested that we NOT take the inexpensive 30-minute bus ride to the Vatican area, as the buses were always very crowded and a favorite haunt of the local pickpockets. So, we took a 10-minute “life changing” taxi ride through the city to the doorstep of the German-Italian convent where we had reservations
The accommodations at the Suore Missionarie Pallottine convent were very clean, sparse and quiet. After a brief rest, we headed out to see some of the sights within walking distance. It was UP a steep hill and DOWN a steep street from the convent to get to the main avenue where we enjoyed some window shopping, and roast chicken at the Pinelli Pizzaria-Toyola Calda. By the time we made it back to the convent, we were ready for a shower and some sack time.
—–To Be Continued—–
Old Things R New 
Bill, I have enjoyed your Italy tales. I felt like I was there with you. Can’t wait to see what is next.
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