Mantova, Italy

Casa del Buffone Rigoletto

In a continuation of Northern Italy's Quadrilateral fortress tour, Mantova/Mantua is the second Quadrilateral fortress visited.  Mantua was taken as a day trip by train from our base in Verona.  For the first quadrilateral fortress stop, see Peschiera del Garda.

With only a few hours to spend in Mantua, itself, we purchased the tourist package at the train station before setting off to explore.  The package allowed entry into many of the city's main attractions for one set fee.  Without further ado, on to my whirlwind tour of Mantua.  Some of the sites visited are highlighted in the photo-tour below:

Ducale Palace
A walk through the Ducale Palace is highlighted by the numerous works of art including frescoes, paintings, and statuary throughout the palace.  One such stop is the Hall of Pisanello where some of Pisanello's works are lining the walls.  I spent several minutes scrutinizing both The Tournament of the Castle of King Brangoire and The Legend of Lancelot.

The Legend of Lancelot

The Tournament of the Castle of King Brangoire

Detail of The Tournament of the Castle
 of King Brangoire 

Rotunda de San Lorenzo

A Romanesque church built in the 11th Century.  The oldest church in Mantua.

Torre dell'Orologio
An astronomical clock adjoining the rotunda.  Note the cover above the clock face to shield the clock from weather and the sun.  Besides showing the time of day, the clock displays the phases of the moon, planet location, and follows the sun's path through the signs of the Zodiac.

Basilica di Sant'Andrea
Construction for the church was begun in 1472 on a site occupied by a monastery.  The old monastery bell is seen in the photo below.  The Basilica was built as a repository for a Relic of the Holy Blood and as a place of pilgrimage.

Castello de San Giorgio

The castle was built between 1395 and 1406 for Francesco I Gonzaga. In 1810 the Tyrolean Freedom Fighter, Andreas Hofer was imprisoned here before his execution.  If interested in more background on the Tyrolean Revolt and Andreas Hofer, please visit Peter's blog (Blunders on the Danube: Andreas Hofer) for a vivid account.

Armor Museum

A fine selection of armor is on display in the museum.

After a three hour walk around Mantua, it was time to head back to the train station for our return trip to Verona.  Mantua is definitely a city in which a return visit would be most welcome.  Lovely city.

Peschiera del Garda

With thoughts of fighting French Revolutionary battles in Northern Italy, my mind wandered to my visits to Lombardia.  This time, specifically, I recall a visit to one of the anchors in the Quadrilateral.  That anchor? Peschiera del Garda.

Peschiera del Garda

My first glimpse of Peschiera del Garda was from a train window on my first visit to Italy as we sped from Desenzano to Venice.  The sight of the massive fortress was only that; a brief glimpse.  On a return visit to Northern Italy several years later, we spent time exploring three of the four fortified towns in the Quadrilateral.

Peschiera del Garda is built upon an island at the southern end of Lake Garda where the Mincio River exits the lake.  Its strategic importance is reaffirmed by the presence of its massive fortress.  Enjoy my brief walk around Peschiera and the fortress walls.

Southeast bastion

Verona Gate

Northwest bastion

Although cloudy, the day was perfectly cool for a leisurely stroll around the old town and fortress before catching a train back to Verona.

Vernazza and the Cinque Terre

With a light dusting of snow falling on my fair city this Sunday morning, thoughts turn to travels during warmer times.  

One stop during our 2014 trip to Italy is the focus for today's pictorial.  During that trip we made a generally south to north journey following a route of Rome-Florence-Lucca-Pisa-Vernazza-Milan.

When traveling, for two weeks, we try to fit in a rest stop at some point during the journey to relax a bit, do some laundry, and enjoy the culture for a few days.  On the 2014 Italian trip, Vernazza on the Cinque Terre was to be that resting place.

To reach Vernazza from Pisa, a change of train was required in La Spezia.  With the five towns on the Cinque Terre packed into the rocky cliffs close together, a passenger must remain alert in order to get off the train at the appropriate stop.  

Managing to detrain at the Vernazza stop, we grabbed our bags and climbed down from the elevated train station and headed out into the center of town in search for our accommodations.

Wanting a view of the harbor including Doria Castle, we booked a small room high up on the hillside overlooking the town, harbor, and tower.  Although the host stated that it was a ten minute walk up to the apartment, the number of stairs and steepness of the climb was a surprise especially carrying luggage.  

Where was our room?  Perched high upon the cliff overlooking the town and harbor.  It was a long hike up the side of the hillside to a spectacular view looking down upon the magnificent, pocket harbor.  Our residence for the next three days is pinpointed by the arrow in the photo below.

If the climb up to the rook had not taken our breath away, the view from our abode certainly would have.  Below is the view from our room.  Spectacular!

The small beach seen in the photo above was not accessible before the torrential rains and flooding in 2011.  Under the main street runs a stream that flooded during the 2011 storm cutting a new access point to the secluded beach.

Now, the beach is a popular attraction and provides the residents of Vernazza something not accessible before; a beach!

Still, the main attraction of Vernazza remains its inner harbor.  Certainly one of the most photographed spots on the Italian Riviera.

To maintain a military history tie, at the upper end of Vernazza stands a plaque commemorating the village soldiers lost in both World Wars.  In the WWII section of the plaque, some fallen soldiers are denoted as "Part."  These fighters were partisans who lost their lives fighting against Mussolini in the hills surrounding the  Cinque Terre. 

Given the long and challenging hike from our room to the town center far below, we often took a meal on our terrace overlooking the harbor and Doria Castle.

On more than one occasion, I left my wife on the terrace and descended down the trail in search of foodstuffs in the town center.  We found a variety of edibles including good seafood, a great farinata and the best gelato of our entire trip.  Of course, we visited the gelateria daily!

Vernazza is definitely worth a stop when traveling through the Cinque Terre.