TRACKS OF THE VENETO (Part II)

Bologna is a strange Etruscan town, as if to shake at any time. When Charles V was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire , the wooden footbridge in the Piazza Maggiore sank after its passage , when he went to the Basilica of San Petronio to be crowned by Pope Clement VII from the Palace Podesta , killing multiple viewers . City commercial bourgeoisie from the low medieval times, the city of Bologna soon learned was a University City, where they studied Dante and Petrarch, Pico della Mirandola or Copernicus. From day seems heavy, decadent and dirty, where asphalt paving survives the memory of labor unrest and communism, or the first late medieval masons , but worth contemplating his Due Torri almost 100 meters ( must be patient counting steps Asinelli to climb the tower to see Verona or the Apennines, the Garisenda impresses inclined ) . But at night, its 37 miles of arcaded galleries are transformed, without the traffic, in a populous authentic medieval city. Students on holiday chatting and leisurely tourists lost by narrow alleys and arcades or loggias trying to alleviate insomnia caused by the afternoon nap . It's relaxing acoustic festival of new composers Maggiore in August. You must visit the Basilica of San Domenico , where he is buried and Santo Domingo de Guzman and The Royal College of Spain , to discover the cultural ties that bind us to Italy.

The lakeside port of Ravenna, between the Po and the Rubicon (we did not get to cross it ) was where Julius Caesar stationed his troops before marching on Rome . Was the real reason for the visit, since historically it was capital of the Roman Empire on the West at sunset, capital of the Ostrogoths and platform of the Byzantine Empire after the conquest of Count Belisarius, the best preserved mosaics in the world.  St. Vital built by Justinian and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia also the V century, the mausoleum of Theodoric, the Arian his palace and basilica, Neoniano baptistery and the Episcopal Palace besides the Basilica of St. Apollinaris in Classe , unique jewelry are to be also visit the tomb of the poet Dante Alighieri , who died in exile in this beautiful city in 1321.

Ferrara, City of the East family, and country of Savonarola, is dedicated to St. George , which is a Romanesque church of the twelfth century, a spectacular Duomo. The synagogue and the Jewish ghetto, is another needed walk in a fair day. The Castle of San Michele with its moat and courtyard with orange trees, the Church of San Francisco or the Monastery of Corpus Domini , where Lucrezia Borgia is buried . The route of Palaces and gardens are a delight, beginning with the Diamond, with its important gallery, Schifanoia or Paradiso.

The cozy Padua is a college town surrounded by canals that bind to nearby Venice. It is amazing to see the wide Prato della Valle as a symbol of a city, next to the Byzantine Basilica of San Antonio, who invites us to look to the sky. And also the equestrian sculpture of Venetian condottiero Gattamelata . Visit its arcaded streets, from the Via Humbero I ( lived in a mansion Amadeo of Saboia ) or Rome Palazzo della Regione towards the Piazza della Frutta or Herbs , is a pleasure on hot August afternoons . Special mention deserves the Basilica dedicated to traveling monk of Coimbra, follower of Francis of Assisi, and it was great multitudes dying young preacher in Padua. His ability to perform miracles after his death, earned him the reputation of holiness by his closeness to God. Do not fail to see the Scrovegni Chapel by Giotto masterpiece fresco paints . The Paduan usurer is named by Dante in his visit to hell , and the chapel was erected by his son to redeem his soul. You must visit the reconstructed after destruction during World War II, Romanesque- Gothic church of Eremitani with valuable frescoes and reliefs impressive.

Venice remains unique . The controversial Calatrava Bridge welcomes us on a hot day , perfect for strolling or enjoy the breeze from the navigation channels . Visit the condottiero Coleoni , the Basilica of San Marcos, their palaces or museums , is a good exercise to remember the moments spent in the past in this wonderful city. Still remembered the then recent fire at the Fenice or door of the house of Marco Polo, or social evenings at the Cafe Florian , under the echo Va pensiero by Verdi frequented by people like Casanova, Goldoni, Byron or Rousseau. Always just finally absorbed floating in a room with pictures of Giorgione, Titian , Bellini, Tintoretto enlivened with timeless music of Vivaldi.

Verona, the old city of the Lombard League which defeated Barbarossa, is a place of pilgrimage not only romantic thanks to Shakespeare, but to Goethe and Stendhal . Juliet's house or mausoleum with Romeo, his interesting historical center and the Castello Scaliger fourteenth century and the second century Roman amphitheater . The Arena of Verona is known for its summer sessions Opera . Decorated with Nabucco in its backroom , starring Placido Domingo, still echo the passage of the great Maria Callas, in various sites of the city.

We harassed by the heat , we headed to Glacier Lake formerly known as Lake Garda or Benaco , named by Dante in the Divine Comedy . Specifically to the spa town of Sirmione , which has a medieval town and Roman ruins spa poet Catullus . The sulphurous waters of Sirmione , make the bathroom on Lake Garda are a delight to be very warm , and we could enjoy from morning till almost sunset .

Vicenza, alluded to by Dante respect to their successive defeats of the Paduan Guelphs in their rebellion against the emperor that blood stained waters Bachiglione is a need to understand the architecture of Palladio place. Entering the Tower of Porta, Palacios started seeing that mimic the Venetians , and highlights of the 23 buildings designed by Palladio between 1580 and 1590 , his masterpiece Palladian Basilica in Piazza dei Signori, where he worked until his death . The Olympic Theatre faithful reflection of a Roman theater to scale, or Palazzos ( Rotonda , Chiericati , Barbaran or Thiene ) . This style is the foundation of the Victorian English Architecture and the eastern U.S., to try to recreate the classic Palladian past. Its Cathedral or the Church of Santa Corona is another of the places visited as well as its attractive gardens and quiet squares.

We were not only eager for reassurance this past summer. We especially have  appreciated the air conditioning of our hotels and the shady, narrow medieval streets, to wander through northern Italy too. We left Italy with sadness but we will come back in the future to cross, surely, the Rubicon.