Europe 2010

Day 16		Monday 5th July

Today was a day of rest after the busy day in Venice yesterday. Just a bit of shopping and housework. Otherwise, we sat in the sun or shade as required and swam.

Miles Travelled today – 9					Total Trip Miles – 1742

Day 17 		Tuesday 6th July

We drove to Marostica, a hill town north of Vicenza. We found parking and also a market. We explored the town and the market but bought only 2 coffees. Alex and Lia tried to reach the panoramic view and the town walls but were unable to find an entrance although they did reach the castello on top of the hill. After a few photographs we continued on towards Asolo, stopping at an old bridge (rebuilt by the Alpine troops in 1966) at Bassano di Grappa. We reached Asolo in time for lunch, which we eat in a bar/café in the main square. After lunch and a short exploration of the town, we continued on to find the Villa Barbarano. Despite the poor signing we found the villa and paid the entrance fee to visit it. It was a fairly typical Palladio design with a smaller hall and back hall than many and a portico look-alike tacked onto the front of the villa central building. The frescoes were by Veronese and very interesting with the people who commissioned them being included. We returned to Palazzo Rosso through the wildest and wettest rain storm we have ever seen. Visibility was so bad that we stopped at the side of the road. Lorries crawling by absolutely drenched the car with spray. There had been no rain at Palazzo Rosso although it was very humid.

Miles travelled today – 108					Total Trip Miles – 1850

Day 18		Wednesday 7th July

We visited the Villa Capra (called La Rotonda) as it is open only on Wednesdays. The villa was one of the last designed by Andrea Palladio before he died in 1580, and was completed by his pupil, Vincenzo Scamozzi. It has provided inspiration for buildings all over the world.  Later we continued into Vicenza to visit the Teatro Olimpico. We returned via the Berici hills.

Miles travelled to – 	41					Total Trip Miles – 1891.

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