Day 23 Monday 9th June 2008

We drove to Padova intending to park, look around the town, and check out the Scrovegni Chapel. However, we could not park, the little car parking available was all taken. We continued our circular tour by going down towards Albano Terme. We checked an arena at Montemerlo but it turned out to be a 1950 construction modelled on ancient arenas. We returned to the Palazzo Rosso for lunch. After lunch we shopped in the Aliper supermarket in Ponte di Barbarano and then bought cheese at the local factory and some wine at the local cooperative. We bought bottles but you could take your own containers and fill up from the pumps (very like petrol pumps). There was a sample facility which I learned about after we had returned. All the wines sold there are local.

Start mileage13529		Finish 13599			Miles travelled = 70
								Total travelled = 2114

Day 24 Tuesday 10th June 2008

We started out early (7.25am) to drive up the coast to Aquileia. Aquileia was an important town in Roman times, being a colonia and a port. It was founded 181BC when that part of Italy came under the government of Rome. We saw a very good example of part of a necropolis, the forum, part of a street, the site of some houses and the markets. Where the river channel used to be there were also substantial remains of the harbour. The Museo Archeologico had a very good selection of finds from excavations, particularly glass and metal. They have some excellent jewellery. They even have the remains of a Roman ship, discovered in 1972 near Aquileia.  Excavations are still ongoing around the town and we saw people working in some of the sites. There are bits and pieces lying about or set up for display all over the town, parts of columns, sarcophogae, statuary, etc.

The church is a building of very mixed ancestry. The first church was built just after 313AD when the Edict of Milan gave Roman citizens freedom of worship. The mosaic floors from that period were found in 1909 and have since been excavated and revealed. The floor we now walk on is clear glass suspended over the original mosaic. It is very effective, although one treads lightly! We also went into the 2 crypts where more mosaics were to be seen as well as very early frescoes. In the one crypt, we realised that we were walking round the base of the campanile next to the basilica. Behind the church is a military cemetery from the First World War with Italian soldiers from all over Italy.

We had a much quicker return journey than going as there were no hold-ups or accidents as, going, we had sat in a queue for nearly an hour outside Venice. After Venice the motorway is only 2-lane and full of lorries. Fortunately they are not allowed to overtake each other during the day but it does lead to long strings of them to overtake. 

Start Mileage 13599		Finish  13815		Miles travelled = 216
								Total travelled = 2330