Aria away away away.....

For the last two nights here in the georgeous city of Venice dad has had us sleeping in student digs in the back streets/canal of Venice in Giardini/Araenale.   Mum and I got together and booked this place, the Metropole-Venice (just 10 minutes from St Marks Square) for our last night. If he doesn't like it he can leave. Zio Ilario and Zio Giuliano liked it so much I thought at one stage they were never going to leave.

I got as far a the grand canal before the fuzz nabbed me. The gondola just wasn't fast enough for me to get away from this Gucci wearing copper.

Fun in Saint Marks Square

Mums not happy she just had her hair done last week.

Fat boy's happy

Finally we have arrived Venice, Italy.  The land of love, poetry, music, decadence and the afternoon aperitivo. As we know dad is generally pretty cautious with his money but then he throws a curve ball like this. Getting bent over spending 6 euro for an espresso and still smiling, just so he can say he sat and ordered in Saint Marks Square. I'd hate to see the final bill.

The day started with my morning coffee with Zia Germana and the girls at a bar in Centro in the piazza. Life doesn't move too fast around here in the mornings (the photo speaks volumes) Then I worked the rest of the day as a check-out chick trying to make some money on the side, taking black money under the table (as we italians are accustomed to) to fund my getaway. Tonight us kids created a diversion, pretending to play, while I gathered my tools together for my breakout on horseback. Tonight I try again.

My prayer for the day

They say in italy, if italians arent talking about calcio (soccer for the non-europeans) then they're praying.  So being Sunday we went to church. This church is a special church because my Nonno (dad's dad) helped build the front part of the church when he lived in Italy.  Then when he moved to Australia in 1952 to build himself a new life and family he would still send money back, back to Italy, from the little he made to help fund the completion of the church. Which is what stands today.

Pizza, Pasta, Panne, Pancetta now Polenta. I have achieved the holy grail of five P's.

I just couldn't bear it, I just had to help this poor begger out.  He needed all the help he could get.

Buying grappa for the boys

This is one of my dad's favourite place in the whole of Italy.  Dad told me that during WW2 soldiers would fight on either side of the river to gain possession of this bridge.  The small holes in the walls of the buildings are machine gun bullets that hit the walls during the battles. It's also the home of grappa which I think is why dad likes it so much.

When you hang around old people at some stage you will end up touring in a cemetery.  It's inevitable,  it's like thats all they think about - dieing. Me I'm all about life.  As the great poet Robbie Williams says in one of his songs "I'm not afraid to die,  I just choose not to".  Mum was facinated that you have to put one euro into a slot to get a watering can and get it back when you return the can.  Like shopping trolleys she kept telling me. I seriously don't understand the mentality of old people,  even my own. The grave was some great actress famous 100 years ago.   Worth a photo ?????

We spent a lovely afternoon (passegiata - as us italians refer to it as) in Asolo a former and still refuge for the gentry of this region.  The social elite of Venice, Verona etc would have holiday homes (gran villa - as us italians refer to it as) here,  the castle in town is BC (I don't know what that means but someone as old as dad thinks that is old so it must be ancient).