However, when we got there, we found out that most of the places that we wanted to see were closed. Thankfully, we were able to see the Olympic Theater. The theater was built in the 1500s in the style of an ancient Greek theater. The stage (the top picture) was built to resemble an ancient street. It is still set that way, so that the plays performed there must be classical in origin. It can be difficult to see "Death of a Salesman" in an ancient Greek street. After seeing the theater, we headed to lunch. We ate at a little wine bar called Mi e...lu. I started with some pasta and then got the veal escallops. It was a cute little place with a great wine selection (since it was a wine bar after all...). The menu was hand written on a chalkboard and freshly made (save for the pasta). After lunch, we got some gelato. So good! I got meringue and stracciatella- vanilla with chocolate pieces swirled in.
Yes, you read that right. Meringue gelato. It tasted just like a vanilla meringue. What I really like about gelato (other than the fantastic texture and flavors) is the fact that the garnish is included in a scoop. For example, the meringue gelato was topped with little crushed up pieces of merinuges. That meant that in every bite, I got a little bit of meringue.
After seeing a bit more of Vicenza (and I mean seeing, since a lot of the things we wanted to see were closed). We headed back to Verona, did a bit of shopping and then headed back to the hotel for some packing and relaxation.
The next morning, we ate breakfast and headed out to Padua. Once we arrived in Padua, we checked in to our hotel and got to sightseeing. For lunch, we desperately needed salads. Thankfully, we found a create your own salad place (that, again was also a bar and they had other food on the menu as well). The salad was fantastic for the fact that it was simple. And please don't ask me to remember the name of the place. All I know is that the server was very helpful and the salad was good and made with fresh ingredients.
Of course we had to go and see the sights so after lunch, off we went. We wandered all over the place and around 5, decided that we needed a drink and a place to rest our feet. We ended up at Caffe Pedrocchi quite by accident. Caffe Pedrocchi was founded in the late 1800s and still remains a great place to have a shot of espresso or a glass of local wine.
The drink on the left is a Spritz- Prosecco, tonic and campari. I opted for a strawberry and prosecco drink that went down very well. One of the things that I really do appreciate about bars here in Italy is that when you order a drink, you get snacks. And not just peanuts that some random people have stuck their hands in time after time. Usually, you get some potato chips that are freshly refilled after each drink you order. We also got a snack mix and some little finger sandwiches. And of course, after we ordered a second drink, we got more.
Just a note, the snacks are always going to be salty. Of course there is a reason behind the constant snack pushing. Salt makes you thirsty, so the more of the snacks you eat, the more likely you are to order another drink or two. Smart business there.
After downing cocktails, we headed on back to our hotel and relaxed. Sightseeing, eating and drinking is harder than you might think.
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