#37: Venice, Cittadella and A Big Step Forward

Ciao Nonni,

I can't believe that this time next week we will be on a plane somewhere between Italy and Australia! It's coming up very quickly and, while I am very excited, I also know I am going to miss our home here too. It is a strange feeling!

But of course I am looking forward to seeing you so much. And the bambini are too.

Our last week has been action packed, with all sorts of fun ... and another bureaucratic downpour. It always comes in bursts!

Last weekend was Easter. Pasqua here in Italia. We hired a comically small Fiat Panda, squished ourselves and our bags in, and drove north towards the Veneto. The car was so tiny and basic that it didn't even have a radio. Let alone a GPS screen, or parking assistance, etc. David spent the first couple of hours cursing its miniscule engine (which was clearly struggling with our combined weight) as he had to change gears like a rally driver in order to merge onto the Autostrada with all manner of cars and trucks travelling at the speed of sound. But by the end of the return journey I think we'd all come to feel a level of affinity with the little macchina. 

Our first stop was Cittadella. I was excited to see the town as I knew that the restoration of the medieval walls had been completed since my first visit (all the way back in 2007). But I could not have anticipated the more fundamental changes that have occurred there. 

In my memory, Cittadella was a little bit rustic. There was only one bar open, and (like many towns in Italy) a number of empty buildings in various states of disrepair. 

Now? The place is beautiful. The restoration of the walls (and the surrounding moat) is superb. The centre of the town was buzzing with excitement and activity on the eve of Easter, and it was full of very beautiful bars and restaurants. Within the walls, all of the buildings have obviously been bought and repaired. The streets surrounding il centro were similarly immaculate. My first feeling was that maybe the town had lost some of its charm, but then I immediately remembered the comment made by Tony the Fixer all those months ago when I first told him that Jim came from Cittadella...

Tony had lived for some years in a town nearby, and he said that his impression of the Veneti was that they are the hardest-working people in Italy. And that is why the region has gone from one of the poorest in the country to the wealthiest. When he spoke of the work ethic, it was like he knew Jim.

It seems like it is paying off now for Cittadella. I can't wait to go back again and explore more of the town and the surrounding region. 

We awoke on Easter morning at our hotel just outside the walls, and wandered into town in search of an open bar for a coffee. We quickly found ourselves swept up in a wave of locals all heading in the same direction to attend mass at the duomo. They were dressed up to the nines. There were women in high heels and stockings. A sight I haven't seen since before covid! It was like a fashion parade. The church was absolutely packed. Raffy was mesmerised.

Afterwards we made our way to our little car and drove across to Mestre. From there we caught the train across the water to Venezia. La Serenissima. 

Venice captivated the bimbi from the moment we walked out of the train station. I loved watching them take in the canals, the boats of all different sizes, and the general chaos. We spent a lovely couple of days exploring from our little hotel in Cannaregio. There was rain and grey skies, but we still had a fabulous time. Of course, the day we left was when the weather changed. Our final morning was spent in magnificent sunshine with cloudless blue skies. Luckily we weren't in a rush, so we could do one final lap from our hotel, across the Grand Canal on a traghetto (an absolute highlight) and back over the Rialto Bridge. 

Since we've been back in Lucca we've experienced another flurry of bureaucratic activity. This morning alone I have been visited by the carabinieri (to check that I actually live at the address I have given as our new residence since moving apartments), we went to the immigration office so that David could sign in person a form that he had previously already signed and sent in (ridiculous, we waited for an hour and then the man at the counter didn't even watch him do it) AND the comune emailed me to say that my citizenship claim has been processed and I can come in next week to finalise the whole process... 

This final one is pretty momentous, although I'm trying to contain my excitement. It is Italy after all and who knows what might emerge between now and then? I think I will keep my celebrations for the day we have our beautiful red passports in hand. Hopefully we are a big step closer now.

Ci vediamo alla prossima settimana!