Back homa via Italy

So time to head back homewards then - but again, we decided to stop over in Italy on the way back. Our first stop was at Pordenone, where we were meeting Alessio and Martina, friends of ours... Getting there turned out to be a bit of a nightmare - seems that all those German and Italian tourists wanted to leave Croatia at the same time as us (not surprising, I suppose, considering it was a Saturday...). So, in the end, we missed the planned lunch date, and had to settle for an afternoon coffee and walk with them instead.

Pordenone, a relatively unknown town, turned out to be a rather pleasant place to walk around, with its medieval streets and impressive architecture. Italy never seizes to impress me with its ability to charm... Great fun to catch up with Alessio and Martina again (it's been a long time, last time was about 8 years ago I reckon), and to meet their little girl as well. Hopefully it won't be another eight years until we meet them again)! Nice to practice my Italian too!

We were spending the night at Vicenza, another impressive Veneto town. It is actually the capital of the Veneto region, and is (unsurprisingly - this is Italy, after all) blessed with an impressive cultural and historic heritage. Vicenza is mostly famous "the city of Palladio" - but its history spans back all the way to Roman times. I am not such a big fan of Palladio's architecture, but Vicenza is an undeniably beautiful city (on balance, I think I preferred Padova though, were we stopped by on the way to Croatia).

Having checked into our nice, we spent a couple of hours walking around and exploring town. The main sight in town is perhaps the Basilica Palladiana, which dominates the central square of Vicenza. The building was originally constructed in the 15th century, but was reworked by Palladio during the 16th century - and the results is certainly very impressive. The building's been put to good use too - with plenty of bars and cafes livening up the square and the loggia. We decided to have our aperitif at a nice little bar next to the Basilica, enjoying that unique Italian atmosphere... A nice dinner at a cozy little restaurant marked the end of a very nice day.

The next day, we drove straight back to France since we were expecting some guests that very same day - kind of sad to leave Italy behind. Oh well, we're not far away, we'll be back soon enough! :)