We were motivated to get going on our new itinerary! The youth chose to re-watch Attack of the Clones last night, so they had reference photos ready and a plan. A quick breakfast and repacking the car. Met the water taxi at 10 (we were there by 9:45 so we would be first in line). Over to the Villa Balbaniello for our 10:15 tickets into the gardens, then the real fun began. It was a beautiful morning, and the Villa Balbaniello is gorgeous. Stunning. Incredible. Elizabeth wondered aloud about how they kept the tall trees on the side of the mountain and on the lake manicured. Question answered when we saw staff working on clipping hedges, raking leaves off of greenery, and hooked up scaling and trimming the trees. Picture people working on telephone poles, but no trucks to help with the lifting. Anyway, it has to take hours upon hours to keep all of the ground so impeccable. We certainly appreciated them. Gillian was able to get the many photos she was hoping for. Ryan stepped in as Anakin. Gillian, Elizabeth and Audrey all took a turn as Padmé. If you are ever able, be sure to ask to see the reenactment of the “I hate sand” line. Ryan and Gillian both did a version. Arguably one of the worst lines in cinematic history, but so fun today! The sun was out and the morning mountain wind was brisk. Got the shots, and back on the water taxi in time to meet Giovanni to drive us to Venice.
We skipped our stop in Verona for lunch in order to keep our overall timeline intact. The photoshoot was a much higher priority for this Flatt family and will prove much more memorable. Plus, now we’ve stopped twice for snacks at the Autogrill on our Italian road trips. Just like RV’ing at home!
On to Venice, and made it on time! We said goodbye to Giovanni and boarded our water taxi to the hotel (water entrance to the hotel was, of course, a unique experience). We enjoyed our first looks at Venice and the canals. In some ways, the traffic on the canals is not dissimilar to the traffic on the roads in Rome. They can squeeze quite a lot of boats into very narrow areas. We had a cocktail at the hotel before dinner, a brief stroll to the restaurant, and a glance at the square. We did spy our first grifter in Venice (they are in all cities—and in all countries). Audrey made the observation that it’s like being in the Fire Swamp. Once you know the dangers, they are pretty easy to avoid (The Princess Bride). It always is prudent to be aware of your surroundings. Tomorrow, we’ll have our tour of Venice and get to learn more about the history and architecture of the region. We’ve already spied some Venetian glass that might need to come home!
Comments