Saturday May 20, 2023
We sleep in again today as our train is not until 1030. Carol makes us another great breakfast using the last of our eggs and vegetables from our shopping. This large apartment was great for the week and we are only a 5 to 10 minute walk to the train station. Our next town stop is Pavia but we have to switch trains in a place called Alexandria. It is only 10 minutes between our arrival and the other departure which always makes me a little wary of delays. If we miss that it is a 2 hour wait for the next train. Wish us luck.
We get to Alexandria just a minute or two late and find our train to Pavia waiting. It is a smaller train with only two cars. We get on and then a guy with a bike gets on. The conductor guy comes out and tells him there are no bikes allowed on this train. On the train site, it tells you when bikes are allowed and when they are not. Generally they are allowed on the more expensive larger trains with space aboard to store them. This guy obviously did not do his homework. To him it does not matter and even though he is not Italian, he can speak it and tells the conductor he is not getting off. Three unsuccessful arguments later, the conductor gets off the train and on his phone. This cannot be good. He comes back on and tells the guy he needs to get off as the police are coming. The guy instead drags his bike through our car to the other door and stays there. Well that door is going with the rest of the train so he is told again to leave. This goes on until the police show and take over. He argues with them as well, not a very good idea in my mind. I am not sure what they eventually said to him but he finally gets off and is escorted away with the police. Hard to believe the idiocy of some people. All this has caused about a 10 minute delay. Finally, we get to Pavia.
Pavia is an ancient university town. The university is almost as old as Bolognas University. Einstein spent time here and worked at the university. It is also the town where Charlemagne was coronated. When we arrive, we have a 1.5 mile walk to our home/apartment. It is on the other side of the old town but we liked the look of it when we booked as it had a little garden area and was large in size. The walk is nice and my navigation skills are spot on. We cross the Ponte Coperto (covered bridge) and in another half mile arrive at the address listed. It has been raining slightly for the whole walk but our umbrella does its job and keeps us dry. The owner said she would meet us at 1330 but no one is there when we arrive. There is. Small balcony next door with a dry patch of sidewalk so we can take our packs off and set them down. The address we have is 167 and we see two doors, a 167A and a 167B. We try and figure out which one and what buzzer we might push but there is no sign indicating the BNB. We patiently (Carol very, me for the most part) wait for about 10 minutes but no sign of the owner. Carol then sends her a message through WhatsApp and a few minutes later, she replies that she is on her way. We were looking for a car to pull up but she shows up walking. Apparently, there are several 167 addresses and 167 with no letter is a block and a half further. The place is really nice and she says her husband will bring us breakfast items later. Carol is very happy as there is a washer and a dryer. We made a good choice here.
After we settle in, we go out for a stroll to see a few churches and find a place for dinner. It is only a short walk of .5 miles to the old center just on the other side of the covered bridge. The covered bridge stretches over the Ticino River. The original bridge was destroyed during WWII but was rebuilt to the exact specifications of the original including a little chapel in the center of the bridge. In 2005, a plaque was placed (on the 50th anniversary of Einsteins death) and in German it says, I have often thought of that beautiful bridge in Pavia, which he wrote to an Italian friend in 1947. We find our way up the Main Street in the old town to the Tourist Information Office (TI) where we get a map and the nice lady points out many sights on it.
Although we are right near the Duomo, we walk instead to the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. It has a beautiful brick facade and represents the Lombard Gothic style. There is a nice altar inside as well as frescoes on the columns. A statue in a side chapel is dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine. It is a very nice church. From the Church of the Santa Maria del Carmine, we walk back to the Duomo in the center of town. The Duomo is an example of Renaissance style. The Dome is the third largest in Italy (only Florence and Rome are bigger) Da Vinci and Bramante had a part in designing the cathedral. One of Da Vincis students, Gianpetrino Rizzi finished the altar of the Duomo. The exterior was meant to be covered in marble but money ran out ad it retains its brick facade. The church project began in 1488 and wasn’t completed until the 20th century. Outside is also the remains of the medieval bell tower which collapsed in 1989, killing several people. It is a great cathedral with interesting architecture and sculpture work. The dome itself is not very ornate but it is large in volume.
Our next stop is the San Teodoro Church. Like most other churches in Pavia, it is built in brick and is in the Romanesque style synonymous with the Lombardy region. It is dedicated to Saint Teodoro (Theodor) who died in Pavia in 778 and is filled with frescoes and church treasures. There are wonderful mosaics above the altar and frescoed scenes from San Teodoro’s life. There i a small crypt below the church. An interesting fresco shows the Saint in front of the city of Pavia dating back to 1525-1526. You can see all the medieval towers that the city was famous for with only a handful surviving today. That is all the touring for today.
We decide on a place for dinner but it does not open until 1930 and since it is only 1700, we walk back to our home to relax. Along the way I get a nice picture of the river from the bridge with pastel colored houses along its banks. We have a nice respite at our place and are able to shower and freshen up before dinner. Our choice for tonight is not Italian. We decide to try something different and that something is Sri Lankan food. We arrive at 1930 and they ask if we have reservations. We do not so they say they can sit us but we have to be done by 2045. No problem for us. We order some nice appetizers and three dishes to try. Instead of the bread, we get grilled flat bread and some grilled onions, pepper spread, and pickled something. The meal is very tasty, similar to Indian food but with its own flair and spices. Nothing to do now but walk home. The only down side to the day is that the gelato place we spied earlier closed at 2000. Why would they do that? Well maybe tomorrow.
Expenses Train from Torino to Pavia 24.90E Sri Lankan Dinner at Sapori di Ceylon 54E Gelato at Rivareno ( very good) 6E Apartment BNB Cube 90E Walked 9.8 Miles
No Comments Yet