Padua & Ravenna
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Tour Day 1
Welcome to Italy
9,645 Steps of Travel
A final walk through of Venice, a vaporetto ride, and then a short train ride would have us arriving in Padua, Italy.
It is finally here!
Tour members converged at our Padua hotel, and we would officially started our tour. Our experienced guide,Tricia, started the introductions. Just like our previous Rick Steves tour, we had another great group of people to share our travel experience with.
The remainder of the evening was. dedicated to a casual orientation walk, and a group dinner so we could get better acquainted with our tour members.
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TOUR TIP: Before your tour, take time to review and learn the names on your tour roster. Matching names with faces on your first tour day with make it easier to learn tour member names quickly. (Who knows maybe there will be a old college friend in the roster.)
Tour Day 2
Discover Padua
17,115 Steps of Exploration
Today we jumped into the Village Italy experience with both feet. We met up with a local guide, Carla, who led us through the history and sites of Padua. A highlight was the Scrovegni Chapel where the vibrant frescoes by the painter Giotto cover the interior walls. The story telling details, along with the colors are impressive at over 700 years old. We also took in the sights of the local morning market, and the university district. Our Padua tour ended with a nice surprise, a refreshing spritz with our light lunch.
The afternoon was ours to explore. We made a quick visit to the Basilica of St. Anthony, and then were off to spend the warm afternoon enjoying the Botanic Gardens. We bumped into Laura & Tom there and decided to strolled the Prato della Valle, with a stop at the expansive Basilica Di Santa Gustina. A definite"wow" moment and so glad we impulsively went inside.
Finding a street side trattoria, the four of us settled in for pleasant evening with some wine and Italian pizza.
 Giotto's frescos Scrovengi Chapel |  Scrovengi Chapel |  Galileo Galilei's podium at the University Of Padova (Padua) |
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 Palazzo dello Ragione & Piazza dei Frutti |  Piazza delle Erbe market, Padua |  Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua |
 Botanical Gardens, Padua |  Basilica Di Santa Giustina |  Botanical Gardens in Padua |
 University of Padua |  Prado del Valle, Padua |