Under the Tuscan sun

If you only have limited time in Florence, don’t miss the Uffizi museum and any one of several food tours that start in the late afternoon.

Italy was hot in May, hotter, it seemed, than summertime Manila. My wife Twink and I toured Venice and nearby destinations last month and we had packed half a suitcase of warm clothing. But it was all to waste, as temperatures soared. We did not complain too much though, as we enjoyed touring a visitor-friendly, culture-rich country, cooled to a large extent by our daily consumption of yummy gelato.

One of the 63 pavilions at the Venice Biennale for Architecture.

We had gone to Italy to attend the opening of the Philippine Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. I had written the other week about that important event, a key project of Senator Loren Legarda, partnering with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the NCCA. This week’s piece covers the rest of Venice, as well as key destinations in Veneto and Tuscany.

Venice is chockfull of museums, churches, plazas, and of course, canals. We did visit the rest of the Biennale pavilions and exhibits, at least as much as the first half of our trip allowed us. It was an embarrassment of riches as 63 countries were represented. You don’t have to be an architect to enjoy the exhibits, as displays were well curated, with more than enough for the general public to appreciate.

The Biennale has two main venues, the Giardini and the Aresenale, both on the Eastern end of the main island (the city has over a 100). I would advice that you visit Venice only when either the Art or the Architecture Biennale is open. These key events alternate with each other each year and make any trip worth it.

The postcard pretty Ponte Vecchio in Florence attracts millions of tourist to cross.

You’ll need at least another two to three days for the rest of Venice to see enough of the city and its sights. If pressed for time, do not miss the main plaza of San Marco, the Rialto bridge, the Betsy Guggenheim Museum and of course, a gondola ride is a must… but only if this is your first visit to Venice. A better experience would be a private boat tour to learn how locals actually use the canals as their main avenues of transport.

Twink and I had a week more to visit other places using Venice as a base. Touring Italy and most of Europe is made very convenient by train. We travelled exclusively by their wonderful fast train service, getting our tickets online. I kept wondering how much better our tourism in the Philippines would be if we had good trains.

Our first destination was Padua, only a half-hour by train from Venice. Twink wanted to see the Giotto frescoes at the Scrovegni Chapel and she knew I would be interested in the Padua Botanic Garden, the oldest in Europe. Both were fantastic destinations and we even took in a walking tour of the city around the Palazzo del Bó. In fact, except for an initial tram ride to the Botanic Garden, we walked to all the sites and even back to the train station to make it back to Venice in time to take in a wonderful concert in an old church featuring the music of Verdi!

The Piazza de San Marco and its iconic cathedral is the center of Venice.

Leaving our heavy luggage at our hotel in Venice the next day, we took another train to Florence, the capital of Tuscany, to continue our Italian sojourn.

Florence is as culturally rich as Venice but with a different flavor of course. Speaking of flavor, Twink and I did try the famous Bistecca alla Florentina along with the street sandwich lampredotto, made from cow stomach. Try the steak, it’s good, but I would recommend you skip the lampredotto.

We took several walking tours in Florence, covering several museums, most of the main plazas, the Ponte Vecchio and the landmark Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or more popularly known as Il Duomo di Firenze. If you only have limited time in Florence, don’t miss the Uffizi museum and any one of several food tours that start in the late afternoon.

Giotto’s frescoes in Padua are centuries-old but still dazzle.

From Florence we took several minor tours to the surrounding picturesque Tuscan countryside. We visited Siena to wonder at its beautiful cathedral and to walk its famous Piazza del Campo, venue of the riotous Palio di Siena horse race. For lunch the same day we enjoyed pasta, cheese, and wine in a Tuscan vineyard.

We also visited Pisa, a bit out of the way, but worth a detour if you want to take that standard selfie pushing back against the off-kilter tower. I was not so inclined… and spent the time enjoying a coffee while Twink shopped for souvenirs.

Florence and the Tuscan landscape made for a great second half of our 12-day trip. We took the train back to Venice and our last vaporetto ride back to our original hotel next to the Piazza de San Marco. From there, and after a final pasta, pizza and wine lunch, we took a water taxi to Marco Polo airport and our long flight home.

Twink strikes a pose in cinematic Florence.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. The Philippine Pavilion will be open to the public from May 26 until Nov. 25.