Miscellaneous "Cose" (Things)

Here are a few items of interest, none of which warrant a post all their own.

The day after we went to Padova (26 Oct) was horrible weather--cold, windy and wet. It was also the day of the Maratona di Lucca. The marathon runners went by on the far side of the piazza in front of our building (right in front of the red roof). I felt sorry for the runners and all the course workers.

Dom, the former marathon runner, thought this must be towards the end of the course. We are only seven kilometers from the walls of Lucca (where the race probably began and ended). The runners were pretty spread out and not moving too quickly. He also thought we were seeing "the back of the pack." 

This is Dom intent on his favorite Sunday activity--watching an automobile race. This was the Formula 1 Grand Prix of India. With our new caldaia (water heater) we were warm and snug inside.

On Sunday it had felt COLD but the next morning it dawned mostly clear and we discovered it really had been cold. There was snow on the mountains and quite low on the surrounding hills. This particular mountain formation is called Il Uomo Morto - The Dead Man. You can see that it does look like a man laying down with his head to the left.

Yesterday (6 Nov) we went to Florence for the day. It started out looking a bit dismal but by the time we arrived the weather was mostly sunny and warm.

We spent most of our time buying things at the San Lorenzo Market. It was almost deserted. When we walked over towards the Duomo we were surprised at the crowds gathered there. It was so different from the nearly empty streets we had been traversing that we turned around and went another way.

After we finished shopping we wandered around. It was a bit early for lunch so we went to Piazza della Repubblica and people watched. It too was nearly empty. For the first time we noticed this interesting brass relief map of central Florence. It has a lot of detail and is quite cunning.

 Here is a video that shows the quiet piazza. Not too many tourists out and about in November.

I took this picture to show my mother. She will get a kick out of it as my father's name is Jack.

Dom stayed up late last night (early this morning) to watch the election results. I went to bed but woke up when he came to bed at about 5:30. The result is neither of us had a good night's sleep. It has been a rather lazy day today.

Not much time left for us here in Italy. We leave next Tuesday for Nice and our flight to Austin TX on Nov. 14. The Formula 1 US Grand Prix is there on Nov. 18. We are looking forward to the race and getting back to Seattle on Nov. 19. In the meantime we are enjoying the last few days of this trip.

Padova - Auto e Moto d'Epoca

On Saturday, October 27 we drove to Padova for the annual Auto e Moto d'Epoca show. It think it has been three years since we last attended.

This is one of the largest gatherings of classic cars and some motorcycles and scooters in Europe. It always has interesting vintage vehicles on display. Most of them are owned by private individuals. Some are very expensive, chic models but others are simply beloved by their owners and might even be driven regularly. The Padova convention center is a complex of about 15 buildings. Not all of them are used for the show but all the large ones are as well as most of the outdoor areas between them.

 Car specific clubs from all over Italy and beyond have large displays at the show. The above photo is probably an Alfa Romeo club from Milan.

 Part of the show is a HUGE area for retailers of vintage parts and accessories (both used and new). This year an additional reason for going was to find some lenses (plastic light bulb covers) for one of Dom's car buddies. It was fun looking for the lenses and talking to the sellers. Mission accomplished!

 The above photo gives and idea of how big the complex is. You can see Building 11 on the left. There are about 16 or 17 total. You can also see that the weather was not great.

As you can see there is a wide range of cars representing varied interests. The show lasts three or four days and is always held in mid to late October. Saturday, the day we went, is probably the busiest day. However, if you enjoy classic European cars it is well worth a visit.