Our First Venture Downtown

Thanks to the weekend and a much needed break from strenuous inprocessing, we were finally able to head to downtown Vicenza and see more of town than just the Army post.  In order to get a better feel for the streets and the layout of the town, we opted to walk rather than ride our bikes.  The downtown area is about two or three miles from post and our hotel, so we definitely got our exercise.  It was exactly what you would expect of a quaint European town – narrow streets and old buildings.

Being Easter weekend, a lot of the shops and restaurants were closed, so we simply strolled along, window-shopping, and people-watching.  We’ll definitely have to go back on a non-holiday weekend to check out all the markets that take place in the squares.  I also want to put my Art History degree to good use and study the Palladian architecture that is prominent in downtown Vicenza.  One of Palladio’s works is the Olympic Theater, or Teatro Olimpico, which we saw from the outside but didn’t go into.  Built in 1580, this theater is the oldest surviving enclosed theater in the world.  A complete tour is on the list for next time. 

We also saw some neat churches…

And, lo and behold, a Subaru repair shop…

We definitely felt the reality of being in Italy more once we got away from post, or the American bubble, as I like to call it.  Although I’m sure it will take some time to really feel at home here, for now we still feel like we’re playing tourist.  But I would imagine three years should be enough time to settle in, acclimate, and fully be at home here. 

On a side note, how adorable is this??

Unfortunately, Donovan said no…

Stay tuned for the joys of house-hunting!!