DAY 03: To avoid your place in hell...

Here we are on day 3... our last day in Venice (until the end of our trip next Saturday, at least). Shawn slept horribly because he now has my sore throat from last weekend. I, however, enjoyed an air conditioner that was working much better! Plus, we had a major storm last night. It was awesome and helped get rid of the humidity. We could not have been happier. We actually went out in the rain to St. Mark's Square where plenty of people were still dancing and listening to the musicians who were now under tents. The vaporetto ride over there was absolutely crazy. The Grand Canal was raging and we all kept getting splashed. Again, it was awesome.

So, this morning, we took a train to Padova (20 minutes away) to see the Scrovegni Chapel. The chapel was commissioned by a member of the Scrovegni family in 1300-ish, the purpose of which was to save a family member from burning in hell. They were known for being greedy, which according to even Dante, was worthy of eternal damnation. As luck would have it, Giotto was availble to cover the chapel in frescoes from top to bottom. Beautiful! Now, the paintings are so precious that viewers are only allowed in the chapel for 15 minutes at a time, in groups of 25. Before you enter, you enter a chamber to watch a short film while the humidity levels are stabilized inside the chapel. Craziness.

Padova also has a fair amount of modern, regular shopping (not high end boutiques like most of these cities). Shawn found a shirt he liked (but did not purchase). It actually advertised the Kentucky State Fair from 1982 and read: "Not since the caveman have humans eaten so much food on sticks." V. odd.

After we returned to Venice proper, we went straight to the Ghetto. The first ghetto was in Venice, but it is not as it sounds. The term is derived from the Venetian dialect and referred to the neighborhood where the Jewish population lived for a long time. There is nothing "ghetto" about the area, though. It is actually really cute. =)

We also hit several of our neighborhood bakeries for Italian cannoli and cookies this afternoon. We did not skip gelato, though... so do not even think that! Tonight we are turning in early and leaving for Naples and the Amalfi Coast early tomorrow. Not sure of the internet situation there, but stay tuned just in case...

Buona sera! xoxo, h&s