Our Last Full Day

We spent last Thursday morning learning about some history. We had a tour of the Bastione Di San Giorgio, built by the Austrians.

Pizza Lunch.

We ended this 10 day trip with a celebratory dinner at a fancy place, Dodici Apostoli. Great food! Great ambiance. Very special!

Outside 12 Apostles for our last supper (LOL)

We had a tour of some
 Roman roads and Medieval structures downstairs!
A special surprise!

Slow Sewing and Slow Food

Hand sewing in Italy in a room in the Basilica San Zeno!! Could it get any more special??

LOL! There's Kip's elbow again!

My friends and I visited arguably the most spectacular church in Verona, San Zeno Basilica. Saint Zeno is the patron saint of Verona and this piazza is often the setting for celebration.

Amazing lunch together.

Can't go to Italy without having at least one gelato!

We had an aperitivo later on.

Another good day I'd say.

Day 5, Venice

An early start today. Train ride to Venice.

Preparing for the day.

Walked all day! IN THE POURING RAIN! Thanks Barb for your newspaper trick. Dries shoes perfectly!

photo by Flo 

Thanks Flo for your pictures!

I took this in the morning before the downpour!

Excellent almond paste treats in the Jewish Ghetto.
Thanks Julia for taking us there.

We did have a rainbow at the end of the day!

We had a nice dinner with Valpolicella Ripasso wine at home with the group.

Textile Exhibits

Saturday was dedicated to seeing all the textile exhibits of the festival, Verona Tessile.  Thank goodness it was a gorgeous sunny day and perfect for walking around town.

There were antique quilts from the Amish community.

There were contemporary quilts from Joe Cumnningham (USA)

Joe Cunningham explaining his work.

There were traditional gems! Hand pieced and quilted from Verona.

Nice to see a young crowd interested.

Margaret Fabrizio (in her very late 80's!) exhibited her work too. She is from San Francisco.

There were some hands-on experiences.

My personal favorite was Joe Cunningham's Autoworld (2015)

detail

detail

People picked up a quick lunch- panino and drink- while heading to the historical buildings to see the international exhibits.

It was good to sit down and relax during dinner time. Our legs needed a rest after all that walking.

Our dinner spot in Verona's historical city centre.

The label shows the osteria's location,
right near Ponte Pietra.
It's their own production of prosecco.

I asked the group of they had any pictures of that evening and everyone sent me pictures of the food!
I guess it was good!

Here are some of the antipasto.

Some of the desserts.

Everyone is gaining weight!

Verona

Today is a Independence Day in Italy- April 25, 1945, end of WW2

We started with a guided tour of Verona.

Our tour guide speaks perfect english. She touched on history, talked about the architecture and showed us important landmarks. Consensus: Verona is gorgeous.

I like to program this tour the first day of our trip. It gives people a sense of the city. During the next 10 days the travellers will be reminded of some of the things they learned by passing by those buildings and neighbourhoods.

The weather was pretty good for the tour, it rained a little after lunch but most people were at the exhibits and not walking around.

A good first day.

(if you have instagram check out sandrasstudiotextile for more about the textile trip)

Verona Trip

It's now official.

The trip to Verona, Italy, is FULL.

We have a few Canadians from Quebec, Ontario and Alberta who have signed up. We have two English women, one of whom lives in France. We have an American who lives in Germany.

What an international group!

The travellers quilt, create contemporary textile works, paint, knit...what talent!!

I can't wait to share this special place with them. I really love living in Verona!!

People who like my trips are open-minded people who love new experiences. They have no mobility issues (we do lots of walking). They love Italian food (who doesn't!) and have no serious food restrictions. They work well in groups.

I am disappointed I couldn't get everyone who sent me emails of interest registered for the trip but there is always the next time. Spring 2021. Remember it's first come, first served.

Please check back in April 2019 to see a visual diary of what we'll be up to in gorgeous Verona!

PS
I also have a trip to Umbria (the province in the middle of Italy). It focuses on journalling. Check it out here. You'll have to scroll down to see the Umbria info.

(All photographs of Verona are mine from past trips.)