Lyndhurst & District

Hidden Italy - May 2019

Following a most enjoyable Days Out Group trip to Southern Ireland last year, 19 members of Lyndhurst U3A embarked on a 5 night escorted tour to “Hidden Italy”: Padova, Vincenza and Mantova, flying to Venice from Gatwick. We were joined by others, including a group who flew in from Dublin. Our base for the entire stay was a comfortable hotel in the delightful small walled town of Castelfranco Veneto, the walls of which were completed in 1211 and overlooked by the hotel. Breakfast was taken in the hotel and dinner in a wide choice of good restaurants. The snow-capped Dolomites formed an impressive distant backdrop to our hotel.

The weather was a little cold, not typical for the time of year, but not uncomfortably so. The excellent tour manager Matt has lived in Italy for 16 years and is a fluent Italian speaker, informing the group about life in Italy and how the Italians live regarding education, police forces, politics, food and wine.

The first day was spent on a walking tour of historic Padova with many piazzas and diverse architectural styles. There was ample time for coffee and lunch before taking a boat trip on the Brenta Canal, lined by elegant Venetian villas. We listened to the commentary sipping prosecco and Italian beer.

On the second day the coach travelled to Vicenza for an enjoyable guided tour through the historic centre followed by free time to visit up to seven museums covered by a museum pass. The highlight was the Teatro Olimpico, Europe’s oldest surviving indoor theatre, which had an unexceptional exterior and breath-taking interior.

Day three and on to Mantova, for a tour a medieval city which has UNESCO World Heritage status. One particular highlight was an impromptu testing of the excellent acoustics in a church by one of the Irish contingent, who had a wonderful voice. After lunch the coach took the party to the 148-acre Sigurta gardens with its ornamental ponds, medicinal herb garden, beautifully maintained maze and lovely views.

The final destination town was Bassano del Grappa, a tour and tasting in the local artisan grappa distillery museum, followed by exploration of the attractive town and a wonderful river walk. After lunch the destination was Villa Sandi, a wine producer in the heart of the prosecco-producing Treviso region. A guided tour of the villa and large underground wine cellars was naturally accompanied by tastings of some of their best proseccos.

On the final day an added bonus was market day situated just outside the hotel, so there was time for exploration and drink coffee before departing for the airport. Some fellow travellers had seemingly heavier hold luggage at check in, the culprit assumed to be well padded bottles of prosecco! Lyndhurst U3A now look forward selecting their holiday for 2020.