Rome/Venice Day 6 – Of trains, boats and a phoenix

We headed down to the hated Stazione Termini this morning. I get a shiver when I got there, after the years of daily commuting. I rather miss the clackety clack of the flipping cards on the departure and arrival sign, however.

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An O Too Familiar sight for Roman commuters.

I wonder how long it would take me to relearn briscola.  Hmmm….

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Heading north.  Happily there is wifi on the train these days.  How things have changed.

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Back to Rome in a few days, but for now, it’s going to be “calle e callette”.

UPDATE:

In Venice, we are settled into the hotel and we are out and about.

I arranged to say Mass at San Moise the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, San Marco.

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Supper will be late, so it’s snack time.

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I need a glasses store: my glasses are now officially broken. Grrrrr. Near San Marco there are shops in the Calle de la Merceria.

UPDATE

Tonight we are taking in La Fenice for La Boheme!

I am rather excited because when it burned, I contributed for the rebuilding.

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As we came in I told my host “It’s like walking in Wrigley Field for the first time!!”

UPDATE:

Just a few more shots before turning in, tired but happy.

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My view for a nightcap before turning in.

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Oh…. supper… paranza di pesce.

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About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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13 Comments

  1. Mariana2 says:

    Termini, shudder!

  2. Sid Cundiff in NC says:

    I have emailed you my list of my favorite Venetian Restaurants from my post on Chowhound.com

  3. Sonshine135 says:

    Father, is that fresh prosciutto in the last picture? It looks absolutely delicious, and it is almost lunchtime here in the states. :P’ ‘ ‘ ‘

  4. Minnesotan from Florida says:

    Why do people think ill of Stazione Termini? When I was in Rome, April 17-27, 1977, it had a very nice cafeteria, a barber shop with kind barbers, a scales to see how tourism “was affecting you” (which cost ten lire, a coin hard to find but obtainable from the kind barbers), an information window where English was spoken, where we were correctly told that a certain train to Brindisi would be OK for catching the ship to Patras despite its arriving too closely (according to the advice in the shipline’s brochure) for a safe connection, and where trains were easily boarded and gotten off of. Again, what is the complaint?

  5. VexillaRegis says:

    OoooH!!! I’m sooo envious of you, Fr. Z! A night at La Fenice (a very apropriate name indeed!), with Puccini, sigh! May I ask who are singing this evening and who the director is?
    Qué gelida manina…

  6. Mariana2 says:

    Se la lasci riscaldar : ) !

  7. OrthodoxChick says:

    Sonshine135,

    I see both prosciutto and soppressata, if mine eyes do not deceive…

  8. APX says:

    I’m sorry, but whenever I see prosciutto, it reminds me of thinly sliced cadavers.

  9. Suburbanbanshee says:

    As long as it’s pig cadavers, we have no problem. :)

    Lab and microscope classes can have unpredictable effects. But as Sor Juana de la Cruz used to say, Aristotle would have been a better scientist if he’d spent more time in the kitchen.

  10. Gratias says:

    Looks delicious, forgive our envy. Mass in San Marco and San Moise sounds Holy.

    Years ago we visited the Cathedral of Torcello (pop. 15) near Burano island. The priest came in, offered mass but did not notice Mrs Gratias and yours truly sitting inside the dark church. The Sacristan did, and walked over to ask if we wanted to receive, which we did. After mass I asked Father why he offered Mass if there was no one there:”to keep this Church Holy” was his excellent answer.

    Keep ’em Holy Father Zhulsdorf, we are with you vicariously through your adventures in navigating the Ocean Sea of the Internet.

  11. JonPatrick says:

    RE Statzione Terminii – If only our stations (and trains) here in the US were only one tenth as good as the ones in Italy (or anywhere in Western Europe). We can only dream.

    Regarding the clickety clack information boards, we used to have them here in the Northeast (made by an Italian company as I recall) – when they were replaced by electronic boards they had to add a fake clickety clack sound so people would know there was an update and to look at the board (usually to see the dreaded “30 mins late” added to the status of their train).

  12. Sid Cundiff in NC says:

    Jon is quite right; the trains in Italy are wonderful, and usually on time (unless it’s snowing). 1st Class has a place to put your big luggage (I’d buy a way to lock it onto the metal shelf and tiny locks to lock your luggage itself), the coaches are now no longer in compartments, and the big trains have a refreshment bar. They no longer have a dining car, alas. The big trains are also quite fast. I usually use the German train website, “DB Bahn travel service query page”, to find my trains (the Germans are good about this); the page is in English. When buy tickets for the trains in Italy while in the US, I use EuroRail (It’s cheaper to buy on line than to buy with a live representative.) If it’s too early to buy, EuroRail will email you when the time is right. Beats standing in line at a counter to buy a ticket, often long lines.

  13. StWinefride says:

    Sid Cundiff in NC and anyone else: you can also use the Trenitalia site – I have never had a problem with it, very easy to use and you can print your tickets. There is an English version but if you have even basic Italian it’s not too difficult to navigate:

    http://www.trenitalia.com/

    I also love Termini, mainly because it means I’m in Italy.

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