On Sunday, March 5, we traveled to northern Italy via train. We had originally planned to leave on Monday, but due to the possibility of an Italian transit strike occurring on Monday we departed on Sunday. Of all the countries in Europe, Italy has the most strikes. These one day strikes are an inconvenience, but interestingly, they are advertised in advance so that one can plan around them.
Our first stop was Venice. On our arrival late Sunday afternoon we were greeted with frigid, windy, drizzly weather. Except to get a quick bite to eat, we didn�t venture out of our hotel that evening. We stayed three nights in Venice; luckily during the rest of our stay we had beautiful, blue sky weather. For 400 years from the 11th to the 15th centuries, Venice was one of the wealthiest cities in the world. As an important maritime and trading power, it accumulated considerable wealth from it advantageous position along the major trading route between Europe and the Orient, from booty acquired by returning sea captains, and from treasures plundered during the crusades. |
