Pootling in Padova with Milena

After a much-needed long sleep following our long day in Venice yesterday, this morning we had a bit of a lie in. Josie made coffee and we were greeted by my old friend Milena who I’d not seen for probably twenty years or more. We had been parked for two nights (our first multi-night stay of the trip) in the car park of her apartment complex.

Milena acted as our personal tour guide to the city, taking us to the Basilica di sant’Antonio where we were able to observe the actual jaw of Saint Anthony, and then to the green room of Caffe Pedrocchi for a coffee. Historically known as the “cafeteria without doors”, the Green Room was traditionally reserved for guests who wanted to sit, rest, and read newspapers completely free of charge and without any obligation to buy anything, and that’s a tradition that has been upheld until today. We did buy a coffee and a little sweet treat but were able to sit and enjoy them in this green room without paying the cover charge, as if taking them ‘al banco’.

We then had a stroll round the market and a few shops before getting driven to Milena’s mother’s house which I remember from when I was very small.

There, we enjoyed a delicious lunch that Carla had laid on for us: the obligatory bowl of spaghetti (aglio e olio), and a fantastic selection of delicious cheeses, meats, vegetables and fruits, some of which from Carla’s own garden. In fact after lunch I was invited to pick a few kaki (aka Persimmon or sharon fruit) from the tree in the garden.

Altogether it was a splendid, nostalgic and heart-warming day, and lovely for me to reconnect with old friends.