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    • The process before leaving town...
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    • Annie Hart Cool
  • Life as it appears to me
  • Blog
  • Italy 2022
    • The process before leaving town...
    • About
    • Annie Hart Cool
  • Life as it appears to me

Cool Annie's Travels

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This South African-German herded cats

4/29/2016

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"Sigmund, as in Freud" is how this well mannered tour guide introduced himself as he entered the hotel lobby with his right hand outstretched for a welcoming handshake. Redheaded, clipped beard and a smile first thing in the morning. We sat in the lobby waiting for the others and he looked at the Lobby clock and in his perfect British accent said "look at that, it's going to be a great day, I'm not even late today!"
He drove a 9 passenger van and hoped we'd all be comfortable. I'm not sure who found this 45 year old tour guide with his sarcastic sense of humor, but I knew we scored when he flat out told us "My job today is not to lose any of you"... Then he put on his stylish RayBan sunglasses and opened the doors to the van.

First stop: the top of the German Alps!

He drove with speed and precision. As a back row passenger, our bodies followed the choreography of is "dodge and weave" driving strategy. I watched as a few minutes into the trip my fellow passengers decided to fumble around the cushion and look for their seat belts. He was a good driver. Defensive and precise. He was on a mission.

He told us of the political climate in Germany. How the Austrians had an advertising campaign stating they had mined away several feet of Germany's tallest Alp making Austria now the official neighbor with tallest Alp. The Germans reacted with Horror and a law suit. Because none of it was true! Austria just wanted to be on the tips of everyone's tongue ... The campaign was a success. At least, briefly.

He told us his parents both spoke German but he never did as a child. He was raised in Cape Town and has the perfect South African British influenced Accent. He's newly married. Says his wife makes him laugh every day!

He wanted to come to the top of the Alps with us on the tram but then at the last minute stayed behind. We were on stricked orders to not "dilly dally"...

You could tell he likes his job. "Every tour is different because the people are different. It doesn't matter that the locations are the same because the people show me the sites differently every time".

He had to be enjoying our company when he shared "at least you're not a bunch of whiners like a group I had last week who were so miserable they actually chose not to get out of the car at Cinderella's castle".

"Really?" We asked.

"Yes, the tour was planned as a compliment to a business convention. No one wanted to be on the tour. So I took them back to their hotels where the Internet was free."

We couldn't imagine. This tour was wonderful who would whine about it?

When we stopped for lunch he gave us the "synchronize your watches" speech. Like a parent telling the teenagers the rules of "Mall Freedom".

"We are going to be meeting at this location at this time. Don't make me come looking for you. Your being late delays all of us and could have grave consequences to the rest of the tour."

He says this looking out the top of his RayBans surveying our reaction as we sit at our outdoor tables with our authentic German lunch.

Trust me. We were all on time.

"It's like hearding cats, getting you to the right place at the right time!"

A good man, Sigmund. He loves his job. When he vacations he always takes a tour or two and plays under cover tour guide. Always learning what works and what doesn't when dealing with people on holiday.

It's his good nature and his love of this Country. And possibly the patience of a Saint that makes me hope you all have a tour with Sigmund some day!

Yeah and don't hold his singing Lionel Ritchie songs against him...at least he can carry a tune!
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Our Bike and Barge Itinerary!

Day 1: Individual arrival in Mantova


Day 2: Mantova, 21 mi. (35 km)


Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 + 60 km)

Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)

Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)

Day 7: Venice, free day

Day 8: Venice,
​departure following breakfast
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Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Italy as many worldwide know artists have left their masterpieces for us to enjoy, thanks to the famous Gonzaga family! Benvenuti a Mantova!
Day 2: Mantova - round trip tour - 21 mi. (35 km)


This entire day is dedicated to the discovery of this wonderful city and its surroundings, dominated by the wealth and influences left by the Gonzaga family, who owned the city for over 400 years.

Mantova was considered one of the most important cultural cities in the Renaissance and it still maintains a lot of the landscapes and the building that made it famous during that period.

​ In the late afternoon, a local guide will lead you through the most known highlights of the town.

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Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

After breakfast, on board, you navigate from the "lakes" of Mantova and cruise through the lush wetlands that lead to Governolo Lock, where Mantova's Mincio River flows into the Po.

​ From here, by bike, you follow the broad sweeps of the levee towards Ostiglia, renowned for its medieval fortress and fierce fighting in 1945, as the Allies drove Hitler's forces back.
Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Fairground Rides and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!).


This village is also in the heartland of Grana Padano, the arch-rival of Parmesan. A visit to the local cheese factory, sampling some well seasoned Grana, is a must-do.

​You meet the barge in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.
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Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 km by bike + 60 km by bus)
Following breakfast, you will start cycling towards Ferrara. Once you have reached the town, which earned the name of "city of bicycles", you will be enchanted by the historical center, still surrounded by the old city walls.

​You will enjoy a guided town tour. From Ferrara, a short bus transfer will bring you to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltic. It's a remarkable museum that also bears witness to its Etruscan, Roman, and Venetian Heritage.
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​Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)
After a short ride on board, you cycle into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a sizeable colony of flamingos. Weather permitting, as you continue towards Chioggia, you can also enjoy a stop at a beach and a dip in the Adriatic - not forgetting a hot savory piadina! Chioggia is also known as "Little Venice", a colorful fishing hub. The overnight takes place on the island of  Pellestrina, just in front of Chioggia.
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Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)
Venice beckons, but first another world altogether: Pellestrina, the first of two islands you traverse today – a humble and tranquil fishing backwater, picturesque as ever with its cottages, boats, and nets. A short island-hop by ferry transfers to Lido. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars.

​ After rejoining the barge, you will enjoy a leisure cruise in front of St Mark’s square to the final destination. After dinner, you can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia!
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Day 7: Venice, guided walking tour and free time
A guided walking tour of Venice begins around 11 am and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. It begins in St. Mark square and continues towards the bigger "sestiere" of the city, Castello.

You will visit Campo Santa Maria Formosa where you can experience a characteristic market and then a city hospital and large gothic church in Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Later, you will go to Campo Santa Marina and to the Rialto Bridge. During this tour, the guide will explain these sites from the outside, no entrances are planned. 
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I guess I always knew this… but forgot?

As we prepare to leave on vacation the energy in the house is a mix between excitement and dread. You know the anticipation? The expectation ! And all the things you forgot.

I take a breath and lean in to my suitcase. I don’t know why I fret. The few things I pack can be washed and reworn!

If Covid taught us nothing it taught us sweat pants can last a week if handled carefully! Two weeks in Italy requires comfort clothes and something a little stylish… but wait, I live on Cape Cod!

We have completed most of the requisites. The note to the Dog sitter, the walk about with the gardener, the cleaned out refrigerator… but then it dawns on us…
what about the storage on our phones?

​TONIGHT. Tonight we will be deleting everything. Sorry, but it’s true.
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