"Padova...our new home...for now" a Padova Travel Page by mapakettle

For those of you who have read our homepage, you understand we ran away from home Sept 03, and have begun our European Vacation. We chose Padova for our home base due to its proximity to Venice, the lack of snow, and the friendly people. We have found Padova to be a small city but with all the advantages a large city has to offer. Plus, the people are generally warm, polite, and considerate.

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fresh 'everything' in abundance

Sacro Cuore

We live in an area called Sacro Cuore, which reminds me of my old neighbourhood in Toronto, many, many years ago (the people, the feel, not the buildings). Clocks seemed to have stopped here, at about the mid 50's, for both shops and people. We visit one pasticceria, located at Via Po #5, called Alfio, which has the nicest people running it you could ever meet. The shop itself has the old fashioned booths, small tables, and a wonderful selection of sweets, sandwiches, and gelatto. Cleanliness is the key word at this establishment. Non-smoking also. Music is playing in the background at all times, and everyone who enters is met with a greeting and a smile. So genteel.....

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our favourite pasticceria run by Graziella/Alfio

A walk down Sacro Cuore is everything people from a large city crave, friendly greetings, courteous gestures, no loud or obscene shouts, and a general feeling of comfort and safety. Shopkeepers know us, fellow sidewalk crawlers nod as they pass, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee surrounds your every step. We just love it. Talk about a step back into time.

We noticed over Christmas, that fully decorated xmas trees were left outside shops, with never any damage or theft. We found this to be amazing, and certainly says a lot about this wonderful area of Sacro Cuore, and the people that live here.

How fortunate we are to have chosen this area to settle in. It has taken almost a year to be truly accepted into our neighbourhood. Just recently we are finding people who come to their fence as we pass by to chat, and the neighbour ladies now wave to me as they peddle past with groceries filling their front bicycle carriers. As a couple, we received a nod, alone, I received no glance what-so-ever.

This is the breakthrough we've been hoping for. Acceptance is so important. We've made friends with the couple who own Alfio's (mentioned above), and enjoyed Christmas Eve, as well as celebrated New Years Eve with them in their lovely home. Wonderful food, drink, and above all, warm friendship. They even took us to the mountains, into the Pre-Alpies, and ate a wonderful meal at Rifugio Crucola, located within a tiny town called Spera. By the way, this restaurant has the distinction of possessing the World's Longest Sausage. Watch for my travel pages on Spera...coming soon.

You will find that my tips are primarily about every day living, such as buying wine, taking buses, trains, ordering a taxi, how to purchase vegetables from the Green Grocer, my favourite restaurants, visiting the Post Office, and basically how to attend to the day to day basics of living in a foreign country.

Other members of VT have done a wonderful job of describing the attractions, monuments, churches, etc., so my doing so would be rather redundant, and not as well written.

I suggest you check out: VT member 'croisbeauty' pages @ ....
http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/3001d/