We capped off what would turn out to be our last stay in Munich for the department’s program with ten days in Italy…much of it spent with the entire family as a belated celebration of our fortieth anniversary.
We took the train from Munich to Mantua…part of our ongoing quest to know the smaller Renaissance cities of northern Italy. And Mantua proved to be one of the best.
The train crosses the artificial lakes that were constructed as part of the city’s fortifications: the spires and battlements of a medieval city lie just beyond.
We got off the train at the main station, which proved to be almost deserted. The cab rank in front was empty, and no one responded to calls to the numbers listed on a sign. Sue finally went across the street to a hotel and asked them to call a cab…which worked.
We had booked a room at the Hotel Casa Poli, which proved to be a modern, hospitable, and extremely comfortable hotel on the Corso Garabaldi, about a ten minute walk from the historical center.
It was late in the day, so we took a quick orientation stroll and then followed a recommendation from the concierge to eat at the Trattoria Due Cavallini. We sat in an outdoor area under a large awning. The service was rather distant, but the food was fine if not memorable.
