La scrittrice descrive l'area palladiana nel Veneto. Questa zona ha numerose ville con splendidi giardini. Ci sono anche diversi centri termali e lei ne descrive uno in particolare, Abano Terme. Abano un tempo era piena di turisti (soprattutto tedeschi), negozi, e tante attività da fare. Ad oggi molti locali hanno chiuso e non c'è più l'attrazione di una volta né ad Abano né nel Palladiano. Dopo la pandemia, questa zona ha avuto un calo del turismo e non è più in voga. La scrittrice spera che la popolarità cresca in futuro.

Like everywhere else in Europe, Italy has had very unpredictable weather so far this summer. At this time of year, usually there is day after day of unbroken sunshine and temperatures of 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this week it has rained twice, and we have had cloud and wind with only one very hot day. The locals are not complaining as they find the heat too much to bear in summer, but they all comment on how unusual it is.

I joined a friend for aperitivi last week, in the thermal gardens of the Villa Selvatico. The new owner has beautifully restored this 16th century villa, and now has early evening get-togethers to sip their own wines (I’m fond of their delicious pink Prosecco) amidst the white statues and green cypresses looking towards the small hill on which the villa stands. In what was once the orangery, there was a long table where a local company had set up porchetta, salads and roast potatoes for anyone who wanted to eat dinner in this idyllic spot.

The Veneto is Palladio country, so there are lovely villas dotted everywhere in the landscape, but this villa is special because it stands in a garden of naturally hot springs. In places there are little pools where you can see the thermal water bubbling to the surface, so hot there’s a risk of scalding if you put your hand in it. Picnic tables are scattered across the well-kept lawns, and there are little wooden bridges leading across hot streams to woodland.

Of course, in an area like this there are several spa towns. Abano Terme has always been the most prosperous, popular with Germans driving here via the Brenner Pass. However, since Covid, these towns are struggling with holiday bookings. The elegant shops have few customers, and some have closed. Abano last Sunday was like a ghost town. The main pedestrian street was virtually empty even though it was still attractively set with flower beds, fountains and gazebos of wisteria.

But optimism is in the air. A favorite restaurant was fully booked when we tried a reservation last week. Local businesses arranging cycle tours to vineyards and olive presses are becoming increasingly popular, and there are some fabulous art exhibitions this year: Toulouse-Lautrec in Rovigo and Monet in Padova, for instance, as well as, of course, the challenges of message art at the Venice Biennale. Give it another year, and we’ll be back to normal, if not better!

Read more about life in the Veneto in Myra’s book at Myrarobinson.com.

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