Living in Vicenza, Italy, was an experience that I will treasure for all of my days. I was in the US Army as a paratrooper in 1989, and we had a small base that was about one square mile. We had a battalion stationed there and all the support staff living in Vicenza, Italy, with us. I worked all the time, so when we got back from our different deployments, we would get a bunch of four-day passes. So we traveled around Europe, but mainly we would go to our favorites. We had a bunch of favorites, such as Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, and Rome. However, we went to the slopes in the winter, and the Italian Alp’s ski resorts were absolutely awesome. Gondolas from the parking lot in the city went to the pristine skiing slopes in the mountains.
Traveling to Venice, Italy:
Venice, Italy, was one of my favorite places to visit because of the people and the uniqueness of the place. We would take the train and just get lost for hours in the streets, crossing the canals. The bridges are shaped like a large U so that boats can pass below. One of my favorite places to visit is the Piazza San Marco, also known as St. Mark’s Plaza. A big open space called the Piazza San Marco in the very heart of Venice is surrounded by some of the most iconic buildings.
- St. Mark’s Basilica: A large, magnificent cathedral that takes over the eastern end of the square
- Doge’s Palace: An impressive Gothic palace that served as the home of the Doge (Grand Duke) of Venice and the head of the government.
- Museo Correr: A museum that showcases Venetian art, history, and culture.
- Campanile di San Marco: A very tall and impressive bell tower that gives a very awesome panoramic view of the city.
One day we were there and met this group of musicians that were about our age and from Yugoslavia. Which is currently Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. I think there are a couple of more countries involved, but those are the main ones. Anyway, we sat on the steps of the basilica and talked about anything and everything while drinking good Italian wine. This was in the afternoon, and it ended around 1 a.m. when two very nice Carabinieri’s (police) sent us packing. When we left, we said goodbye to a couple from Canada, two women from Sweden, and our friends from Yugoslavia. All in all, it was a refreshing and great experience.
Florence, Italy, Exploring Tuscany:
If you like to visit castles, then Florence, or Firenze, as the locals call it, is the place to go. There are some great fun tours that you can go on to visit these huge castles that are still standing today. We were able to go in and explore the castle’s dining rooms, bedroom suites, and even the Dungeon. There were tunnels under the dungeons that seemed to go on for miles.
There were a lot of museums in Florence that had a lot of famous paintings and inventions. I even saw the famous sculpture by Michael D’Angelo, David. I was really not that into the art scene, so my buddy Cat and I went out to find some fun. But if you are into the finer side of things, there is a lot more for those with a more refined mind.
Florence is known for its leather shops, gold shops, and diamond shops. Which are mostly found on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, also known as the Old Bridge. It crosses over the Arno River, and it has the distinction of being the only bridge to not be destroyed in World War II. It was very cool to see, but the experience is not worth what they charge for their wares. We found another leather shop not on the bridge, and I bought a leather jacket. Which I wore for around 20 years, man, that was a very awesome jacket.
Nightlife was at a place to remember, called the Red Garter. Which was owned by an Australian, an Englishman, and a New Zealander. You never knew when a group from one of their countries would arrive. Boy, you would know it when they came in the door. Because it would get really loud and rambunctious and stay that way usually till the pub closed down at 4 a.m. It was always fun and great music at the Red Garter.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy:
On one of the four-day passes, we went to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I thought that this would be boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it had guide cables holding it from moving, the people who ran it were great. You see, the people and their culture were more interesting to me than the arts. The guide wires holding it in place were fascinating to me, so I learned about them. It only had to be up for about a year. They figured out a way to counterweight it so that they could take the wires off.
Places I Will Not Forget:
- Rome: The Sistine Chapel (how did he paint that.)
- Sicily: They did not seem so bad.
- Berlin, Germany: I saw the wall before it got taken down.
- Bonn, Germany: Monsters of Rock Concert
- Paris, France: Opening of Euro Disney
- Brussels, Belgium: I went hot air balloon jumping with Belgium’s.
- Bastogne, Belgium: Battle of the Bulge War Memorial
- Madrid, Spain: Jumped with the Spanish
- Ankara, Turkey: Three weeks training and a day in Istanbul
- Grafenwoehr, Germany: We spent weeks here doing cold weather training
- Dessert Morocco: We spent our time learning to track people
Living in Vicenza, Italy, will be remembered:
It was only about 3 years I spent in Vicenza, Italy, but it was packed with times spent abroad. The time I had in the barracks was limited since we were always going out and doing things. I did get to treat some of our locals to a good old-fashioned Thanksgiving. They loved it with the stuffing, and the mashed potatoes were their favorites. Pumpkin pie was not one of their favorites, sadly.
35 years later, and it seems like only yesterday that I was seeing all these places for the first time. I think that if I go back, I’ll take a trip to the more remote parts of Europe. Maybe go to Portugal, the Czech Republic, or Norway, to name a few.
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