L'autostrada

Today is a travel day. I left early in the morning headed south along the lake towards Como. If I were unadventurous I could have simply gotten on the freeway that heads towards Milano, circled the city and continued east. But I wanted to avoid the big city congestion. From Como I continued on a secondary road towards Lecco, on the southern tip of the other arm of the lake, then south to Bergamo where I picked up the autostrada. It was not a pictureque ride at all, rather another long stretch of modern Italian commercial/residential blight. That is what happens when you don't have strict zoning laws. Those people who complain about the intrusion of the government into our lives should think of the alternative. Germany, Austria, and especially Switzerland all carefully control what can be built where, and the result is an enviornment that is pleasing to everyone.
When I finally entered the autostrada I thought it would be clear sailing. Boy, was I wrong! We inched along, bumper to bumper, for about forty minutes. If it is like this all the way to Padua, I thought, I won't get there until tomorrow! But 'il traffico intenso' cleared after a while. Everyone is going somewhere. The freeway system is like that in the States: you get a card when you enter the motorway and pay when you leave. There are periodic rest-stops and eateries. I stopped midway for a bite of lunch. The service area was complete bedlam; there were far too many people in it. You had to pay for your selection first, then go elswhere to have it prepared. All sorts of pizzas and hot sandwiches were offered. I had a Rusticella = a kind of thin pita bread stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses as well as spinach. It was thrown onto a grill press for a short while - and it was delicious! The ladies at the counters worked at a frenzied pace, slinging sandwiches onto the grill or tabulating change, but they were all polite and patient with lots of 'pregos' and 'grazies'. I hope they get paid a lot! (Fat chance!)
My route passed Brescia, Verona and Vicenza. I considered making a quick stop in Verona to see the sights, but the thought of driving into the town, driving in circles to find a parking garage, then traipsing about in the hot sun seemed too much. I was in Vicenza just a year ago. I will take a look at Padua this evening and go into Venice for the day tomorrow. Venezia is only about 25 miles away.