Where to go next? What could match the Swiss jetset of Zurich? I had a few logical options. Either I could remain in Switzerland, and go to the capital of Bern, I could head to the east to Slovenia or Croatia or I could, as I set out to do on this trip, enter Italy. I decided to choose the last option, and what better destination as Venice, with one of the most romantic city centres, although my truck wouldn’t come near the bridges and canals (not to mention the potential hasard of the pigeons). It was a win-win situation as I would pass through the Alps, towards Milan and from there on bend eastwards, into the Veneto region. However, I made a mistake. I decided to leave at night.
Not long after leaving Zurich, I saw a familiar sight, a sight that I had first seen, to a lesser extent, in Austria. There they were, the mighty Alps.
But my problem, or my miscalculation, becomes instantly visible. I drove through the most impressive parts between 2 and 4 AM, with my headlights and the occassional road lightning as my main source for a better look. The combination of light and darkness can create magic, as the Belgian painter René Magritte proved in many of his paintings, but a ray of light would have done wonders for my Alp experience as well.
So it was only once I left the mountains behind me that the sky was getting a big clearer. But not before I passed another natural landmark of the region, lake Lugano, which, rather significantly, meant that I was nearing Italy.
Crossing the border, I had another large part of the trajectory ahead of me. First I had to pass Milan. I decided not to make a detour, I had been driving for almost 6 hours and wanted to get to Venice without having to take a long break. I did enjoy the view from afar, though.
The part between Milan and Venice was mostly highway, but it did prove the added value of sunshine. Ordinary stretches of road became beautiful when bathing in the morning light.
The closer I got to Venice, the more beautiful the weather became. And to be honest, I did hope to get some blue skies in Italy, even at this time of the year.
After 9 and a half hours and more than 372 miles I finally reached Venice, although it was the part that few tourists would remember the Floating City for.
I was happy, melacholic and a little bit disappointed at the same time. My passage through the Alps was a bit of a let-down because of the late hour. My entrance into the North of Italy was memorable because of the rising sun. And most of all, I was almost there. The trip from Venice to Catania is about 800 miles. Still enough time and distance for some wonderful discoveries and experiences, but not enough to postpone the arrival at my final destination. Luckily, my journey would take me to at least one more must-see. I would travel to the Eternal City.
ETS 2: Stories 