Padua

After a good night of sleep, we were ready for our final destination of this trip. We boarded the freccia rossa for a 45-minute uneventful trip to Padua. There we left our luggage at out wonderful apartment in the centre of town and handed out for a bit to eat and a glass of wine. Then we made a short stroll after which our friends Charl and Helma let us know they arrived in Padua as well.

We met up and opened a bottle of prosecco to celebrate the official beginning of the Marillion weekend. That evening we walked to the Radio City Music Hall where we had reserved a table for dinner, followed by a concert of Mr. Punch, a Marillion cover band of the Fish era. We were lucky to get a table in front of the stage and met the first members of the Marillion family. The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant and we enjoyed a couple of Campari Spritz and a nice meal.

According Italian tradition the band began about thirty minutes late, by now it was 22:30… A classical intro was followed by the first notes from a song from many years ago. We were off and ready for an evening of musical memories. Everybody was singing along and the band showed an enthusiasm and energy that could only be described as adorable. It wasn’t the best gig I ever saw but for sure an extremely enjoyable. Almost three hours later Mr. Punch played the last notes leaving a tired but extremely thankful crowd behind.

It was time for a long walk home, as by this time the taxi drivers in Padua were vast asleep. We arrived at our apartment around 2 o’clock and were vast asleep one minute later. Vast asleep for a very short night….

Just over 4 hours after we fell asleep, we were rudely woken up by the alarm. Time for some sightseeing…

First, I paid a short visit to the Chiesa Di Santa Maria dei Servi before we continued to the most important landmark of Padua. Chiesa Di Santa Maria dei Servi  or simply known as the Chiesa dei Servi, or more fully as the Church of the Nativity of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a 14th-century, Roman Catholic church that faces the Via Roma

We were lucky to have gotten tickets for Capella degli Scrovegni Chapel, known by the surname of its patron Enrico, which is dedicated to Santa Maria della Carità and is famous for the extraordinary cycle of paintings by Giotto.

We only could book tickets for the 9:30 slot, hence the short night. It was worth it though!

The work in the chapel is the greatest fresco masterpiece of Giotto and testifies to the profound revolution that the Tuscan painter brought to Western art. The cycle frescoed by Giotto in just two years, between 1303 and 1305, unfolds over the entire interior surface of the Chapel narrating the History of Salvation in two different paths: the first with the Stories of the Life of the Virgin and Christ painted along the aisles and on the triumphal arch; the second begins with the Vices and Virtues, addressed in the lower section of the main walls, and ends with the majestic Last Judgement on the counter-façade.

Before being allowed to enter the chapel we had to acclimatise is a separate room for 15 minutes in order to adjust to the humidity and temperature in the chapel. Then we were finally allowed in.

Stepping into the chapel I was blown away by its extraordinary beauty. It was truly breathtaking. There was so much to be seen it was impossible to take it in during the 15 minutes we were allowed in the chapel, by then we had to leave as the next group was acclimatised and was eager for their visit.

The both of us were extremely happy though to have been able to see this extraordinary place with our own eyes. Next, we visited the adjacent museum which again was an overload to our senses. There is only so much beauty one can consume on a day.

We left the place for a coffee and cornetto con crema in the sun. Then we went to Palazzo Bo, the historical seat of University of Padua since 1493, It is still home to the Rectorate and the School of Law. It is also home to the oldest anatomical theatre in the world

Whilst waiting for the guided tour we met Sabrine and Heike, two friends of ours from Germany, but they were not the only Marillionaires in the group as we met some people from Brazil who remembered us from the Portugal weekend in 2022. it’s a small world!

The tour was extremely interesting but both of us were getting extremely tired. Time for a bite to eat and a well-deserved afternoon nap… We wanted to be fresh for the main reason we undertook this trip, the Marillion Weekend Italy 2025….

We could have slept a bit longer but our afternoon had brought us exactly what we needed, we felt well.

Not far from our apartment was Piazze delle Erbe where we met Charl and Helma again. The special Marillion bus was waiting for us to bring us to the Geox theatre just out of town for the first evening of the Marillion weekend.

We met Lucy (Marillion’s manager), the lady who makes the impossible possible for a wonderful chat and many other friends as well. Then it was time to find our places in the theatre as the NoSound, the support act. I really liked their atmospheric music but it was a bit daring for a support act.

Next to us were Marjo and Andre, Marjo made the design for the backdrop for my proposal at the Marillion weekend 2023 and it was great to see the both of them again.

Marillion started punctual as planned and OMG was it good! I knew what to expect tonight but I could not help noticing we witnessed an evening with Marillion at its best. The sound was perfect; the audience was ready for it and the band was shining like no time before. It was truly a magical evening. One more night, will it get even get better? We’ll see.

We took the shuttle bus back to the centre and enjoyed a final Campari spritz of the day (or should I say the first one of the final dat as it was past midnight now).

Vladi and I reflected on our last two weeks in Italy and could only conclude it had been absolutely brilliant. Overwhelming but brilliant.

One more day to go, one more concert…

Our final day started with a much needed and well-deserved sleep-in. As we still had a couple of ticks on our Wishlist we left the apartment directly after we showered to start our final exploration of Padua.

Our first stop was the Prato della Vallo, a beautiful piazza but we did not know what we saw on arrival. Hundreds of market stalls were setup around the piazza, making the atmosphere very unique but not so much for the pictures I had in mind.

We continued to Abbasid Di Santa Giustina, a 10th-century Bennedicte Abbey complex Adjacent to the former monastery is the basilica church of Santa Giustina, initially built in the 6th century, but whose present form derives from a 17th-century reconstruction. In the basilica was a wedding ceremony was going on.

I had mistaken this place with another important church but rightfully so Vladi told me we were at the wrong church.

So, we continued our stroll to the Basilica Di Sant’Antonio. Construction of the Basilica probably began around 1232, just one year after the death of St. Anthony. It was completed in 1310 although several structural modifications (including the falling of the ambulatory and the construction of a new choir screen) took place between the end of the 14th and the mid-15th century. The Saint, according to his will, had been buried in the small church of Santa Maria Mater Domini, probably dating from the late 12th century and near which a convent was founded by him in 1229. This church was incorporated into the present basilica as the Cappella della Madonna Mora

Inside no photography was allowed, which we of course respected and after a good exploration of the massive and impressive interior of the Basilica we looked for the uscita and called it a day.

Saturdays in Padua are extremely crowded, a beautiful atmosphere and very lively. We decided to simply enjoy it and no longer go to different places to visit. Instead, we found a lovely place for a belated breakfast (or should I say lunch?) and enjoyed quite a while over there. The food was simple but absolutely amazing. Those flavours.

By now it was time of for a short break for the grand finale of this trip. One more time Marillion in Padua… Back at our apartment we had a short break before we met up again with Charl and Helma.

This evening, we took an earlier bus to the Geox Theater, a wise decision so we had some chance to chat with friends from earlier gigs. It was a wonderful time but too soon for our liking we had to find our places in the theatre as the support act, Ranestrane was about to start. Musically it was definitely great but somehow, I could not connect with it.

That was different with the main act of tonight. Once again it was a mind-blowing evening. Calling it epic would do it no justice at all. Songs from the very first till the very last album enchanted the audience and I had almost forgotten of what had been the highlight for me during the Port Zelande Weekend earlier this year. When the curtains closed after a set of one and three quarter hour, I knew what was going to happen. It was something I had wished for, seen it but now could share with Vladi.

When the curtains opened 8 extra microphones were on stage for the Flowing Chords choir from Rome. They brought the whole concert to a different level and the next 30 minutes or so were truly a gift from heaven.

The angels of this world are not on the walls of churches; the heroes of this world are not in the hall of fame..

My personal heroes however provided the perfect ending of a more than perfect holiday and it was so wonderful to share it with that one who means the world to me. Sometimes my eyes drifted from the stage to the man next to me and I saw he was thoroughly enjoying himself. How good can it get.

Italia, Grazie Mille. You’re not just a country, you’re a gallery of architectural masterpieces. In the previous two weeks you have overwhelmed us, you’ve impressed us, but you also exhausted us.

It has been absolutely wonderful and it was good to know we would be back in just over three weeks…