ITALY
Venice
We were excited to once again experience the unique city of Venice. After hopping a vaporetto boat going up the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge, we got off and walked to our hotel in the heart of the city. Our group dinner was spectacular, so much fresh seafood, pasta, vegetables, and wine! After dinner we were off to Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). The sights and sounds were fantastic. Our night ended with a pleasant walk,which took us in and out of alleys and over little bridges back to our hotel. The next day, we had a walk with a local guide, Simone. She was extremely informative and fascinating as she walked us around the magnificent city. In the afternoon during our free time, Amy and I took an invigorating kayak tour, followed by a delicious dinner on the Grand Canal. The climax of the day was when our group took a night time gondola ride, complete with accordion player and singer !
Instead of walking to the next bridge, Rick paid for us to get a traghetto (gondola ferry) ride across the Grand Canal so we wouldn't be late for our dinner reservation. |
Amy kayaking in the Grand Canal. We felt a little out of place in the big canal, but we could get up close to things in the little back alley canals.
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Florence
From Venice, it was on to the heart of Tuscany in magnificent Florence. First, we were greeted by the massive Duomo before meeting our local guide for a walk. We learned about the history of Florence and the birth of the Renaissance. Sights included Brunelleschi’s cathedral dome, Ghiberti’s Baptistery doors, and Palazzo Vecchio. During our free time, Amy and I walked across the Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s medieval bridge lined with shops. We wandered the quaint stores before having a delightful Florentine meal and ending the day with gelato. Yum! Our final day in Florence began with an early start so we could climb 414 steps up to the bell tower before the Tuscan sun was at its peak. The view from the top was breathtaking. You could see for miles, hill towns, mountains, and of course, the city itself. Seeing the city from above really gives you a fascinating perspective about Renaissance life. Next, it was on to the Uffizi Gallery for Italian paintings. As the rest of the day was free, Amy and I booked a cooking class in the center of town. There, we learned how to make our own pizza and gelato. It was such a fun time to be able to learn how to make Italian classics from scratch and be able to have them for dinner. That night, we just wandered about the town, which was quiet at a night.
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After huffing and puffing up 414 steps of the Campanile Bell Tower, the view over to the Duomo and the rest of the beautiful city was breathtaking. |
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Rome
From Renaissance Florence, it was on to Ancient Rome. Our first site in Rome was the sprawling Vatican Museum. There is so much to see, that it’s impossible to do it all in one visit. We were able to see the most famous site, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pieta. We wandered around the immense area took in all its splendor and glory. As the sun began to set over Vatican City, our group met up to take taxis to dinner in the Trastevere area. Unable to find taxis, our guides had a plan B. It became time to experience the public bus. We all had our whisper head sets on so when the bus came we all piled in. We were packed in like sardines, up close and personal with our fellow travelers and the locals. It was a fun learning experience! The meal was delectable and enjoyable. After dinner we had an amazing night walk in Rome before loading into taxis to go back to our hotel.
At the Vatican Museum, Ben held up pictures of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, while our local guide, Marta, explained. |
The best ravioli I've ever eaten ! |
The following day, we uncovered Ancient Rome by visiting the glorious Colosseum. Imagining what life would have been like back then and how they were able to build such a sophisticated structure with limited resources is mind blowing. It was a thrill to be able to explore the inside of the arena and hear about its bloody history. A short walk from the Colosseum took us to the Roman Forum. Envisioning the ruins in their glory days made the history and importance of the Roman Empire come to life. Walking amongst ruins of the Forum and then on to the Pantheon really took us back in time. The rest of the afternoon, we enjoyed wandering the streets of Rome visiting the Spanish Steps, small churches, and shopping. Of course, we ate delicious food and experienced la dolce vita. It was the perfect ending to our very brief Roman Holiday.
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Orvieto
Our next stop was the charming walled Umbrian hilltop town of Orvieto. Due to its' location, we took a funicular ride to the town center. In the main square, there is a beautiful church with an ornate facade. Orvieto is known for its' production of Orvieto Classico wine. We wandered the quaint shops, sipped wine, and took in the views of the hills and valleys of this picturesque region of Italy!
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Cute local hand painted kitchen souveniers
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enticing local meats
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Gorgeous church facade
Cinque Terre
It was on to the beach and the gorgeous Cinque Terre. After parking the bus in Levanto, we took a brief train ride to Monterosso al Mare, the first of five towns that make up the Cinque Terre. The weather was warm, sunny, and the views were picture prefect. Rick took us on a walk around the Old part of town before we had free time to wander the shops before dinner. Our group dinner of fresh pasta, seafood stew, vegetables, bread, and wine was scrumptious ! The walk back to the hotel was pleasant as we took in the light sea breeze and warm ocean air.
Drinks in hand, after an unforgettable dinner and lots of sciacchetra "liquid gold" we had an amusing walk back to our hotel. Our group enjoyed watching Richard trying to pedal Rick and Ben home.
On our second day in the Cinque Terre, we had a whole day free to wander so Amy and I decided we wanted to see all five towns. We started the day early with a train ride to the second town, Vernazza. Since it was early, we had the whole town almost to ourselves. Wandering the small lanes that emerged onto the lagoon was a wonderful experience. The town is beyond beautiful and it almost looks fake. The water was so blue, that it made us want to jump right in. However, we had three more towns to explore so we couldn’t go in just yet. We decided to hike to the third town, Corniglia, which was roughly 3km up and down the side of the hill. After a sweaty, yet pleasant hike, we arrived into Corniglia. The town sits high above the water, but the panorama views are spectacular. After exploring the small town, we took the train to the fourth town, Manarola. Once we arrived, we wandered the town a bit before eating lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the steep cliff that spilled into a lagoon. It was really relaxing to eat fresh pesto and Caprese salad with the warm sun beating down on us. Finally, it was on to the last town, Riomaggiore. Quick exploring and shopping made our five town Cinque Terre experience complete. It’s hard to put into words the beauty of the region, each town seemed to get more and more beautiful.To make the most of our time, we took a boat ride from Riomaggiore back to Monterroso al Mare. This allowed us to see all of the towns from the water and again, the views were breathtaking. It was an enjoyable boat ride, but we were ready for the beach. A quick change and short walk from the hotel and we were diving into the sea. The water was the perfect temperature so we relaxed and splashed around until the sun began to set. Afterward, we met Rick and the group on the beach for sundown happy hour. Fruity drinks and focaccia was the perfect ending to our short Cinque Terre visit. The Italian Riviera is certainly one place that I want to go back to!
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