Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy - continued

FLORENCE - FIRENZE

Why do they change the name in different languages? You would never find Florence on a map or on a road sign, so why doesn't the rest of the world just call it Firenze? Good thing we did our homework since the trains only went to Firenze and we would have missed the best part of the trip otherwise. Speaking of maps - may I recommend one for Firenze as well. We walked right by our hotel, but fortunately on our way back, the doorman at the Savoy (right next door) spoke english. I always wondered what lay behind those massive wooden doors. Our hotel used to be a bank, and was renovated into a delightful bed and breakfast with only about 10 rooms.

We were so lucky with the weather for the whole trip. Rain was in the forecast before we left, but we didn't see a drop. Wandering around town our hotel (Il Salotto di Firenze) was minutes from the famous Ponte Vecchio which is chock-a-block full of jewelry shops - bank to bank on both sides of the bridge. We were just looking of course. From there it was only another 15 minutes or so to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a lovely view of the whole city. We also went to a concert at the Basilica di San Lorenzo. So what if you don't speak Italian - the choir was magnificent and a few of the selections were accompanied by a superb organist. The acoustics were phenomenal.

The next day was the highlight. We took a bus tour called 'The Best of Tuscany'; and it lived up to it's name. Siena was a lovely village that Dale had read about and actually wanted to stay at, so I was really pleased that it was on the tour.

The next stop was a farm called 'Fattoria Poggio Alloro' where we had a fantastic lunch and tried several of their wines. They also run cooking classes and made everything that we ate except for the cheeses - yes they grew the vegetables for the salad and the Bolognese, made the pasta, made the salami and the prosciutto, made the biscotti and of course all the wine.

Thank goodness we only had to walk as far as the bus then we went on to the medieval village of San Gimignano. Most of the buildings are still in use, and you really felt like you had stepped back in time. What a lovely place - and the best Gelato in the world (according to our tour guide, so we had to try some and she was right). The last stop was Pisa. It wasn't something that I thought I would see on this trip, so I was delighted. It is definitely more amazing in real life than in pictures.

http://www.walkaboutpass.com/nqcontent.cfm?a_name=bestoftuscanytour_homepage

Thank heaven we only planned a couple of things for our last day. The main attraction was visiting the Academia museum to see Michelangelo's 'David'. The rest of the museum was pretty good too, with a very interesting exhibit on musical instruments through the ages. We also took in the Duomo, especially since it was so close to our hotel.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/florence-duomo.htm

I should have taken notes as we were going along, as I feel that I may have missed one or two things. The pictures don't do it justice - especially the countryside and rolling hills of Tuscany. If they had had a painting or poster that did it justice, I am sure that I would have lugged it home. It was truly a memorable and believe it or not, a relaxing holiday. Our feet were sore, but we loved every minute of it.

So now back to reality. Dale is back at work and I am catching up here at home.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Take care and bye for now. Ciao.

Love,

Laurel

Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy - continued

The trains in Italy are fantastic. They are on schedule and fast. What a pleasant way to travel. I especially liked that you didn't have to go through security and take off everything but the bare minimums.

VENICE - VENEZIA

Our hotel was supposedly only 10 minutes from the train station, so why did it take us half an hour to get there? Do not, I repeat, do not venture around Venice without a map! And even then you are really taking chances. However, the lovely proprietor of our hotel (Alloggi Marinella) supplied us with a map, directions and recommendations of what to see and do. And once we dropped off our luggage, it didn't matter that we got lost a few times. The pizza was great and the Gelato even better. What a treat to walk around and feast our eyes on everything.

Besides the churches and the Ponte di Rialto, the Doges Palace in the Piazza San Marco was the main attraction. The palace was the Duke's residence and the center of government. Apparently they had a system of governing that rivaled the Romans. The rooms were lavish in their decorations as art was and is still prized by the Venetians.

There are many other islands surrounding Venice and we were fortunate to visit Burano and Murano. Burano is the smaller of the two, but the most popular. As you can see in the picture, the houses are painted up in very bright colours and the shops and restaurants are small and intimate. We spent a very pleasant couple of hours after lunch just meandering and of course a little shopping. One must buy a small piece or two of glass, si?

Murano is where all the glass is manufactured. We watched a fascinating glass blowing demonstration and afterward were invited into their gallery/show room. We were bedazzled. Unfortunately, our favourite pieces ranged from 9000 to 30000 euros. Not quite in our snack bracket! But thrilled to have been able to see it.

Definitely a peaceful and romantic city. It exceeded any expectations I may have had.

To be continued . . .

Sept. 17th - 26th, 2009 - Italy

I have just put Tuscany on the top of my list of places one must see. Dale and I actually took a real vacation and popped over to Italy. We flew direct from Larnaca to Rome and spent the first three days there.

ROME - ROMA

I recommend the Roma pass for the buses and Metro (subway), plus entrance into a couple of venues. The maps were pretty good and we only got on the wrong bus once, but didn't go too far wrong as we got off at a Metro station and found our way again.

The first day we just got our bearings and did a couple of sights on the check-list, including the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, our first Gelato of many, the Castel Sant'Angelo etc.

Day two we had a marvelous guide take us through the Colosseum. He did a very good job of keeping things light while we visited a place of ferocity and brutality. We got a very interesting view into the life of a Gladiator and of a lion. In the afternoon the tour continued in the Roman Ruins on Palatine Hill and the Forum. Afterward we popped into the Musei Capitolini for a peek at their collections of paintings and sculptures; it was very worthwhile.

The next day was our trip to the Vatican. This is something that you absolutely need a guide for, otherwise you will spend half the day in the line-up. Not to mention that it would take another lifetime to see all there is to see in the museum. Our guide kept us going non-stop for four hours, including the Sistine Chapel and ending at St. Peter's Cathedral where we finished up at our leisure. After a much needed break and lunch, we found our way to a very famous coffee shop at Sant Eustachio - for one of many Cappuccino's - and a quick visit to the Pantheon. Just walking around is wonderful. The side streets are narrow and quaint, with lovely shops and boutiques.

This is an interesting site for more info.

http://www.rome.info/itineraries/

To be continued . . .