Here is a (not so) short little compendium of our 9 day travels in Italy. We flew from Raleigh to Paris, changed aircraft and airlines then traveled to Venice, our first stop. After that we took rail, (great high speed trains, take note America!), to Florence and then on to Rome.
There are several videos and about two hundred photographs in this collection. The photos can be viewed in large size, (the best), by clicking on the thumbnails. The videos can be watched at their current size or also enlarged using the double arrows in the lower right corners. I have added captions to some of the photos as explanation and the captions can be read even in the small sizes, just run your cursor over them.
This collection is a work of love and I hope you enjoy the trip. My advice to those who are thinking about a tour of Italy is GO!! GO NOW!! (although October seemed to be past the main tourist season and we were told the crowds were lighter)
There are several videos and about two hundred photographs in this collection. The photos can be viewed in large size, (the best), by clicking on the thumbnails. The videos can be watched at their current size or also enlarged using the double arrows in the lower right corners. I have added captions to some of the photos as explanation and the captions can be read even in the small sizes, just run your cursor over them.
This collection is a work of love and I hope you enjoy the trip. My advice to those who are thinking about a tour of Italy is GO!! GO NOW!! (although October seemed to be past the main tourist season and we were told the crowds were lighter)
Venice
ALL of Italy that we saw was wonderful. But of all the places we went Venice stood out for me. Venice is completely unique, not only for the fact of the canals, but also the people who live here. Calm, confident, warm, and welcoming, everyone seemed to be the friend you had not met until just then.
The city was clean, unhurried, charismatic, and more than you would expect it to be. Venice was also the mistake we made when planning our trip. We should have ended our tour here, relaxing and recuperating, rather than starting our travels. It was a wonderful way to begin our journey, but would have been an even better way to end it. I cannot thank you enough, Venice. |
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Florence
Florence was beautiful in its own way. It was reminiscent of Venice but with cars which made it noisier, faster paced and somewhat more modern, but still with the flair that Italia is famous for. Again, we found the people to be warm and friendly and more than willing to take the time to make sure the visitor feels welcome.
Our days here included the Uffizi Art Museum and the Da Vinci museum as well as an unexpected parade and concert.
As an aside, my birthday started in Venice and ended in Florence. There are few better ways to enhance that but the complimentary bottle of Prosecco and individually signed birthday card from the hotel staff was certainly one.
Our days here included the Uffizi Art Museum and the Da Vinci museum as well as an unexpected parade and concert.
As an aside, my birthday started in Venice and ended in Florence. There are few better ways to enhance that but the complimentary bottle of Prosecco and individually signed birthday card from the hotel staff was certainly one.
Rome
Let me go on record, we loved Rome. But Rome is Rome and it is more crowded and frenetic than either Florence or, especially, Venice. Having said that it is as visually stunning as the other two metro areas just unique in it's own way. The ruins stagger you. There are so many and the city reveres them and incorporates them into the vistas and you are immersed in a panorama of the old and the new coexisting side by side.
Here, they probably would have been bulldozed or torn down for new builds.
Here, they probably would have been bulldozed or torn down for new builds.
Saint Peter's Basilica
And of course the next stop was this. What an amazing place, the size, the grandeur, the feeling that whatever your beliefs or lack thereof, here was a special corner of the universe. A place like no other. I am not Catholic, but I was indelibly touched by the devotion that led to the construction of such a statement of faith.
Familia
The reason for the earlier subway trip, meeting the first of Kathy's heretofore unmet relative, Maria and her father, Silvano. They live in Rome but were our guides and companions for the next leg of our visit, a very special trip to the country to meet even more family Kathy had previously only heard about. All were warm and welcoming and even treated me like family.
No more "tourist" Italy, now we meet the real deal.
No more "tourist" Italy, now we meet the real deal.
That's all folks
Our last day in Rome ended with a delicious meal with Kate's cousin Christina, the woman who was instrumental in arranging the visit with Kate's family in Rome and Umbria. We also rounded out our travel experiences with a bus ride back to near our hotel, and might I say a pleasant bus ride
Morning found us being driven to the airport by our supplied driver in comfort and safety. It was pretty much the perfect way to cap to a great vacation. Then, it was back to the good ol' US of A and a hero's welcome when we got home. |
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