So over a year ago I decided to mark my 60th year on the planet with a celebration that would be meaningful for me which translated itself into a trip to Italy. Three family members and a friend decided to come along and this will be a highly abbreviated account of our trip.
On October 1 we all met in Newark and flew into Milan arriving the morning of October 2. We bused to the enoromous Centrale Stazione and stowed our luggage.
We had late afternoon reservations to view Leonardo Davinci’s Last Supper located in this church and I thought we could also peruse the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuel (of bull spinning fame). There was also time for our first gelato.
Afterward we boarded the Eurostar for Venice arriving at just around 8:15 pm. It took a while but we finally found our hotel, the charming Hotel Abbazia, had a late dinner and crashed. In the morning the former abby’s lovely bell tower tolled about 100 times at 7 a.m. That’s one way to get the guests down to breakfast.
The next morning we boarded the water taxi and cruised down to St. Marks Square and gawked and shopped. We loved Venice.
On October 4, we entrained for Florence arriving about lunchtime. We stayed at the Hotel Laurus just down the street from the Duomo and walking distance to most of the palaces and museums. We toured the Accademia and saw the statue of David and the Uffizi, which contains a fabulous collection of Italian art. Hint: Think Venus on the half shell. Unfortunately, they don’t let you take pictures. We walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge where the goldsmiths have their shops. It’s a wonder it doesn’t crash into the Arno.
On Monday, the 6th, we took a side trip to Piza to see the tower. It was not quite as tall as I expected but breathtaking nonetheless.
On October 7 we departed Florence for Pompeii. This entailed a rather harrowing train transfer in Naples, which is a not very nice part of Italy. I’m just saying…
Pompeii is very like Central Florida. Well, except for the big freakin volcano overlooking it! The Hotel Forum is situated across the street from the ruins. There is a lovely courtyard with lemon, lime and pomegranate trees.
The next morning we cabbed to the trailhead to climb Vesuvius. Think walking in beach sand at a thirty-degree incline. Thankfully it was only a half mile. Looking into the crater here and here.
Later that afternoon we toured the ruins of the ancient city. My favorite part was the town square where you can see the volcano framed by the pillars of a ruined temple.
October 9 we boarded our last train to Rome where our accommodations were just outside of Vatican City. The next morning we wandered around the Vatican area in the morning and then had a five and a half hour tour of the Vatican. Here’s my bro and sis in front of St. Peter’s, inside the basilica and the famous Pieta.
The following day, our final one in Italy, was a whirlwind walking tour of the Forum and Palatine, Colleseum and inside, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Spanish steps. Did I mention how crowded Rome was?
We had pretty much great weather, wonderful food and the trip of a lifetime. I tried to keep this post at a minimum and it is impossible to write all the impressions without turning it into a small novel. But you get the idea.
Tupug
Most of my time in Italy has been “factory tourism,” but I was able to see Como and Milano, and some northern countryside.
For some reason, **doggio **insisted I needed to chop a lot of onions, so I guess it was a picnic date. But I also had to pack a bag, and I couldn’t get him to give me a straight answer on whether I should pack one change of clothes or two. And while I was packing, Thrak (the smaller version) dug thru my suitcase and came out with a little pair of tighty-whities - child size, trimmed in different colors. I kept insisting they belonged to my daughter and yes, girls could wear boy underwear if they wanted. The fact that my daughter is 23 and the unders in the dream would barely cover her hand…
Hope you feel better soon.
