Bird at the Vatican

My travel friend Stephanie shared her pictures with me, and it reminded me of one of the most memorable (ha) moments of the trip. While we were at the Vatican listening to our tour guide talk about the Sistine Chapel, I decide to move out of the sun into the shade. Within seconds I hear and feel a plop-- look down and a pigeon and I were aligned at the wrong time. Yuck! It took a few wet wipes to clean up.

Venice

We ended our trip in Venice. To be truthful, I liked this city the least. We walked and walked but never really got lost. You do need a good map here, unless all you want to do is go to Rialto Bridge and San Marco- as there are signs all over the city directing you there. And of course we ate great food and gelato :)

View of Venice from the bell tower.


The Grand Canal in Venice

Venice at night.
This was the best time of the day. All the tourists from the cruise ships had left, and you could actually walk around the city without maneuvering through hordes of people.


This is the letter drop in the Doge's (the ruler's) palace. Here you could leave your complaints or tattle on someone else. I thought the design was particularly intriguing.


Finally, a gondola ride. I guess you have to do it at least once in your life.

Cinque Terre- My Favorite

I think Cinque Terre was my favorite place. It is located along the western coast of Italy and is considered the Italian Riveria. There are five small villages (hence the name "Cinque"). We stayed in Monterosso. One day we hiked from Monterosso to Riomaggiore. It was absolutely beautiful. I would definitely return here on vacation.


View from Monterosso to the other villages.


View from the hotel balcony where we ate breakfast. Definitely not enough days were spent here!
View of other villages from Monterosso at night.

Looking down at Monterosso from the mountian we hiked.
The start of the hike. I was looking pretty good.


Approaching Vernazza (the second village). Once we reached Corniglia we ate lunch. It was a very small town with few options. I had a panini (sandwich) with prosciutto and bread. I also bought a pint of strawberries which were the best I've ever eaten. Yum!


Riomaggiore- the last village. We took the train back to Monterosso.


Looking pretty tired by the end of the hike.

Pisa

We left Florence and headed for Cinque Terre. On the way we decided to take a 2 hour delay and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. There isn't much to see in Pisa except the tower.

Day 4- Trip to Siena

On Wednesday we rode the bus to Siena. It is everything that you imagine Tuscany to be. The pictures just don't do it justice. I loved Siena and Florence.


Il Campo in Siena.
This is the public square. In July and August they have horse races around the perimeter. It is a huge celebration with the neighborhoods competing for the honor of winning.

The view from the top of the Duomo Muesum tower in Siena. The view was breathtaking. The pictures just don't capture the beauty.

Italy Day 2 & 3- Florence

We took a train from Rome to Florence on Monday night. I loved Florence. We met a couple at dinner that night from Buffalo, NY. For the last 20+ years they have been coming to Florence for a month. Hum... I really like that idea!


Gelatto-- YUM! I ate an average of one gelatto a day. I learned that some were better than others, so decided to only eat at the gelateria that were recommended in the Rick Steves' guide book. The best gelatto was in Florence.

Everyone in Florence rides a bike, a Vespa, walks, or drives a really small car.


The view from the train as we rode from Rome to Florence.


Ponte Vecchio bridge. There are lots of jewelry shops here. I splurged in a leather shop just across the bridge. :)

This is Trattoria Marione in Florence. It was recommended by the Rick Steves' guide book and the woman at the hotel. I think this was the best food I had the entire trip!

There are lots of street merchants in the cities. This night in Florence they were packing up shop. It reminded me of a pioneer wagon train!

Trip To Italy

This is my big milestone birthday trip adventure. It was fabulous! I took over 400 photos, so here are just a few.
Day 1- Saturday May 3rd. Flew from SLC to Rome. Due to a 2 hour delay in SLC we missed our connection at JFK, and so we were late getting into Rome on Sunday afternoon. Nonetheless we "stumbled" upon our hotel (we were ready to hail a cab when we looked across the street and saw the Marriott), dropped our bags, and headed out to see the sights.
We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, Trevi Fountain, etc.


The Colosseum. They had just a few animal fights here, :) and then invited spectators to watch. The place is huge! It is 2,000 years old.

View from the top of St. Mark's Basilica. This was the only day we had rain-- and it only lasted a few minutes.














The Pantheon. The hole in the top of this dome is the only source of light. There is a drain in the floor to capture the rain.
Trevi Fountain.
This fountain was completed in 1762. Ther are 24 spouts of water. It looked cool lit up at night.
The Pope's residence. Note the four windows on the second floor.
The Vatican and St. Mark's square. Notice the big screen TV on the stage. :)
We took a tour of the Vatican museum. It was very interesting.