VIVA Italia!!

"Today we scooted over to Florence, capital of the Tuscany region ... I hope I find my own villa under the Tuscan sun!!  We stay here for two nights, the last leg of our week in Italy." 6/11/16

Venice Day 1

Leaving Switzerland and into Italy, we made several stops at roadway rest stops for food and--as our tour director liked to say-- "pee-pee" stops ... which made me feel rather like a child, but in a funny way.  Our lunch stop happened to be our first stop over the Italian border at the "Autogrille."  I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet, but the highway rest stops in Europe--at least the ones in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Italy--are culinary paradises compared to the ones in the United States. That being said, when we ate our first proper Italian meal on the side of the highway, everyone went nuts on the Italian food.  I, myself, had packed a "bagged lunch" from the hotel breakfast leftovers--necessary on a budget, though the breakfast was nothing to boast about--and limited myself to only the purchase of Tiramisu for a dessert.  I made a wise choice, because that tiramisu was AMAZING.

 Our first sojourn in Italy was in the suburb of Venice called Mestre.  Continuing on the way to Mestre, we stopped in Verona for a little bit, which was neat.  We saw their collosseum, the best preserved one from the Roman Empire, the Juliette Statue (story has it that if you rub her breasts you will be lucky in love ... I did not attempt this) and Balcony that "inspired" Shakespeare, and also did a wee bit of shopping! It was very fun! Verona smelled wonderfully floral and sweet as their honeysuckles were all in bloom.  It was quite clean as well!

City wall of Verona

Verona's Ampitheater

Statue of Juliette

Juliette's Balcony

    After a an hour and a half's time in Verona, onto Venice (Mestre) we went!  For dinner, a group of friends and I went out in search of real Italian food.  We found it a couple blocks from our hotel at a, somewhat, hole-in-the-wall local restaurant that had fantastic wine, pasta, and gelato.  Naturally, I had all three!

Venice Day 2

Our first morning waking up in Mestre was an early one so we could catch the ferry to the island(s) of Venice.  Interesting fun facts I learned while on my walking tour of Venice before the tourist hoards showed up for the day included that Venice itself is actually comprised of 118 small islands and over 400 bridges!! The bridges part was not all that shocking considering I had seen pictures of Venice for years, but I had not actually considered that the bridges connected separate Islands!  Other sites I saw on my walking tour was St. Mark's square, St. Mark's Basilica, Venician glass blowing, the winding streets of Venice, and a famed spiral staircase whose name escapes me.  While not a religious person, I felt awed while being in St. Mark's Basilica due to the sheer history of it.  Feet away from me, under the altar, was the body of one of the men who had written a book of the bible, something that people across the world have been reading--or at least being told about--for nearly two thousand years.  We finished our tour by getting a glass-blowing demonstration.

 After touring the glass gallery, we were set free.  Some of our tour went on a gondola ride around Venice, which I did not partake in because I felt it was something that looked more exciting than it actually was. Instead, my friend Daniel and I went around Venice trying to get lost. We went to a bookstore, got more Italian food--I had pesto gnocchi ... yummm--and tried to get to know Venice.

St. Mark's Basilica

St. Mark's Square

Spiral Staircase--Scala Contarini del Bovolo

One of the many wells of Venice

Me and the Bridge of Sighs in the distance, past the first bridge.

Enjoying a Prosecco in St. Mark's Square near the very first cafe, listening to live music.

We waited in the scorching, drowsy heat for our ferry on the ride back for over a half an hour. By the time we made it back to Mestre, all I wanted was a shower, some pizza, and sleep so I did just that.

Rome Day 1

In the morning we rode off for Rome.  After another bus day, we arrived in the Eternal City just in time to see the Trevi fountain in the day light as well as the Spanish steps before embarking on our first Roman meal.

The British 0.20 pence piece I threw into the Trevi Fountain

Tossing my coin!

The beautiful Trevi Fountain

Enjoying wine at my first Roman Meal of three courses.

We headed back to see the fountain at night.

I think it's more beautiful at Midnight.

  

After a delicious and surprisingly inexpensive three-course meal, replete with wine--When in Rome!--we headed back to the Trevi Fountain to see it lit up and enjoy more Italian wine. We did as the Romans, and the other tourists, did.

More on the Trip later!
Cheers!