Italy 10 – Rome

We have finally reached the end of our Italian trip, with a visit to Rome.  More than anything, this is a city filled with larger-than-life statues.  Most of these huge statues were created during the peak of Roman power in the centuries just before and after Christ. It was clearly an attempt to demonstrate the power […]

Italy 9 – Naples

On the 45-minute ferry ride from Sorrento to Naples, we encountered two cruise ships in Sorrento plus six cruise ships in Naples, and expected to fight crowds. We took a cab to the Underground City, and our “mad man” drove like a New York taxi driver, barreling across town, honking most of the way. When we stopped, […]

Italy 8 – Amalfi Coast

We recently concluded 4 days on the Amalfi Coast, using Sorrento as our home base.  This sunset image was taken about a 5 min walk from our small hotel, which is just below those monster hotels you see further up on the hillside. We took a ferry over to Capri Island, one of the most picturesque […]

Italy 7 – Pompeii & Herculaneum

We started today with a guided tour of Pompeii, which is a 45-acre unearthed city. Though the general story of Pompeii is well known, the details are not so much.  The guide provided us with those details of daily life in Pompeii, how the city was one of the leading trading centers, showed us details of the […]

Italy 6 – Tuscany

We have just spent several days touring the Tuscany region of Italy, with the medieval town of Siena as our base.  “Sienna” is the color many artists are familiar with. Without a doubt, the highlight of this portion of the trip was the cooking school at La Scuola di Cucina in Siena.  We learned to […]

Italy 5 – Venice, Part 2

Venice has a world renowned Carnaval every year, where masks and elaborate costumes abound.  The practice comes from the Middle Ages, when only persons of Noble birth were allowed to wear masks.  In an attempt to quell civil discontent, it was declared that peasants could wear masks and engage in debauchery one week of each […]

Italy 4 – Venice, Part 1

On our first night in Venice, we visited a cicchetti bar (small finger foods, which would be called “tapas” in Spain).  On their wall was my new motto in life, as seen in the upper right image. ☺ What first comes to mind when you think of Venice?  James Bond destroying buildings on the canal? […]

Italy 3 – Cinque Terre

Sunset in Vernazza is when the village becomes most colorful We continued our Italian trip to Cinque Terre for the past few days.  This is actually a designated (UNESCO world heritage site) national marine park consisting of five seaside villages connected by hiking trails and trains, hugging the rugged Italian Riviera. They are extremely picturesque […]

Italy 2 – Pisa

We visited Pisa today, and of course made a beeline to the Tower of Pisa, which is known as one of the Seven Wonders of Medieval Times in Italy and one of the most recognizable structures on earth. As we entered the walled complex, the Leaning Tower of Pisa became quite prominent.  The architecture is […]

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