Italy - Days 13 and 14 - Epilogue

No great adventure would be complete without an epilogue. Our flight from Rome was delayed about 2 and a half hours. As a result, when we landed in Philadelphia, our connecting flight home had already left.  This meant we got to extend our vacation an extra day in Philly. I was so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.

American Airlines was kind enough to put us up in the roach motel and gave us $48 bucks for an elegant dinner and wholesome breakfast. That was so gracious of them.

We made the best of it and caught an Uber to get a cheesesteak for dinner. We were also delighted with the scrupmtious breakfast we had at Legal Seafood the next morning. That $48 really set us up.

When we finally got home, we discovered a branch from our river birch had broken off and landed on our roof. No damage just a bit of elbow grease to get it removed.

I guess we learned many valuable lessons on this trip:

1. Appreciate life and make a difference. You are here but for a short while and your legacy will be in those you meet along the way.
2. Life is an adventure that rarely follows a carefully laid out script. It's probably best to just make it up as you go.
3. In the words of my late mother, don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff. 

Whenever I get down and out, I'll reminisce on Italy. Arrivederci. 

Italy - Day 12 - Reflecting on the Road Again

Before departing Florence, we stopped by a small overlook that provided a panoramic view of the city.

We hop back on the coach and head back to Rome where we will ultimately depart this magnificent country. However, before doing so, our tour guide determines that we are running a bit ahead of schedule and decides to take a detour that he thinks we will appreciate. Man! He was right.

We stop by the World War II American Cemetery in Florence.

You may remember we visited the cemetery dedicated to the British Commonwealth earlier in our trip.

The American cemetery is equally impressive and it confronts you with the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. As I walked among the markers, I was struck by how young these soldiers were. Most only 19 or 20.

I was also moved by how many of the markers simply read, "Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God". So many soldiers could not be identified. There is a wall that lists the names of the unidentified.

Once back on the coach, we traveled to San Gimignano, a Tuscan hill town. We climbed the steps of the city and arrived at a vibrant market where we had a quick lunch. We even climbed more steps to a thousand year old fort that offered more breathtaking views.

Finally, we arrive back in Rome for our farewell dinner. It's starting to set in for everyone that this adventure chapter is coming to a close. Tomorrow we will each go our separate ways, but this shared experience will will bound us together for a lifetime.

I hope you enjoyed riding along with us. 

Ciao. -Pat and Stan

Italy - Day 11 - Slaying Giants

This morning after breakfast, we headed to the Galleria dell' Accedemia. This is the museum that houses Michaelangelo's David.

Let's deal with the elephant in the room right up front. Yes. The dude is naked and... Yes. Pat is smiling more than she has the whole trip. Now can we just move on?

This is a really cool statue. It's amazing to see Michaelangelo's chisle marks from the early 1500's. There is so much detail to take in. As you walk around the statue, David's face takes on different expressions.

It depicts David mere seconds before he slew Goliath. He has his sling over his shoulder and a rock in his left hand. As you walk around the back, you even see the vein in his neck bulging with tension as he faces the giant.

Michaelangelo carved the statue from a single block of marble with no drawings or models. It was all in his head. This statue came to represent Florence's strength and defiance in the face of its enemies. This statue stood outside in a public square for 300 years before it was moved inside.

We then took a walking tour of Piazza del Signoria. Here we saw some of the fine 18kt gold and supple leather goods Florence is known for. Just like in Venice, the demonstrations quickly turned into sales pitches.

By the way, did you know Tuscany is the birthplace of Pinocchio? As such, he is celebrated everywhere.

Some from our tour group walked to a restaurant for dinner. I dined on wild boar. After dinner we walked back to the hotel, where we were reprimanded for being too loud in the lobby. Pat can fill you in on that later. Off to bed for it's back to Rome tomorrow.

Italy - Day 10 - Straighten Up

Arrivederci Lake Maggiore. Until we meet again. We're off to Pisa and Florence. On the road to Pisa, we pass a mountain that appears covered in snow.

As it turns out, it wasn't snow at all. It was marble. This is the mountain where some of the finest marble in the world, Carrera marble, is mined. What do you think most of the marble is used for? Countertops? Floors? Walls? Nope. Headstones!

When we arrive in Pisa it is HOT! We get off the bus and everyone is scrambling for a patch of shade where the temperature is at least 20 degrees cooler. To our surprise (and delight) a small tram is there to meet us so we don't have to walk through Pisa. The tram drops us off at a small "shopping" district. It was actually a collection of street vendors vying for tourist euros. One of the biggest sellers was cheap umbrellas to shield you from the sun. Also, this is a place that was crowded and it was important to keep your wallet secure.

We pass through this district and we arrive at the object of our quest... The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Everybody has to take the obligatory picture holding up the tower. Pat hates this picture, but it's the best one I had. The tower is actually part of the church at Pisa. There are three parts: the baptistry, the church and the tower. The tower is leaning because the church ran out of money and skimped on the foundation. The heavy marble began sinking into the sandy soil. Twenty years ago they actually straightened it about 18 inches because it was in danger of toppling over. Today it is continuously monitored.

Back through the markets. Back through the heat. Back on the tram, and back on the air conditioned motor coach. You gotta do it once, but that's enough Pisa.

Florence is the capital of Italy's Tuscan Region. You may not have known this, but I've wanted to go to Italy for many years. Tuscany is exactly what I imagined and even exceeded my expectations. This is why I came to Italy. Nothing against all of the other beautiful places, but this region was the draw for me.

The rolling hills... the vineyards... the olive groves... the passionate people. This IS Italy for me. We checked into our hotel and got cleaned up for dinner.

I really didn't know what to expect at dinner, but it was a lot of fun. We had dinner at Machiavelli's home which has been converted into a restaurant and vineyard.

Our hostess dressed in period costume and pretended to be Machiavelli's lonely wife. She not only taught us about Machiavelli's politics, but she gave us a tour of the underground winery which opened up on the other side of the road to the restaurant.

I tried Chianti for the first time and loved it. I had some shipped home to share. Not only was dinner delicious, but we were entertained by a couple singing and playing the guitar. Mostly, they sang Italian songs, but near the end they started playing stuff we recognized and the entire group was up dancing. Yes. Even I was dancing. Hey these people don't know me. The group had finally collectively opened up and you could see some real bonds had formed.

We got back on the bus, but we weren't done. Imagine traveling down a country road in Italy and "Country Road" is playing over the loud speakers. We sang all the way back to the hotel. As we exited to coach, the tour director hugged each and every person. He later commented that this was a special moment for him.

Italy - Day 9 - Friends in High Places

Did I mention how beautiful Lake Maggiore is? The lake is dotted by what is known as the Borromean Islands. Today we took a short boat ride to one of those islands, Isola Bella and toured the Borromean Prince Palace.

Members of the Borromean family still reside in parts of the castle. The remainder of the castle has been turned into a museum. I am noticing that rich families in Italy go all the way to impress visitors with opulence and grandeur. This castle was no exception. Every turn was a wow moment.

As spectacular as the inside was, the real "wow" happen when we ventured outside. The palace gardens were worth the visit by themselves.

Not sure I have ever seen a pure white peacock. And this one played to the crowds. He would belt out a loud, heart pounding call. Once he had your attention, he would spread his plume for all to admire.

What looked like a castle itself, was a terraced garden, complete with stairs to the top. Once at the top, it offered 360 degree views of the entire island and lake. Wow!

After the castle tour, we skirted back to the mainland and took a bus ride to Lake Cumo. All of the lakes in this area compete to be the best. Lake Cumo is a man made lake. We toured the lake by boat, passing magnificent villas along the way.

Some of the rich and famous call Lake Cumo home. We passed by George Clooney's home. He could have popped out to at least say "hi". We also passed the outdoor garden where John Legend had his wedding reception.

After all of these lake cruises, we were needing to get ready for dinner. So it was back on the bus and back to the hotel.

Everyone got gussied up for dinner. By the way, that's not easy to do when you're living out of your suitcase and there are no irons. Did you know that irons in hotel rooms is illegal? Pat got good at ironing with the hair dryer in the bathroom. Fortunately, everyone was inundated with wrinkles so we didn't stand out. How do you think we got to dinner? You guessed it. We hopped on another boat and ventured to another island.

This is what as known as our, "Be my guest" dinner. We dined at a nice little restaurant on the lake that stayed open just for a tour group. The host seemed genuinely honored to have us over for dinner. I guess it pays to have friends in high places.

This was the perfect end to another busy, adventurous day. 

Italy - Day 8 - The Road to Paradise

Today we travel from Venice to Lake Maggiore. However, before we get to the lake, we have a couple really interesting stops.

Our first stop is in Verona. If you don't know this is the setting for Romeo and Juliette. Locals have attributed the story to actual families and places in Verona. Essentially, they have made this a true story. Not sure that I buy that, but it makes for interesting travel. We visited Juliette's famous courtyard balcony.

Juliette even indulged us for a quick photo. The entrance to the courtyard is marked by scores of messages from star crossed lovers.

From Verona we traveled to Milan, the fashion capital of the world. This is a very metropolitan city. A lot of glamorous shops.

Fashion is really important in Milan. It seems that everyone was really nicely dressed which made for sharp fashion statements... and a bit of self consciousness.

While in Milan, we toured The Galleria (shopping), the La Scala Opera House, and the Castello Sforza Museum (opera). All I keep thinking is, "We'll be watching Allison perform here someday."

We traveled from Milan to Lake Maggiore. This is a place I had never heard of. However, it turns out to be the most spectacular scenery of the entire trip. The massive lake is surrounded by mountains and dotted by small islands. The vegetation is lush and green. We even passed by a mountain where the Roman's quarried granite for their various building projects. The granite blocks traveled by barge over lakes, sea, and rivers to reach Rome. The entire journey took about 3 months!

Traveling to our hotel, we wind our way through a small village, pass many grand villas, hotels and resorts. Our hotel is very nice and the views from our room are awesome. We have a nice dinner in the hotel and venture out for a casual exploratory walk afterwards.

Finally, we turn in for the night. I can't wait to see more of this place tomorrow.

Italy - Day 7 - Quality Over Quantity

We rose early this morning and had a nice breakfast in the hotel. For breakfast there's typically a spread of various meats (salami, prosciutto), cheeses, breads and croissants. There's also scrambled eggs, some form of bacon, and sausages that are more like hot dogs. They are trying to cater to an American diet as these latter items are not included in a traditional Italian breakfast.

After breakfast, we boarded a boat for the island of Giudecca and had a glass blowing demonstration. Venetian glass is considered the best in the world.

After the demonstration, they ushered us into a huge showroom filled with beautiful Venetian glass chandeliers, drinking glasses, figurines, jewelry, statues, mirrors, and on and on. This place was huge. Once on the showroom, they of course, tried to convince us to buy. The sales pitch was good, but the prices indicated that these were more like investments. Not sure Courtney and Brandon would appreciate an inheritance of Venetian glassware.

After the glassblowing it was back to the main island for a more in depth tour of San Marco Square and St. Mark's Basilica.

Note: I won't  have pictures inside the basilica as photography is not allowed. However,  within the square there were a couple interesting sites.

 We will visit Pisa in a few days, but Venice has it's own leaning tower.

Also, this is a bridge between two buildings. These were traditionally the court and the prison. The bridge is known as "The Bridge of Sighs". This was the place where family members could get their last glimpse of the convicted as they were led to prison.

We had a light lunch as we are planning for an early dinner. We took another boat ride to the island of Burano. This is another quaint island in the Venice lagoon.

While walking the island, we ran into a 102 year old resident. I asked if I could take a picture with him and he obliged.

I certainly don't know this man and he spoke no English. However, he seemed to have a very good quality of life. He got around really well, was well dressed, and exited what appeared to be a very nice home. I never thought I wanted to live that long, but if I can do it like that, count me in.

While touring Burano, I discover they have their own leaning tower. What's with all the leaning towers in Italy?

While in Burano, we had dinner at an amazing restaurant. In Italy, meals are served in courses. We had seafood risotto, black risotto made with squid ink, shrimp, calamari, fish, and almond brittle. Of course we had gallons of wine with everything. This restaurant was just like you might imagine.  It seemed the whole community was there eating together... laughing together... talking really loud together.

It's our last night in Venice, but I experienced what it means to put quality over quantity. They make quality glass. They have quality food. They live quality lives. Ciao Venice.