Bonjourno!! Considering we were going to be going to several different cities in Italy, we have opted to lump most of them together in one post and save Rome for last. Plus, it is hard to keep up with the blog when we are only each city for about a day and a half.
First of all, Italy is absolutely gorgeous and is a place I can see visiting again in the future. The scenery is beautiful, and the food is quite tasty. We haven't delved into the history of the country as much as we did in others, but we may look to do that on a future trip. We know we're going to get quite a bit of Roman history when we depart for Rome tomorrow morning. Overall, we have enjoyed our time in Italy, but we're getting excited about not switching hotel rooms every other day and eating out for about every meal.
Train ride to Venice...can't complain about complimentary drinks. ;)
Sprawling out in the train and enjoying the extra space.
We have arrived in Venice! We took a ferry instead of the seemingly expensive water/motorboat taxis from the train station to our hotel, which is a common way of transportation in Venice. It was such a beautiful day and we were welcomed with the colorful Italian architecture.
On our way to find dinner...we walked through the different alley ways to get further away from our hotel and find someplace where the locals go to avoid the drones of tourists. Little did we know we ended up somewhere close to or hotel after all; this city was quite confusing. We opted to not use a map, as we were previously warned that the map/street names/ etc don't match up. Mark mentioned how he thinks it is the most difficult city to navigate. He wholeheartedly agrees with travel blogs and other sources when they say, "You will get lost; a map is useless."
The canals of Venice...so pretty and need to watch Italian Job to see if we recognize any of the buildings or canals. If you have not seen that movie, please do so!
Rated one of our top meals in Italy - Started our trip with homemade pizza and it was delicious! It was different how they didn't cut up the veggies on my pizza, but regardless it was still tasty. The asparagus was the only thing that truly needed to be cut beforehand, as it was hard to eat that section. The rich flavor of the sauce brought of the other flavors in the pizza.
We are continuing our trend of it raining in every city we had travelled to, and unfortunately, I opened my umbrella (bought in Krakow, Poland 3 weeks ago for around $3) and it was finally "khalas" (meaning finished in Arabic; the "k" is silent). Too bad we have needed umbrellas in each city at this point in our trip. We're a perfect 9-0 for rain in cities. Only four more to go.
Walking the streets of Venice...such a cute city!
The sun is out, and we need our sunglasses. After our somewhat disappointing weather in Switzerland, it was great to see the bright beaming sun that we've been missing for the past several days!
It is 10:15 and we are getting gelato...when in Italy. :) Gelato is Italian ice cream.
We loved the canals complete with boats of various kinds, gondolas, and pretty buildings.
Rialto Bridge - the first bridge built in Venice in 1181
Finding some cheap wine!!
Enjoying the city on our ferry back to the train station...enjoyed our time, but we were ready for Italian city #2, Monterosso which is one of the five cities that makes up what the region of coastal cities called, "Cinque Terre".
We arrived in Monterosso and are loving the temperatures and sparkling blue water! By far one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen. We were grateful for the nice weather and the opportunity to walk the trails to enjoy the views.
I accidentally changed the settings on our camera and all our pictures in this city were taken in "e-mail size" (why would a camera even have that option, ugh!)...pretty bummed, but am looking into ways to enlarge them without distorting the image too much.
First night in Monterosso - we discovered pesto was from this area of Italy and decided to order it both nights. Our dishes the first night were good, but the second it was a bit too much pesto!
If you wanted to you could rent a chair from the beach station (that's what we'll call it)
Our 5 and 1/2 hour hike begins...we hiked to through three of the five towns in Cinque Terre and enjoyed the spectacular views and rolling hills. It was quite the workout! Think of doing the Stair Master for that long. It involved either taking a step up or down with small stretches of horizontal movement (our favorite part, especially on the return hike).
Mom, I think you would LOVE this city! It was beautiful and think you and dad would enjoy this hike. With how much you workout, you would have been in better shape than me in doing this, as it was definitely a struggle at times.
The stairs were a killer...especially on our way back. We didn't take many picture break moments as we took tons on the first leg of the hike, but we made sure to take breaks on the second leg back.
Debbie, all of the stairs made me think of you and how you have been doing the stair master lately...definitely a good preparation for this hike.
Picture on the hike with a vineyard in the background
City #2 on our hike - Vernazza!
We can see Corniglia (City #2 on our hike in the distance)
We reached the third city, Corniglia where we needed a refill on water along with a short lunch and stretch break. Mark received this Camelbak (above) from his uncle as a Christmas present more than 12 years ago, and it is still hydrating him ever since. I've enjoyed getting well acquainted with it, too when we travel and while living in Qatar.
So pumped for accomplishing the hike there and back (mostly back at this point) to Monterosso. We were quite sweaty and were looking forward to spending the rest of the afternoon in the water and relaxing on the beach.
Enjoying some wine along the shore as we watch the calm water and the setting sun...Enjoying our last night in Cinque Terre.
Pesto lasagna = too much pesto, it was originally meat sauce for a reason. Mark went with gnocchi and pesto, but that also had too much pesto.
We rented a car (Italian brand: Fiat Panda) so we were able to go on a short detour to Pisa to check out the Leaning Tower of Pisa...luckily Mark knows how to drive a manual car.
It was funny to see everyone taking pictures of them "holding" the tower.
Next, on our short detour we went to Lucca - which was recommend to us by Kim and Nash, some of our friends in Qatar. It was a cute town, but it unfortunately (you guessed right) it began raining after we ate a late lunch and began to explore the city. So, our visit was short lived.
Bummed I will be missing Backstreet Boys in Lucca!
Italian city #3 - Siena
So sad to leave Cinque Terre, but we were excited to be in Siena. It was not what I thought it would be, as I thought there would be wineries within a short distance from the city and easy to find, etc. That was not the case, but we made do. The "Old Town" of Siena was enclosed with a wall that reminded us of the Old City of Jerusalem a bit.
Mark is "working" the camera
Found a cheap pizza place by our hotel that served sausage pizza; it was the first legitimate sausage topping Mark has found in Italy! This was worth a picture.
Walking the old town of Siena
This goes as my favorite meal in Italy thus far...homemade pasta with a boar marinara meat sauce, served with the best homemade bread we have eaten in Europe (in my opinion). It was delicious and want to go back already! The noodles were also homemade and thicker than what we're used to in the USA as far as spaghetti.
Lunch with a view...yes, we have eaten pizza nearly everyday in Italy--quite a healthy diet. ;) Good thing we have done quite a bit of walking and such...
Cruising the country roads in Italy (Tuscany area).
Castello Di Maleto - winery in Tuscany in the Chianti region
Mark and I split a wine tasting that would turn out to be free since we bought a bottle to share.
We bought a bottle of the Chianti Classico, and it was one of the best red wines we have ever had (typically we're bigger white wine fans). It was such a great afternoon as we sipped wine, talked, and enjoyed the views...
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this area!
Taking a walk through the wine cellar...
Mark with the Panda about to embark on our journey to Florence (aka Firenze)
Something we learned in Italy, when you leave a city they will have the name of the city on a sign with a red slash through it. Goodbye Siena.
Hello Florence! We loved being able to pull off and enjoy the scenery. This was an Olive Garden. We haven't seen olive trees since our time in Israel.
Cruising
Walking the streets of Florence and saw an Indianapolis shirt...pretty exciting for an Indy girl! No, I didn't buy the shirt, but was excited to see the representation across the world.
Cathedral in Florence - such beauty
One of the Statue of David replicas in Florence
The green crew
The bridge on the left is known as the Ponte Vecchio. The original is believed to have been around during the rule of the Romans, but the on here is from the late 1200/early 1300s. It is the only bridge in Florence the Germans did not destroy during their retreat in WWII. Instead the Germans blew up the buildings on the left and right side at the ends of the bridge to create a blockade. What looks like houses on the bridge are actually houses converted into jewelry shops.
We hiked up the stairs to see the panorama views of the city; it was well worth it!
Cathedral
I absolutely love the different colored buildings in Italy
Another statue of David model
I don't know why, but my feet get SO dirty while we are out walking...Mark doesn't get the dirt on his ankles like I do, not sure why? Felt the need to take a picture before washing them, which I typically need to do twice a day.
Enjoying our last meal in Florence...my second favorite meal in Italy. This is the first time Mark and I have ever bought a bottle of wine at dinner (we are typically too cheap, shocking I know-haha), quit the splurge for us... It wasn't nearly as expensive as it is in the USA, so we took advantage as our time in Italy and Europe on a larger scale is nearing an end.
We split baked spaghetti with homemade meatballs and a ham filled tortellini with a white wine cheese sauce covered with arugula and small slices of bacon- the baked spaghetti and meatball is so far my 2nd favorite meal in Italy! The baked spaghetti is Mark's favorite followed by the tortellini in a close second place finish.
We are looking forward to the next couple of days in Rome as they will be full of tours, walking, and chances to soak up the city, culture and history.
Things we learned in Italy thus far:
1. It is common for restaurants to add a service charge (Coperto/Servico) for each person (blah!)
2. Most true Italian places (minus hotels) will close during the afternoon for a siesta and reopen at 7:00 pm.
3. Red wine is more common than white, but white is still found everywhere.
4. Vespas are the most common way of transportation and they think they run the road. Supposedly it is a man's prequel means of transportation before investing in a motorcycle.
5. The people are extremely helpful and friendly (at least those who we have encountered)
6. In Florence, the police officers wear helmets that look a bit funny, but I guess its protection (we don't really know).
7. There is not a lot of variety in restaurants, as you can mainly only find Italian eateries (don't get me wrong, they are delicious, but would like some other options).
8. Pending on the city, maps are irrelevant, as they don't match up with street signs and are quite confusing.
9. Italians are persistent and are adamant about changing your towels everyday...I tried to convince one of the maids to not change our towels, but she wanted to anyways. Looks like water/energy conservation is not an issue in this country yet.
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