When in Rome

Hi guys! Sorry about the long delay- Mom and I didn’t have internet in Rome. Now that we’re back in the USA, I can catch up! Our first day in Rome was really more of a travel day. We got up early and caught the train from Venice to Rome. The plan was to be in Rome by 2ish – sadly, the train ahead of us had hit a person, so we were delayed. Nevertheless, after finally arriving and checking into our hotel, we decided to check out the city! Our main stop of the day: St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

If you’re Catholic, this is the church of churches- this is where the Pope occasionally holds masses and is where Peter was supposedly killed and buried. Even as a proud Protestant, the church was amazing!

The scale of everything is incredible- it’s the biggest church in Christendom (there are markers on the floor showing where the next largest churches would end) and the decorations are HUGE!

As an example, those angles are as big as I am! Crazy! There are also amazing sites in the church- the solid bronze altarpiece above Peter’s grave

The Jubilee Door, only opened by the Pope every 25 years.

A statue of Peter whose toe you’re supposed to rub (I think it gives you good luck or something? I don’t remember- Protestant, remember? J ). However, we did not, as there was a mass going on and the area was blocked off.

And of course, it houses Michelangelo’s Pieta, or his statue of Mary and Jesus. It’s a beatifuly made piece of art- very cool to see!

Into the Lagoon

Mom and I had another lovely day in Venice! Today we explored the islands in Venice’s lagoon, once again via vaporetto. The passing scenery was beautiful- bell towers, villas, and bridges!

We also passed by the island of Santa Michele (aka Cimitero), which is a literal Island of the Dead- the whole island is a giant graveyard!

We then landed on the island of Murano, which is famous for it’s glassmaking. We got to stop in one of the shops and watch them blow and shape glass!

From there, we enjoyed wandering around the island- it’s like a smaller, quieter Venice, and had a bunch of interesting public artworks made out of glass!

We hopped back on the vaporetto towards Venice, seeing some very cool old churches

Please note the clouds- we got back to our hotel just in time to escape the rain! Crazy to have rain after the heat of Florence just a few days ago! After waiting out the quick rainstorm, Mom and I once again ventured out into the side streets.

We had dinner right along the Grand Canal- good view, good food, and good music from the passing gondoliers- what more could you want? J

Venezia La Luna e Tu

Good evening from Venice! Mom and I arrived yesterday and have been relaxing and enjoying the cool breezes! Our hotel is right on the water- what a pretty view!

After checking into the hotel, we decided to use yet another Rick Steves audio guide to explore the Grand Canal via vaporetto, aka public boat bus. It was so strange yet so nice to be in a city with no cars, only boats!

Venice  is gorgeous, and it was fun floating down the canal, enjoying the scenery and learning about the city’s history.

Along the way, we also passed by famous sites such as Saint Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, and of course, the Bridge of Sighs.

Mom and I spent the rest of the day wandering the cute side streets of Venice, eating in little restaurants, and taking pictures.

It was weird to see how the city is barely above sea level- one restaurant’s patio even went straight into the canal!

Last night was also a festival night, so while hordes of people and boats packed into the main city square, Mom and I enjoyed the beautiful evening and watching the fireworks from a sleepy church square right next to our hotel!

Renaissance Art 101

Today Mom and I received an education in Renaissance art! Two quick notes about this post: 1.Any pictures of art were not taken by me, due to gallery rules- I stole them from the internet.  I promise we actually saw them though! J  2. Fair warning, there will be pictures of naked paintings and statues- what can I say, it’s classical art? We started out in the Uffizi Gallery, where we saw famous works such as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus

His Spring

One of Michelangelo’s few completed oil paintings

The Venus de Medici

We also saw sculptures by Donatello, works by Leonardo de Vinci, more Madonna and Child paintings than you could shake a stick at a whole bunch of naked people pictures (Note: I am not a very good art critic J), and so much more!  All in all, it was a very impressive collection, and with our Rick Steves guide to educate us on what we were seeing, it was a very fascinating morning! We also had a beautiful view of the city from the gallery.

After a quick lunch to give us time to take in what we had seen, we were off to the next art gallery: the Accademia. While it doesn’t have the same breadth or variety as the Uffizi, it does have one pivotal piece, the statue of David by Michelangelo.

 This statue was amazing- it was so much bigger than we expected, and the level of detail and skill involved in making it was astounding!  All Mom and I could say was wow!!! We were so glad to have been able to see it!! From there, it was back to the hotel to clean up, then meeting Kim for dinner. We also said goodbye to Kim, as she leaves to return to the USA tomorrow. We were so glad that we were able to see her here, and even happier that she had such a wonderful time! However, Mom and I are still not done- we leave for Venice in the morning!

Pisa!

Hello again from Florence! Today Mom and I spent the day in Pisa. After a nice relaxing morning, we made our way to the bus tour stop, where we joined a group of Spanish, German, French, and fellow Americans.

The Tuscan countryside is pretty : full of rolling green hills and fertile farmland.

After a nice drive, we finally arrived at Pisa.

As you can see, there are three monuments in the “Field of Miracles” First was the Baptistery, which we did not get the chance to go in.

Next was the Cathedral. While it’s not as ornate as other churches we’ve seen, it is unusual in that a lot of the architecture was influenced but Byzantine churches and Muslim mosques.  

Last but certainly not least was the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

 

It was beautiful, and we enjoyed relaxing and people watching in its shade.

After returning to Florence, we enjoyed another night of fantastic Italian food (I had some amazing parmesan and walnut pasta, in case anyone was wondering J) and more gelato- thank goodness we’re on vacation and calories don’t count, right? J

A Day in Florence, or That Time Mom and I Accidently Climbed the Duomo

Ciao da Italia! Mom and I arrived safely in Florence yesterday, after a very early start to the day. We checked in, walked around a bit, then meet with Kim! She’s doing great, and has had a fantastic time in Italy! She showed us here dorm, then we got gelato- yum!

Please note the change of attire- it’s much hotter and drier than the past two countries we’ve been in! L

Today, Mom and I got up early to walk around and see some of the sights of Florence. Our plan was to see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fore ( see below) and admire its Duomo from afar- the big circle part of it.

However, as it turns out, there are two lines to get in: One to just get into the cathedral and one to clime the 460 some-odd stairs to the top of the Duomo. Guess which one Mom and I accidently ended up in? At first, it wasn’t too bad- it was cool enough since it was morning, and we got to see the beauty of the church and dome.

And then this happened.

And kept happening for a very, very long time.  And we were in long skirts, due to the church’s regulations. Yeah. At least we got our workout done? ;) However, there is a happy ending- the view of Florence from the top was fantastic and was totally worth the trek:

Of course, then we had to come back down:

After recovering and having a tasty lunch at a nearby pizzeria, Mom and I took a walking tour of the city. The travel guide Rick Steves (as seen on PBS) has recorded free audio tours of various places in Italy- today we took a stroll through the Renaissance sights of the city with our trusty iPods in tow. J It was very nice, and we learned a lot more than if we had tried to do it on our own!

Then it was back to the hotel to cool down and take  a siesta. After a nice cool break, we once again met up with Kim (who had just finished climbing the  Duomo, although she did it on purpose J )for a very yummy dinner at a restaurant she’d discovered during her time here- always wonderful to spend time with her!