A Tour of Italy - Fall 2003


Kristin and I had a wonderful time in Italy. We were able to see a lot in only two weeks. It was a long haul over there. A nine hour flight to London, two hour flight to Milan, one hour bus ride to the train station, one hour train ride to Varenna, and a 15 minute walk to the hotel (actually almost 45 minutes because we got lost on the dark streets of Varenna). Needless to say, I was very thankful to finally arrive at our hotel. We quickly dropped off our bags and went out to dinner. I needed a glass of wine and some real food. It was our first Italian meal. I ordered in Italian because I had been reading "Italian for Dummies" on the trip over. It worked!

First Stop - Varenna - We started in Varenna, which is a small town of 800 people along Lake Como. Lake Como is near the northern border of Italy near Switzerland. It is at the base of the Alps. We stayed there two nights. It was very relaxing and we were able to have dinner right along the shores of the lake. The food was fabulous and the people were very friendly. Below is a picture of the town from the water. It was a little hazy each day, but the temperatures were mild. Not many tourists.

Second Stop - Venice  - Next we were off to Venice. We used the Italian train system to travel throughout the country. It was easy to use and very comfortable. We arrived in Venice to clear skies and cold winds. It was cold. I was surprised by the number of tourists. People everywhere. It was a huge change from Varenna. We stayed in a hotel run by a nice Italian family. We met up with a friend of Kristin's who was over there leading a Rick Steve's tour. She pointed us to the best restaurants and wine bars. Trust me, without knowing where to go, you end up at "tourist" restaurants that serve bad food, terrible wine, and charge you a lot. They are everywhere and you must wander for hours to find a "local" spot. Venice was probably my least favorite place we stopped on our trip (excluding Milan). I didn't enjoy all the shoppers and tourists. However St Marks square and the Dogge's Palace were incredible. Below is a picture of myself and the Grand Canal.

Third Stop - Florence  - We enjoyed Florence. It is a "newer" city than Venice and it had a great feel to it. The traffic was awful and I couldn't believe the number of scooters. They were like flies. We had the best wine and food in Florence. We stayed on the south side of the Agnes River, near the Ponte Vecchio (sp?). That is the Florence Old Bridge and a picture of it is below. The sculpture of David by Michelangelo is in Florence. That was amazing. We also took a day trip to Sienna by bus. Next time I would probably stay in Sienna and day trip to Florence. The weather was really cold and rainy that last two days in Florence. I had to buy some Italian sweaters and drink lots of wine to keep warm.

Fourth Stop - Rome  - This was my favorite big City stop. The history about it mesmerized me and we walked over 10 miles each day touring the ancient Roman empire. However, the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica were the most amazing sights. I didn't think they would be as inspiring as they were. We were in Rome on the same day as the Mother Teresa beatification ceremony. Over 300,000 people in St. Peters square. The picture below is the square the morning after the celebration. We awoke early to wait in line and view the Vatican museum. I wasn't happy about getting up at 6:00am, but I was glad after seeing the line at 9:30am. We were about 20th in line and got in right when it opened. However, at 9:30 or 10 when we were leaving, the line must have been a mile long or more. Go early! The best meal we had was in Rome. We went to a nice restaurant and the service, food, and wine were the best I have ever witnessed. It was a great way to spend our last night.

Fifth Stop - Cinque Terre  - Probably our favorite stop of our trip. We stayed in the town of Monterosso which is the most northern town of the 5 towns. The only way to get to most towns is either by train or by trail. Lots of German and Dutch hikers. This is the Italian Riviera. It is a vacation spot for tourists and Italians. There were not many people around while we were there. Perfect. A storm blew in while we were there and huge waves were crashing along the coast. It was cold and rainy, but that didn't bother us. The food and wine were again very good. They are known for their white wine. We hiked along the trail that connects the five towns. We saw all the Germans in their hiking gear and were wondering how hard these trails were because we only had tennis shoes. It turned out to be a walk in the park and I found it amusing that the tourists would be wearing over $200 worth of fancy hiking gear. If you go to Italy, you must stay in the Cinque Terre. Below is a picture along the trail to Vernazza. Monterosso is in the background.

So that pretty much sums up our Italy vacation. I highly recommend visiting Italy. I honestly wasn't too excited about going, but I knew it was a dream of Kristin's. Now I am glad I got to tag along and I hope to return again. Please feel free to view more photos from the trip below. Enjoy.

Varenna - Street outside the hotel

Varenna - Waterfront

Varenna - Stairs to the waterfront

Varenna - From Lake Como

Bellagio - From Lake Como

Venice

Venice

Venice - The Grand Canal

Venice - Dogge's Palace

Venice - St Marks

Venice

Venice - Dogge's Palace

Venice - St Marks Square

Venice

Venice - Froom the Rialto

Venice

Venice

Venice - St Marks

Florence - Old Bridge

Florence - Duomo

Florence - From the Bell Tower

Florence - Top of the Duomo

Florence - Skyline

Florence - Baptism Door

Florence

Florence - With Jenny

Sienna - Freezing Cold in the Square

Sienna - Duomo

Rome - Piazza Novana

Rome - Inside the Pantheon

Rome - Pantheon

Rome - Trevi Fountain

Rome - Trevi Fountain

Rome - Trevi Fountain and making a wish

Rome - Spanish Steps

Rome - Capital Building

Rome - Capital Building

Rome - Colisseum from the Capital

Rome - Enjoying a Italian Beer

The Vatican - St Peters Square

Rome - Colisseum

Rome - Colisseum

Rome - Ancient Ruins

Rome - Ancient Ruins

The Vatican - Inside St. Peters Basilica

Cinque Terre - Monterosso

Cinque Terre - Monterosso

Cinque Terre - Vernazza

Cinque Terre - Vernazza

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre - Their Special Wine

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre - Gelato

Cinque Terre - Gelato