Italy

A dream come true.  Italy bound.

We met some friends there. Great times ahead.

Florence. Like a dream. We arrived in the evening and were memorized by the city and it's charm.  The lighting resembled the ancient torchlight.

You can see why it took my breath away.

I learned after returning home that an old drawing professor of mine lives in one of these apartments.  How fun is that!

Gelato everyday.

During the daytime, Florence continued to take your breath away.

Duomo.

Noticing all the different colored marbles inlays.

The famous Baptistery doors, the Gates of Paradise, with Ghiberti's gold relief peeked through the construction sight.

There is Ghiberti himself.

More city scenes and beautiful churches.

Ponte Vecchio.

Accademia Gallery.  Michelangelo's David.  Wow.  I was so pleasantly surprised we could take pictures.  When my husband was last here, it was prohibited.

 

Michelangelo was amazing.  Sculpting clay, I find, is difficult enough.  Imagining carving out of marble!!!

Motel view. My sketchbook drawing.  Palettes of creams, greens and terra cotta.

How about a portrait?

Don't get caught taking this 'sculpture's' photo-  you'll have someone running after you wanting money.  He's a mime.

Here's another:

The pizza was sublime. Italy's traditional Margherita pizza- like the flag- Red (tomato), White (mozzarella) and Green (basil).

Piazzale Michelangelo.

Uffitzi Gallery.

Botticelli's Birth of Venus.

One could stare for hours just at the ceiling.

 View out the window.

Climbing the dome.  See the people up near the top?  That's where we climbed.

If I could, I would take hundreds of pictures of just the doors.  I just love them. Such personality.

My sister-in-law told me about this art store years ago. Fun to see it in person.

I hope to visit you again someday, Florence!

Venice.

I loved seeing the canals between the blocks.  They say it's a sinking city.

George Clooney had just gotten married there a few days before we were there.  I could see why they chose this place.

In the courtyard, the  pigeons were practically pets.  This lady was trying to get one to perch on her head for a picture. Brave soul...

How about some tiramisu?

Imagining what it would be like to live there.

We had to have a canolli.

The colors at the end of the day were just as dazzling.

Good night, Venice~

Ferrara. This quaint little town was our delightful authentic experience.  It had an old wall built around the city where bicyclists drove even on the top of the wall.  Our hotel provided bicycles and we took full advantage of the opportunity.

Here's the castle that's in the center of the city.  This was our view from while eating breakfast at the hotel.

The church was no less stunning in this 'smaller' city.  It is considered the 'city of the Renaissance'.  Some of the art masters came and visited this city as well.

All the restaurants we went to here, we needed translating.  There were no English menus to be found.  The servers seemed to enjoy the opportunity and even drew pictures on our place-mat trying to explain the menu items.

Ferrara, you're lovely.

Heading South again, we were able to stop in Bologna for the evening.  It is known as the gastronomic capital of the world. Knowing that, there was added pressure to find a good restaurant for that one day we were passing through.

We all agreed that the porch at our hotel in Bologna was the best breakfast view yet.

The next morning, we headed out to our last Italian destination... ROMA! We took the high speed train, the Trenitalia train.

This is one of Asher's favorite books. He's 3 and he knows all the names of the trains.  He was very excited that we got to ride on one of the high speed trains and now will say, "And Mommy and Daddy rode on that one..."

Finally arriving at Rome and weaving through the streets of Rome, looking for our hotel.  The city was a mixture of cobblestone, clay roofs (like Florence) and Marble buildings.

Our hotel.

 The breakfast room.

The crowds of people lingering near the Spanish Steps.  We walked up the steps, then followed the road that lead to the Borghese Gallery, our next destination.

Borghese Gallery.

So much to see as we walked back to the hotel.  Here is the old city wall.

Venders selling roasted chestnuts.

Geoff's hat store!

We learned to order still water, or they usually give it to you sparkling.  Also, I have to say the only Italian food I was slightly disappointed with was the bread. It seemed the way they liked to eat it tasted very dried out to me.  It didn't stop me from eating it mind you, but it wasn't what I expected.

It was a dazzling first day in Rome.

Rome Day 2

 Passing through a plaza, here's a guy who was trying to show his levitating skills.

The guy taking the picture closely would be chased down for money, most likely.

Ancient Rome and the Colosseum. We went on a Sunday and were thrilled to find out it's open for free on Sundays.  There wasn't much of a line, either and we were able to get right in without paying for a guided tour.  Good ole' Rick Steves free audio app saved the day again.  He does a wonderful job.

Julius Caesar's grave and memorial is here in the Roman Forum.

Bubble making in the Plaza Square.

Painting the bridge view.

Another mesmerizing evening in Rome.

This was the day we scored the highest amount of steps on the pedometer that was tracked on my phone:

I'd say that meant we could have guilt-free pasta that night!

Rome Day 3

Our walk towards the Vatican/ St. Peter's Cathedral.

Here it is!!

Trompe l' oeils by Raphael.  I was once again amazed that we were able to take pictures!  We weren't allowed to take them in the Sistine Chapel, though.

St. Peter's Cathedral.

Climbing the Dome.  The stairs were steep and went up on an angle.  It was a good workout for sure!

Ending the evening with our last Italian dinner together.

Italy.  An experience I'll never forget.