Venice, Florence, Assisi, Siena, San Gimignano, Rome, Lake Garda, Cinque Terre
One of our favorite countries to visit is Italy… with ancient Roman architecture, the opulent Vatican City and Sistine Chapel, grand museums, savory Italian dishes, and local wine. Travel Italy by car, train, and bus.
Venice
Venice is an island, interspersed by canals with the Grand Canal as the primary waterway. It’s an amazing city to see and enjoyable to explore. We walked the stone streets and ate from a choice of cafes and restaurants. The Piazza San Marco also referred to as St Mark’s Square is where most of the tourist attractions are located.
In the Square we visited the Basilica, Correr Museum, Doge’s Palace, and Campanile Bell Tower. Each of these sights were impressive; in particular was the incredible craftsmanship. To appreciate them fully, we devoted most of the day touring them.
An exquisite church, the Basilica’s interior dome, arches, and walls were artfully crafted with mosaics, gold, and marble.
The Correr Museum contained beautiful art pieces and statues, while the Doge’s Palace consisted of a weaponry collection, paintings, and sparsely decorated rooms.
Both were exquisitely detailed with marble pillars and gold filigree covering the walls.
For a stunning view of Venice and the lagoon, an elevator ascended over 300 feet within the Campanile Bell Tower. Many years ago, the tower served as a lighthouse directing ships in the surrounding waters and the bells rung for the local residents.
After dinner, we relaxed in a gondola ride, taking in the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto Bridge. Later in the evening, live music played in St Mark’s Square, while we sipped a glass of wine and overstepped pockets of water bubbling up from the canals.
Shopping in Venice was best in St. Mark’s Square. Delicate lace and Murona Glass were in abundance, crafted on the nearby islands of Burano and Murano.
Florence
The next morning, we traveled three hours by train to Florence. Visiting the Accademia Gallery, Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Pitti Palace, and Ponte Vecchio were our main objectives. Given the possibility of long lines, we purchased advance tickets for the museums.
The Duomo consisted of the cathedral, which was free, however, the dome, museum, and bell tower required tickets.
Great painting masterpieces by European artists is in the Uffizi Gallery, while the Accademia Gallery is an art museum displaying the famous Michelangelo’s David and other sculptures as well as paintings. The Uffizi is much larger than the Accademia. It only took us 45 minutes to go through the Accademia.
Pitti Palace, centuries old and originally owned by the Medici family, now contains paintings, royal apartments, and a collection of individual museums.
Ponte Vecchio, its three distinct arches and construction of wood and stone, is a unique bridge dating back centuries and spanning the Arno River. Fortunately, it was spared from damage during WWII. Now filled with tourist shops, it was fun to walk over the bridge and browse the merchant stands.
Assisi
Assisi
Enroute to Rome, we stopped in Assisi, the town dedicated to St Francis. Peaceful, with a stunning view of cypress trees and green landscape beyond the town walls; and within the city, buildings reflecting Roman influence. We spent a few hours taking in the various sites; the largest was the Basilica of St Francis. The complex contained an upper and lower basilica with a tomb, and a rich history of the Patron Saint including those associated with him. It was a tranquil place to visit.
Tuscany
Siena
We took a 1/2 day trip from Florence to the hilly medieval town of Siena. Its large center square (Campo) is famous for the annual Palio horse races, a competition among the neighboring 17 districts (contrada) that take place every July and August. Surrounding the center square were a choice of restaurants, and further out are the Medici Fortress and Contrada Museums. Which were worthwhile visiting. The Siena Duomo (cathedral) is a beautiful cathedral encompassing stained-glass windows, frescoes, marble inlays, statues, and sculptures.
San Gimignano
After Siena, and for the second half of the day, we went to San Gimignano, a Tuscan hilly town known for its medieval towers. Originally, there were 72 towers, now 12 remain standing, with the tallest tower over 200 feet high. An ancient wall surrounds the town, offering protection from threatening enemies. Although smaller than Siena with less to see, it was a relaxing afternoon strolling through the town and sipping a locally grown glass of wine.
Rome
We returned our car in Rome, and set out for the traditional sightseeing attractions of the classic ancient Roman empire. We bypassed the lines for the Colosseum by purchasing an advance ticket.
In its day, this ancient amphitheater could house over 100,000 spectators who observed violent and frequently deadly entertainment. With only a fraction of the original Colosseum still standing, what remains was staggering in size.
Near the Colosseum, was the Roman Forum, once a plaza for business, politics, and entertainment. Next to the Forum was the Palatine Hill, and the archaeological remains of its ancient palaces and temples.
Vatican City
There is no cost to entering the Vatican City or St Peter’s Basilica. Although to access the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St Peter’s Dome (Basilica) requires a ticket. We chose to splurge on a full-day private tour. Although expensive, the guide was informative, it saved time on entry lines, and was helpful in navigating through the crowds.
Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
The extensive and extraordinary museums displayed galleries of ancient statues, tapestries, masterpieces, and paintings. Our guide was helpful in directing our attention to specific rooms, otherwise it was too overwhelming.
But the Sistine Chapel was the highlight of our tour. The ceiling, brilliantly painted by Michelangelo, reveals world history and biblical events. It was remarkable.
St Peter’s Basilica
St Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world, is ornately constructed in gold mosaics with creamy white marble pillars and intricately created sculptures. It is breathtaking in its splendor and artful design with Michelangelo’s famous Pieta, altars, relics, carvings, and St Peter’s tomb beneath the dome and bronze canopy.
Pantheon
The Pantheon temple is over 2,000 years old. In the center and height of the structure is the acclaimed dome, its design an amazing work of Roman engineering. Exterior concrete columns and an interior of exquisite marble flooring and religious sculptures reflects the architectural achievement.
Trevi Fountain
Who can visit Rome without stopping to see the Trevi Fountain. Situated a bit off direct street access, it did require some navigating. The fountain reflects the artful aqueducts created by the Romans to solve water deficiency in the city. An impressive number of spouts splashed over the commanding statue into the base of the fountain where passersby’s tossed coins.
Pompeii
We took a day trip to Pompeii, which included lunch in Naples. It was an all-day event. The tour guide explained the history of life lived amid the now remaining ruins of crumbling structures, stone streets, surviving pottery shards, and plaster casts of victims. There was surprisingly a lot to observe in the archaeological remains. And in the distance, Mount Vesuvius was plain to see. It was a fascinating tour!
Lake Garda
On our route to Milan from the Dolomites, we decided to stay in Lake Garda. Further west closer to Milan is Lake Como. But, since we were traveling from the Dolomites, it made sense to choose Garda over Como. Otherwise, if in Milan, Lake Como would have been the choice.
Lake Garda area is quite large, with several nearby lakes as well as surrounding towns. Two of the pretties locations to visit were the towns of Sirmione and Peschiera. Abundant outdoor activities kept us busy for two days, although another week would have been great. Besides hiking, swimming, sailing, there are medieval castles, vineyards, and historical churches to visit.
Cinque Terre
The five old fishing villages, known as the Cinque Terre, is along the Italian riviera and about a three-hour train ride from Milan. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Each town offered a different feel with access by train, boat, or hiking. If hiking the coastal trail, a small payment is requested. It was a perfect escape from the cities and spending time in an unhurried Mediterranean environment while enjoying each village, and eating the local Italian cuisine.
The best beach was in the first village of Monterosso. It was crowded and the sand gravelly, but splurging for a chair with umbrella was worth it to squeeze comfortably onto the beach.
Next is Vernazza. It didn’t have much of a traditional beach. I enjoyed walking the hills and between the buildings on old cobblestone streets.
The quiet, less touristy village of Corniglia is on top of a hill and set back from the ocean. A cove beach was surrounded by rocks, providing a place to rest while up on the cliff edge sat a cute café that overlooked the Mediterranean.
The village of Manarola was great for watching the sunset and perfect for just strolling around late in the afternoon.
After taking the train and walking through a tunnel, I reached the last village of Riomaggiore. This is where I stayed. Each night I bought a seafood basket, walked down to the pier, climbed on the rocks, and waited for sun to go down.
