Italy, the last day

It is 6 a.m. on the east coast. We have arisen, broken our fast, trained to the


airport, tracked down our VAT refund, and are now toasting our return to the states with shrimp cocktail and prosecco (we scored first class for the return flight!!). We are on the flight now as we bring this glorious celebration of our marriage and Lynne's birthday to a close.

Yesterday we arose having several errands in mind after we packed for the high speed train trip to Rome from Venice. A last vaporetto ride to the train station found us staring at 15 steps to enter. We could only guess Italians didn't travel with wheeled suitcases and that there is no Italian ADA.

The train covered over 300 miles in just more than 3 hours including several stops along the way. We tilted on turns and moved at speeds up to 175 miles per hour towards Rome, buzzing through tunnels and across hill and vale. It was very easy travel ... we now understand why many see Europe by train.




Since we were last in Rome two weeks ago, the weather has turned and we encountered 80 degree temperatures. Although we were disappointed to not see more sun during our vacation, we were certainly glad for the moderate spring temperatures; it was great "walking around" weather. After arriving in Rome we dashed to the shoe store for the final footwear purchase (see photo for shoe shopping summary) and after a late lunch, found that we were ready to unwind rather than tour more. We ended our last full day with a stroll through the Borghese gardens and a quiet dinner outside near the hotel.
Ciao one last time from romantic Italy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Roma

Italy, day 15

Last full day in Venice, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNNE! The weather looks like it may give us another good day. We head out after partaking of the same B&B breakfast options in search of Italian shoes, but instead find ourselves


at the fish market, gaping at the day's catch. Some we did not recognize, but the octopus, scallops in the shell, squid, branzione (sea bass), and the


remaining half of a swordfish being sliced into steaks were all unusual sights.


After window shopping for a while, we entered the Ca'Rezzonico museum holding paintings and sculptures mostly from recent history (1700 & 1800's). One floor of the house was decorated with period furniture and marvelous chandeliers, all beneath frescoes ceilings, many of which had been painted elsewhere and brought here.

We found shoes (2 pair for Farley while Lynne's are being held in Rome) and headed to the Grand Canal just down from the Rialto Bridge for lunch, with


sunny skies, large crowds and lots of boat traffic. A drizzle started during lunch but we shrugged it off and vaporetto-ed quickly back to St. Marks to recover our VAT. A brief stop back by the B&B, and it was off to the glass-making island of Murano in the late afternoon rain.

We hurriedly went through the glass museum, with artistic creations from recent decades displayed with glass from the first century. Popping into yet another church, we were amazing by colorful, beautiful floor mosaics. You


just never know what amazing sights you will find at the next stop!


We then stopped at a few stores, settling on some rocks glasses before deciding to head back to Venice to get out of the rain. We remembered our last Murano visit when the cold wind and rain combined with the high tides to cover about half the sidewalks in town with water. Today, the water level was a good 18 inches below our feet.

Dinner at Algiubagio restaurant capped off the evening and the birthday, even though dinner had to be moved indoors due to the weather. But it was a fabulous last dinner in Venice with scallops and ravioli and Italian beef, served with a tasty Venetian white wine.
A birthday ciao to all!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Venice, Italy

Italy, day 14

Happy Labor Day, Italy! Seems we have hit the high holiday season, first with Rome's April 21 birthday, then Liberation Day across Italy on April 25, and now another national holiday. Our innkeeper warned that most everything would be closed today, but the slow economy and tourism focus seem instead to have kept most businesses open.

After breakfast we headed to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Doge's Palace


off of St. Marks Square. The Doge was the head of state, and while the "public" part of the palace is quite ornate, the worker bees operated in less ornate quarters, and the courts and prison operated out of the same complex. We entered through the secret door, to floors half as tall as the outer rooms, and offices that make cubicles look quite attractive.

The "second doge" was a commoner who was treated regally, as he was actually in charge of all the administrative activity in and around the palace, Venice, and its far flung territories. He and his staffed worked in these common spaces by day, recording the history of each day's events. At night, the building took on a more torturous tone, as prisoners were questioned, sometimes painfully so.

Casanova was imprisoned and escaped from here, and poets such as Lord Byron wrote about the Bridge of Sighs, the enclosed passageway over the canal connecting the main prison with the palace.

The balance of the day was spent touring around the rest of St. Mark's


including the Basilica and Correr Museum, full of paintings and sculptures and a number of rooms recreated to provide a view into life in the 1500's.

We had a lovely dinner outside and then attended a concert -- Vivaldi in Venice, so awesome. A long stroll back to the B&B thru St. Mark's Sq at night makes us appreciate the utter charm of the city but not the souvenir vendors!
Ciao!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Venice, Italy

Italy, day 13

We loaded up the rental car one last time and headed for Venice. We cut north and drove through Verona (where they have installed a fake balcony for Juliet) before paralleling the Alps as we headed east to our final destination. A quick airport stop to turn in the car (thanks for everything little Lancia!) then we boarded the boat to arrive fittingly in Venice by water.


The Ponte Chiodo B&B in Venice is a great choice, as numerous canals


intersect outside our window providing great views, and valperetto (water busses) stops are nearby. We headed over for some cicheti and an ombre
(small appetizer plates and a short glass of wine) by taking a gondola across


the canal while standing up (called a traghetto). We then set our course for some old houses, museums and, of course, churches. One primary destination, the Frari Church, was having a free concert tonight, so we decided to save the entry fee and head back later for the concert. In the meantime, we strolled the streets under SUNNY SKIES (at least they were briefly sunny) before ending up in St. Marks Square. We started back for the concert after grabbing an Aperol Spritz and a Campari Spritz and a few more cicheti.




The chorale groups from Sweden and Norway were very talented. Some international competition is in town (not Idol) and we benefitted as the concert took place in a massive church near statues by Donatello, chapels decorated by
Bernini, and in front of Titian's The Assumption of Mary behind the altar. Centuries old masterpieces intertwining with current day renditions, such is the way in Italy.
Ciao!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Venice,Italy