Venice in a day...

Sorry that I haven't updated in a couple of days--no internet at our hotels the past two nights.  We're still all alive and well, though, and enjoying our last day in Italy!

After leaving the Mediterranean coast on Wednesday morning, we drove about four hours north to Lake Maggiore in the Italian Alps.  It was nice to be somewhere a little bit cooler, although it was still pretty warm.  At Lake Maggiore, we took a boat ride out to two islands, Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori.  On Isola Bella, there is a giant villa and garden built in the 1600s and still owned by a noble family from Milan.  We toured both the villa and beautiful gardens.  Even though the gardens were ornate, it wasn't so much the design itself that made the place incredible.  Rather, the fact that the gardens were perched on a rocky island in the middle of a beautiful alpine lake really sealed the deal.  Isola Pescatori had no villas or gardens--it was just a little island with a few pizzerias, restaurants, a gelato stand, and about 50 inhabitants.  On Wednesday night, we stayed at Hotel Pesce D'Oro, right on Lake Maggiore.  Before dinner, we were sitting by the lake, and Jenny decided to climb down and stick her feet in to see how cold it was.  Just seconds after Allison and Alex warned her that it was slippery, she did slid all the way into the lake.  Oops!  Nothing like an icy pre-dinner swim...  After Jenny changed into dry clothes, we had dinner all together sitting outside at the hotel--penne matriciana (pasta with a spicy tomato sauce), wienerschnitzel with green beans and potatoes, and an apple cake with vanilla sauce for dessert.  Wienerschnitzel is popular near the Swiss border because of the German influence.  That night, a football (soccer) game was on TV (Barcelona vs. Manchester United), and a bunch of us watched it in a local bar.  Barcelona won, and the locals seemed happy.

On Thursday, we left Lake Maggiore and headed to Lake Como, another breathtaking Alpine lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  We visited two different gardens and spent the afternoon exploring the beautiful (and expensive) town of Bellagio (the namesake of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas).

And now it's already Friday, our last day in Italy, and we're in Venice!  We went on a walking tour of the city this morning, walked across the famous Rialto Bridge, went inside St. Mark's Cathedral (or is it a basilica? I'm not sure) and saw the 11th century mosaics made with pure gold.  In the afternoon, we all went our separate ways to explore the city further.  Alex, Allison, Liz, and I had spritzs and lunch at an osteria in Rialto.  Meanwhile, Jenny and Jean shopped their way back to the hotel and bought some gorgeous glass jewelry.  The guys in the group declared today jersey day, so they're all wearing the soccer jerseys that they bought earlier in the trip.  It makes them really easy to spot around town, that's for sure.  We now have two Beckhams, two Ronaldhinos, and a bunch of other famous players in our group.

Now it's off to a seafood dinner at a restaurant in town for our last meal together.  Venice is known for its seafood dishes, so it's only proper for each course in the meal to incorporate some type of fish or clams or something or other from the ocean.

Tomorrow, the trip comes to an end and we all go our separate ways (although maybe not so separate since many of us are on the same flights back to the U.S....)  It has been an incredible two weeks, and I can't believe the things we have seen and done and learned in such a short time.  I can't wait to come back to Italy someday!

Wow... can't believe it's already Tuesday night! The past two days have been a whirlwind. We left Florence on Monday morning and visited two gardens, Villa Medici in Fiesole and Villa Garzoni in Collodi. We also got to visit a butterfly garden at Villa Garzoni (see picture below of butterfly on Jenny!) It was incredibly hot, but we toughed it out. In the afternoon, we drove to Pisa where we all posed for a zillion pictures in front of the leaning tower and lounged in shade for awhile. After that, we drove north up the coast to Marina de Pietrasanta, a small town right on the beat. Our hotel is just a couple of blocks from the sandy beach, and we also lucked out with a pool on the roof! When we got to the hotel, most of us headed to the beach where we laid in the sun, got pinched by crabs, and swam in the ocean. There is nothing like swimming in the ocean while looking up at mountains in the distance.

Today (Tuesday) was a free day. Most of us took a day trip to Cinque Terre, five small towns perched on cliffs right on the ocean. It was incredibly beautiful. The ocean was bright blue, and a few of the towns had sandy beaches. Jenny and I decided to hike between two of the towns, while others (Allison, Liz, Alex, Arlan, Yilin, Jean, Blake, Ben, Garry, and Bill) took a ferry and got tons of awesome pictures of the villages from the sea. The hike was tougher than expected--lots of stairs and rocky ledges--but it was exciting to hike into the villages from the hills above. This is definitely a place I want to come back to someday!

Tomorrow, we drive north to Lake Maggiore. Hopefully there will be internet access somewhere, but no guarantees...

A day in wine country

Just got back to Florence after a day in the countryside of Tuscany. We started the day first at the Rocca delle Macie winery in the Chianti region between Florence and Siena. We got a tour of the winery and saw different parts of the production process. After that, we had a wine tasting of three different wines, one white and two red. We also tasted the olive oil and honey that the winery produces. Let's just say that between the 18 of us, a lot of wine and oil were purchased.

On a tour of the Rocca delle Macie winery

After that, we headed to Brolio Castle, a Medieval castle still owned today by a baron and baroness. We toured a few rooms of the castle and walked around the grounds before sitting down for lunch. This was not just any lunch... First of all, it took a couple of hours and many, many plates. It started off with bread, white wine, and a plate of bruschetta, anchovies, meats, and vegetables. I was sitting next to Corrin, and his expression when he tasted the anchovy was priceless. Good thing Gibb liked them--he got donations from many of us... After that, our second course was asparagus risotto. Yum! Then, the third course was steak, grilled potatoes, cauliflower, and spinach, served with red wine. And finally, for dessert we had zuppe inglese, which is kind of a trifle/bread pudding with coffee flavor served with very sweet white wine. After the meal, we were completely stuffed. We made it back to the bus and most everyone fell asleep immediately until we arrived at our next stop...

Gibb inside a Chinese parasol tree (Firmia simplex)... as identified by our own Liz Ball.

A beautiful view from the Brolio Castle

Our final stop, Villa Gamberaia, is a 16th century villa southwest of Florence. It's now a very expensive bed and breakfast with beautiful gardens and views of Tuscany. The gardens are small but very comfortable, and there was a little swimming pool on the hill that Garry, Bill, Liz, and Allison and I all stuck our feet in for awhile. It was very close to heaven.

Allison, Alex, and Liz poolside at Villa Gamberaia

Tomorrow we're leaving Florence, visiting a few gardens and stopping in Pisa before spending the night just a few blocks from the Mediterranean!

Under the Tuscan sun...

Today we are in Florence, the largest city in Tuscany.  This morning we went for a guided walking tour of the city, and stopped to see Brunelleschi's famous Duomo (at Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral), the Ponte Vecchio (the oldest bridge in Florence, crossing the Arno River), and the Boboli Gardens.  After the tour, we all split up and went our separate ways.  Jean, Jenny, and Allison all went to the Uffizi Gallery, Florence's most famous art museum.  A few others went to the Galleria Dell' Accademia, where Michaelangelo's famous David sculpture is displayed.  Alex and I decided to climb the 453 steps to the top of the Duomo, where there are incredible panoramas of the city of Florence.  After that, we explored Florence on foot a bit more--and of course ate gelato.  Now we're just taking a break inside and cooling off... Since we've arrived in Italy, it has been hot and sunny every day.  I think today I might have seen the first clouds of the entire trip.  Yesterday the temperature was above 95, and I'm not sure what today's was, but it was definitely pretty hot.  We're all hoping it cools down a bit when we head further north.

Here are some more pictures, some taken by Zeke (I think he holds the record for the most pictures taken thus far on the trip) and some taken by me.

Everyone loves the Colosseum!

 Two adorable little boys posing for a picture by the water fountain in the village of Bagnaia.

Chris, Blake, Zeke, and Lance all bought matching soccer jerseys.  They were instant celebrities at Villa D'Este on Thursday.

Allison, Ben, Jenny, and Gibb on a hike at Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli, east of Rome.

The view from the top of Il Duomo in Florence.

 Yelin at the Boboli Gardens in Florence.  We wish the umbrella was for rain...

Garry, our fearless leader, sets a good example in Rome.

More tomorrow!

ciao!

Sorry for a few days without updates... We didn't have internet access while we were in Tivoli, but now we're staying in Florence with wireless access in our rooms, so you can expect some updates in the next three days!

On Wednesday we traveled away from Rome for the day to Barmozo and Bagnaia, two small villages northeast of the city in the foothills of the Appenines (Appenino, as the Italian say).  Our first stop was the Parco dei Mostri or Park of the Monsters.  The garden is full of various sculptures created from the pre-existing volcanic rock.  The sculptures were of things like mermaids, mythological creatures, and animals.  One of the best was of a leaning house reminiscent of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  We strolled around the park and then had lunch at the "snack bar."  Well, let's just say that what Italians consider a snack bar is miles (or should I say kilometers) better than what Americans would call a snack bar.  Hot dogs, french fries, potato chips?  Heck no.  For lunch, they had things like pasta and tomatoes and zucchini, seafood salad, artichokes, and pollo con porcini (chicken with mushrooms).

Chris and Blake on the teeter-totter at Parco dei Monstri (Park of the Monsters)

After lunch, we hopped back on the bus and headed to Villa Lante in the tiny village of Bagnaia.  Villa Lante is one of the most famous Italian Renaissance gardens, and it's not hard to see why.  T

he garden incorporated lots of flowering plants, waterfalls, fountains, trees, statues, everything.  To top it off, the view from the garden was fantastic, overlooking the whole village and surrounding countryside.

Villa Lante in Bagnaia, east of Rome

We spent a few hours exploring the gardens, taking pictures, and sketching.  Then we walked back down the hill into the village of Bagnaia.  Most of us indulged in some gelato (ice cream)--much cheaper than it was in Rome--and strolled around the piazza.  Because we were the only tourists in town, we attracted a lot of attention from the locals.  Corrin made friends with an 80-year old man who served for Italy in World War II and was captured by Americans and brought as a prisoner of war to a camp in Georgia, close to where Corrin is from.  The man said that life as a prisoner might have actually been better than life in Italy at the time.  No one we talked to spoke any English, so it was an exciting challenge to try and communicate.  Let's just say that we probably couldn't have done it without our tour guide and translator, Edi.

Corrin, Chris, and Zeke with the men of Bagnaia

The best part of the town was the section within the Medieval walls.  The streets were windy, steep, and too narrow for cars.  Most windows had clothes hanging outside of them, and the buildings were shades of brown, orange, and  yellow.  I think we all fell in love with this little village.  Words don't do it justice, so here is a picture:

On Thursday we left Rome for good and headed east to Tivoli, where we visited three gardens and an archaeological museum on Thursday and Friday.  We stayed overnight at a quiet hotel in the countryside--a much-needed change from the chaos of Rome.  The hotel had a pool and balconies with gorgeous views.  We also had dinner all together at the hotel--a traditional meal with lots of courses... one of which was french fries, much to our surprise.  It's surprising how popular french fries are in Italy and how they are eaten with just about anything... including pasta and veal!

Time to explore Florence... I will try to post some more pictures tonight or tomorrow!

When in Rome...

Today we enjoyed a "free day" in Rome.  We wish it meant that everything was free all day in Rome (suggested by Ben), but unfortunately it only meant that we were free to decide for ourselves where to go and what to see.  In the morning, we all took the subway (metrebus) to the Vatican City, east across the river from the historical center of Rome.  The Vatican, and particularly St. Peter's Basilica, is so impressive from the outside.  The current structure was built in the 1500s and 1600s (took about 150 years to build!) but the same spot has been home to the church since the Emperor Constantine first built it in the 4th century A.D.  It's called St. Peter's (San Pietro) because the basilica was built on the spot where Peter, the first pope and Jesus' disciple, was supposedly buried.  After taking tons of pictures from the piazza, we went inside and explored the main part as well as the catacombs, where scores of popes are buried.  The inside of the church is fantastic and very ornately decorated.  We all tried to take pictures, but I doubt they do it justice.

Jean in Piazza San Pietro in the Vatican City

After exploring the interior, Liz, Ben, Gibb, and I climbed the 551 steps to the top of the dome of St. Peter's (designed by Michaelangelo).  The climb was pretty intense--not only was it a ton of stairs, but the staircases were so narrow and windy that I felt dizzy.  It was worth it, though, because the view of Rome from the top was beautiful.  We also got to see the mosaics inside the top of the dome up close.  They were impressive from for away, but up close they were even more incredible.

The view of the piazza from the dome of St. Peter's

In the afternoon, most everyone went to the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) and Vatican Museums.  I decided not to because I wanted to walk to the Castel Sant'Angelo (a castle/fortress where the pope used to hide out in times of war) and across the Ponte Sant'Angelo (a gorgeous pedestrian bridge over the Tiber River that's decorated with statues of angels).  Liz and Ben also decided not to visit the museums and they headed to the zoo!  I heard that the Sistine Chapel was great and that Allison took some great photos, so I'll try to post one or two of her pictures tomorrow.  A bunch of the group also went back to the Colosseum this afternoon to tour the inside, so I'll try to get pictures of that, too.

Tomorrow we are off to see a few more gardens!

Arrivederci!

I could get used to this...

Sorry for no updates yesterday--both of the internet cafes closest to our house were full, so I gave up and went to bed. Lots to catch up on today!

Today was our third day in Rome. Yesterday, we walked. And we walked. And we walked. And then walked some more. We started the day with a guided tour of the Ancient Roman structures--the Colosseum, the Roman forum ruins, etc. Our guide spoke impeccable English and we all learned a lot (or at least I did!) After the morning tour, we explored the city more, with stops at Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and Piazza del Popolo. Maybe it was the afternoon sun, or maybe it was the 1.80 Euro lunch, or maybe it was the fresh flowers for sale... but whatever it was, I totally loved Campo de' Fiori. We all ate lunch there and wandered around for an hour or so before continuing our walk. At every stop, Jean would have some interesting info to add since she is in the middle of reading Angels and Demons (the prequel to The Davinci Code) which takes place in Rome.

Today, we took a bus south to three garden stops: the Villa Aldobrandini gardens in the village of Frascati, the Giardini della Landriana (private gardens developed in the 20th century), and the Torsanlorenzo Nursery (one of the largest nurseries in the world!) My favorite was the second stop: the Giardini della Landriana. The variety of plants was incredible, and there were tons of flowering plants and things that, to me, are exotic, like olive trees. The nursery was interesting because I, for one, had not thought much about plants as an industry. We saw many different types of palm, orange trees, lemon trees, fig trees, olive trees, Bouganvilla, and tons of other plants. We found a bunch of lemons on the ground that had dropped off the trees, and the tour guide said that we could keep them, so Allison peeled one and gave everyone a slice. A few minutes later, the tour guide told us that their plants do not have many problems because they use so many chemicals and fertilizers. Because of this, they don't suggest eating the fruits. Oops. Too late.

All right, that's it for now. Several of us are off to see the Trevi Fountain all lit up at night. I'll leave you with a few pictures... The first is of a bunch of the group taking pictures and hanging out in Rome. The second is of the gardens at Villa Medici in Rome, our first garden tour!

Buongiornio!

Well, we're in Rome!  All of us.  And all of our baggage.  Success!  However, we're exhausted.  I don't mean the kind of tired where you just had a long day but you're pleasantly beat.  I mean the kind of tired where you can hardly walk straight because you slept for, at best, one hour last night.  [Or maybe that's not all of us--maybe that's just me.  Those of you who know me know that I can usually fall asleep anywhere, any time.  Last night, however, was unfortunately not the case, and now I'm paying for it big time.]  

Anyway, after arriving in Rome this morning, we took a giant tour bus from the airport to the hotel to stow our bags for the day.  Then we headed out and trekked around the city all day.  Saw about 129 beautiful churches, lots of gorgeous piazzas, ruins of the ancient Roman forum, the Trevi Fountain (it was a lot smaller than expected), the Italian president's house (basically the equivalent of our White House) Spanish steps in the Piazza di Spagna, and finally, Villa Medici and its beautiful Renaissance era gardens.  I was particularly enamored with the giant stone pines scattered around the garden.  Oh, and I forgot perhaps the best part of the day--eating!  Most of us ate pizza or calzone-ish things (pretty sure they called it something different) around the Trevi Fountain, followed by gelato.  I am learning to say only the most fundamental things, like "How much does this cost?"

Overall, the sentiment is that we are all exhausted and sleep-deprived and our feet hurt (especially mine and Alex's.)  However, we're also in awe of how much we saw and did today in relatively little time.  But the night is still young... we're having dinner all together with our tour guide Edi in a little while--if we can stay awake.

Counting down the days

About a week from today, we'll be in Rome.  Until then, here's a lovely picture that someone else took of the Eternal City.

While we're in Italy, I plan on writing short updates roughly every day, assuming I can find internet access that does not cost an arm and a leg... And instead of beautiful pictures courtesy of Google Image Search, you'll get to see some of our own beautiful shots!

In the meantime, take a look at the Google Map I made of our itinerary.  You can click on the dots to find out the name of each destination.  I think I included dates, but I can't remember since I actually made the map about two months ago when I was sitting in class fantasizing about this trip.  Also, the itinerary has changed a bit, and I haven't updated the map.  Still, it's fairly accurate.

Arrivederci!